This was Ray Charles's (Sammy) first of four appearances on the series and Charles' last TV credit as an actor.
Sammy (Ray Charles) would become known for his talented extended family: nephew Bryant Gumbel, grandson 'Erwin' (Coolio), and niece 'Edna' (Whoopi Goldberg).
After 15 years on 'Today (1952)', Bryant Gumbel had recently moved to CBS to host the new prime time newsmagazine 'Public Eye with Bryant Gumbel (1997)' during the 1997-1998 television season.