By Benjamin Kelly and Chris Ray Charles By Benjamin Kelly and Chris

Introduction Ray Charles was a pioneer of soul music, integrating R&B, gospel, pop and country to create hits like “”Unchain My Heart”, Hit The Road Jack” and “Georgia on My Mind”. A blind genius, he is considered one of the greatest artists of all time.

Ray Charles Early Life: Ray Charles was born on the 23rd of September, 1930. He was born in Albany, Georgia. His father, a mechanic, and his mother, a sharecropper, moved the family to Greenville, Florida when he was an infant. Ray Charles had a traumatic event in his early childhood of watching his younger brother drown. Soon after this Ray Charles’ sight started to deteriorate. By the age of seven Ray Charles had entirely lost his sight. His mother sent him to a state sponsored school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St.Augustine, Florida where he learned to read, write and arrange music in Braille. He also learned to play a number of different instruments which included; piano, organ, sax, clarinet and trumpet. Charles musical interests ranged widely, from Gospel to Country, to Blues.

Ray Charles Charles’ mother passed away when he was around 15,and for a year he toured on the “chitlin circuit” in the South. At 16 Charles moved to Seattle.There, he met a young Quincy Jones,a friend and collaborator he would keep for the rest of his life. Charles had an early playing style closely resembled the work of his two major influences- Charles Brown and Nat King Cole. Around 1949, Charles released his first single, ”Confession Blues”, with the Maxin Trio. The song did well on the R&B charts. More success on the R&B charts followed with “Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand” and ”Kissa Me Baby”.

Critical Acclaim Charles fusion of gospel and R&B helped to create a new musical genre known as soul. By the late 1950s, Charles began entertaining the world of Jazz, cutting the records with members of the modern Jazz Quartet. Fellow musicians began to call Charles “The Genius”, an appropriate title for the rumblin musician, who never worked in just one style, but blended and beautified all that he touched (he also earned the nickname “Father of the Soul”). The year 1960 brought Charles his first Grammy Award for “Georgia On My Mind”, followed by another Grammy for the single “Hit The Road Jack”.

Later Life While thriving creatively, Charles struggled in his pesonal life. He continued to battle with heroin addiction. Charles releases in the 1960s and 70s were hit-or- miss, but he remained one of music’s most respected stars. Charles won a Grammy award for his rendition of Stevie Wonder’s ”Living for the City”. In 1980, Charles made an appearance in the comedy “The Blues Brothers” with John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.

Later Career, Death & Legacy Charles returned to spotlight in the early 1990s with several high profile appearances. He also recorded commercials for Pepsi- Cola, singing “You Got the Right One,Baby!” as his catchphrase and performed “We Are the World” for the organisation U.S.A for Africa alongside the likes of Billy Joel,Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen and Smokey Robinson. In 2003,Charles had to cancel his tour for the first time in 53 years. He underwent hip replacement surgery. Charles sadly was suffering from liver disease. Charles passed away on June 10th 2004, Beverly Hills, California.

Death and Legacy Charles had performed more than 10,000 concerts and recorded more than 60 albums. More than 1,500 people came to say goodbye to the musical legend at his funeral. Some of these people such as B.B King, Willie Nelson and Stevie Wonder were among those who performed at the service. Charles final album, Genius Loves Company, released two months after his death, consists of duets with various admirers and contemporaries. Later on,Charles life story became a hit film which was called “Ray”. Jamie Foxx starred as Charles and won an Academy Award for his portrayal of the legendary performer.

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