Sounds in Country and Western Music was cited by The Recording Academy as a recording of "historical significance". "I Can't Stop Loving You" was ranked number 49 on Country Music Television's list of the 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music. In November 2003, Rolling Stone ranked the album number 104 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and 105 in a 2012 revised list, and 127 in a 2020 revised list. The album was also included in Robert Christgau's "Basic Record Library" of 1950s and 1960s recordings, published in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981). Legacy and influence Country music In the wake of Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music and its success, country music experienced an immediate increase in popularity. According to music writer Daniel Cooper, "the album raised the genre's profile", specifically Nashville sound, which Charles had covered. Benefiting from this were songwriters, music publishers, and country singers who covered the subgenre's material. As noted by Cooper, by the end of 1962, Nashville country publishers were being held as "the hottest source of music material in the record business these days." Charles's success with the stylistic fusion of country and soul on Modern Sounds led to similar efforts from artists such as Candi Staton and Solomon Burke, who were greatly influenced by the album. Many country music artists such as Willie Nelson and Buck Owens have cited Charles's take on the genre with the album as a major influence. In an interview for Country Music Television (CMT), Nelson said that the album "did more for country music than any one artist has ever done." Doug Freeman of the Austin Chronicle wrote of Charles's influence through the album, stating: Summing up on the impact Modern Sounds had on country music and listeners, writer Daniel Cooper states, "There is no telling how many people, who perhaps never paid much attention to country music or even had professed to dislike it, listened anew based on the impact of having heard what Ray Charles was capable of doing with that music." Charles eventually earned a country music repertoire and reputation following the success of the Modern Sounds records, later country hit singles for Warner Bros. Records, and various appearances at country music events, including The Johnny Cash Show in 1970 and the Grand Ole Opry's 58th anniversary in 1983, the program to which he