Lovely tributes to the master from Tripp and Jeanne d'Arc. I agree with Jeanne that what he did with cover versions like "You Are My Sunshine" was amazing. The liner notes of a Charles album I have quote him as picking a song because he can "make it stink of my manure."

One of my favorite covers, though unfortunately I don't own it, is the Sesame Street classic "It's Not Easy Being Green." My father pointed out that part of what gives it its oomph is that Charles was blind: he couldn't see color. So even though it's kind of goofy to hear a man singing about being green, green takes on an almost metaphysical quality that gives the song its poignancy. We all have our own green, if you know what I mean.