Ray Charles was one of the great innovators of soul music, integrating R&B, gospel, pop and country to create hits like "Hit the road jack", "Unchain my heart" and " Georgia on my mind." This bind genius was considered one of the greatest artist of all time.
Born in Georgia Sep 23, 1930, Raymond Charles Robinson was a legendary musician who pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950's. He's often called the "Father of soul", Ray combined blues, gospel and jazz to create ground breaking hits. He died in 2004, leaving a lasting impression on contemporary music.
Ray was born on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia. His father Bailey Robinson, a mechanic and his mother Aretha robinson a sharecropper, had moved the family to Greenville, Florida when he was an infant. One of the traumatic events in his childhood was witnessing the drowning death of his younger brother.
After the death of his brother Ray soon to gradually lose his sight. He was blind by the age of 7, and his mother sent him to a school for the deaf and blind, in St. Augustine, Florida. This is where he learned to read, write and arrange music in braille. He also learned to play piano, organ, sax,clarinet and trumpet.
His mother died when Ray was 15, and for the year he toured on the "Chitlin ' Circuit" in the south. while on the road he picked up a love for heroin. At the age 16, Ray moved to Seattle where, he met young Quincy Jones, a friend and collaborator. Ray performed with the "Mcson Trio" in 1940's. His early playing style resembled his two influences - Charles Brown and Nat King Cole. Ray later developed his distinctive sound. In 1949, he released his first single, "Confession Blues," with the Maxin Trio. By 1953 Ray got a deal with Atlantic Records. He celebrated his first R&B hit single with the label "Mess Around." About a year later Ray released his now classic song " I got a women," reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. By the late 1950's Ray began entertaining the world of jazz, cutting records with members on the Modern Jazz Quartet. Other musicians started to call Ray "The Genius," a great name for the ramblin musician, who never worked in one style. The year 1960 Ray got his first Grammy Award for "Georgia on my mind," followed by another grammy for "Hit the road jack." In 1962 Ray broke down the boundaries of music genres with modern sound in country western music. Ray still struggled in his personal life he continued to battle heroin. In 1965 Ray was arrested for possession. Ray avoided jail after his arrest for possession by finally kicking the habit at a …show more content…
In 1960's and 70's his releases were a hit or miss but still remained one of the music's most respected stars. In 1980, Ray appeared in the comedy The Blues Brothers. He later received a special honor as one of the first people inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. In the early 90's Ray returned to the spot light with several high profile appearances. He recorded Pepsi commercials, singing "You got the right one baby," as his catch phrase. Also performed " We are the World" for the organization USA for Africa along with Billy joel, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper
Born in Georgia Sep 23, 1930, Raymond Charles Robinson was a legendary musician who pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950's. He's often called the "Father of soul", Ray combined blues, gospel and jazz to create ground breaking hits. He died in 2004, leaving a lasting impression on contemporary music.
Ray was born on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia. His father Bailey Robinson, a mechanic and his mother Aretha robinson a sharecropper, had moved the family to Greenville, Florida when he was an infant. One of the traumatic events in his childhood was witnessing the drowning death of his younger brother.
After the death of his brother Ray soon to gradually lose his sight. He was blind by the age of 7, and his mother sent him to a school for the deaf and blind, in St. Augustine, Florida. This is where he learned to read, write and arrange music in braille. He also learned to play piano, organ, sax,clarinet and trumpet.
His mother died when Ray was 15, and for the year he toured on the "Chitlin ' Circuit" in the south. while on the road he picked up a love for heroin. At the age 16, Ray moved to Seattle where, he met young Quincy Jones, a friend and collaborator. Ray performed with the "Mcson Trio" in 1940's. His early playing style resembled his two influences - Charles Brown and Nat King Cole. Ray later developed his distinctive sound. In 1949, he released his first single, "Confession Blues," with the Maxin Trio. By 1953 Ray got a deal with Atlantic Records. He celebrated his first R&B hit single with the label "Mess Around." About a year later Ray released his now classic song " I got a women," reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. By the late 1950's Ray began entertaining the world of jazz, cutting records with members on the Modern Jazz Quartet. Other musicians started to call Ray "The Genius," a great name for the ramblin musician, who never worked in one style. The year 1960 Ray got his first Grammy Award for "Georgia on my mind," followed by another grammy for "Hit the road jack." In 1962 Ray broke down the boundaries of music genres with modern sound in country western music. Ray still struggled in his personal life he continued to battle heroin. In 1965 Ray was arrested for possession. Ray avoided jail after his arrest for possession by finally kicking the habit at a …show more content…
In 1960's and 70's his releases were a hit or miss but still remained one of the music's most respected stars. In 1980, Ray appeared in the comedy The Blues Brothers. He later received a special honor as one of the first people inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. In the early 90's Ray returned to the spot light with several high profile appearances. He recorded Pepsi commercials, singing "You got the right one baby," as his catch phrase. Also performed " We are the World" for the organization USA for Africa along with Billy joel, Diana Ross, Cyndi Lauper