"Mary Ann" is a song written and performed by Ray Charles and released in 1956 as a single on the Atlantic Records label.
The song is set to a Latin beat, but switches into a swing rhythm, an alternation that adds fun for the dancers.
"[2] The song was written about Mary Ann Fisher (1923–2004),[3] a singer who had recently joined Charles band as a featured vocalist in his touring shows.
Despite Charles' marriage, the two became lovers, and Fisher appears on a number of his Atlantic recordings.
Fisher left Ray Charles in 1958 after he had added the Raelettes, formerly the Cookies, as female vocal backup to his band.