His father, Bailey Robinson, was a mechanic, and his mother worked in a sawmill. During the height of the Great Depression, the family moved to Gainesville, Florida. When Ray was five, his younger brother drowned in the washtub his mother used to do laundry. A year later, Ray went blind. Glaucoma was cited as the cause, but the diagnosis was never properly made. He later recalled that his mother and music saved him. At the age of three, Ray began humming, imitating a tapper from a nearby cafe. He had a talent from God. At a boarding school for deaf and blind children, he simultaneously learned to read words and music using the Braille system. He played many instruments - trumpet, clarinet, organ, saxophone and piano.
Ray Charles called Chopin, Sibelius, Duke Ellington and jazz giants Count Basie, Art Tatum and Artie Shaw his teachers.
After Ray was orphaned at the age of fifteen, he formed his own country band in Florida. Then, in 1948, the future star succumbed to a sudden impulse, and with the $600 he collected, he went to the other end of the continent, to Seattle, where he founded the Maxim trio. During this period, Charles began using heroin.
Having settled in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, he recorded his first record. Having signed a contract with the Atlantic record company, Charles released several records, two of which were the rhythm and blues “It Should Have Been Me” and the rock gospel “I Found a Woman” (“I Got a Woman") - hit the charts in 1954, and the singer gained fame as an innovator who transformed the melancholy genre of gospel (religious hymn) into energetic rhythm and blues. Largely thanks to Charles, “black” rock and roll emerged, growing out of traditional blues and gospel.
In the 1950s, Charles released numerous recordings that formed the “canon” of the singer and pianist’s signature style - “Greenbacks”, “This Little Girl of Mine”, “Hallelujah, I Love Her” "("Hallelujah I Love Her So"), "What should I say" ("What`d I Say"), etc.
Realizing that the Atlantic recording studio would always give preference to R$B musicians, Ray Charles decided to change the label and in 1959 signed a contract with the ABC-Paramoumt studio. And already in the early 1960s, his main soul hits were released: “Sticks and Stones”, “Hit the Road, Jack”, “Georgia in My Soul” ( "Georgia On My Mind"), "Ruby" ("Ruby").
In 1959, the song "What'd I Say" made him a star. Some radio stations took her off the air, finding Charles' voice too erotic. Soon he was performing at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival.
It was during this period that the first significant one came to him, when he was chosen as a performer of the anthem of the American state of Georgia, written by Hodja Carmichael, a Broadway classic of the 30-60s. It would seem that the anthem does not imply anything other than a standard patriotic outpouring of feelings. But Charles, performing “Georgia on my mind,” achieves real catharsis. “Georgia on my mind” became a worldwide hit, and the name Georgia became a fashionable female name.
Best of the day
His expressive, cracked voice, virtuoso keyboard playing, and genuine charm as a blind performer earned him love and success among both black and white listeners even at a time when strict racial barriers existed in American show business.
In 1959, his famous “What`d I Say” was released, with which the history of “soul” began - an inimitable combination of rock, r&b, jazz and country.
Over time, the singer's genre range expanded significantly, as his repertoire included new songs from a variety of genres - from country classics to old-fashioned romantic ballads, from rock and roll to modern pop hits.
During those same golden years, Charles recorded the famous version of the Groundhogs' hit "I can't stop loving you", and a little later - his unusual and mysterious variations on the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yesterday". The same sincerity of sadness struck the Americans.
Like Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles recorded a lot and, as they say, greedily.
He took on any job - he recorded soundtracks for films and acted in films (the most famous film is “The Blues Brothers”), recruited young people (Betty Carter), searched for “new music” with multi-instrumentalist Arnold Keeler and vibraphonist Milt Jackson (“Modern Jazz”) quartet"). And yet, Charles’ calling card is his solo recordings of the late 50s and 60s, many of which still do not go out of fashion for a second, despite the old, “sixties sound.”
Listening to Charles, each time you are amazed at the depth of his artistic transformation - as if he studied with Stanislavsky himself. A real requiem for John Kennedy was his desperate and bitter “Busted,” released the day after the president’s death and hinting that Kennedy’s anti-racist policies had come to an end with his death. The famous historian of modern American culture Larry Lee noted that Charles returned to well-fed American pop music and American culture as a whole “the capacity for emotional experiences.”
The name of Ray Charles is invariably accompanied by the phrase “living legend” and this cannot be considered an exaggeration. Publications about him can form a huge library. Everyone agrees on such definitions as “unsurpassed genius” and “superstar”. Ray Charles has received many titles and awards. He has 14 Grammy awards and a huge number of gold and platinum discs.
In 1993, Bill Clinton awarded him the National Medal of Arts, and since 1996, he has been officially designated a Los Angeles Treasure. The star with his name is on the Hollywood Boulevard of Fame, and his bronze busts are in all the Halls of Fame: rock and roll, jazz, blues and country. There is also a bronze medallion cast and given to Ray Charles in France on behalf of the French people.
Ray Charles is the “father inspiration” of all the biggest rock and pop stars of the 20th century. Elvis Presley, Joe Cocker, Billy Joel and Stevie Wonder consider Ray Charles their teacher. Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Michael Bolton, Michael Jackson and many other famous musicians also performed his songs in his honor.
He treated his own blindness slightly ironically - he acted in films, drove a car, once piloted an airplane and always shaved in front of the mirror. Before each performance, Ray Charles took a glass of gin and coffee. According to him, this gave him vigor and courage.
“Sometimes I feel terrible, but when I get on stage and start playing, it’s kind of like if you were in pain and then you took an aspirin and it went away. I don’t know how this happens,” he said.
Ray Charles never signed autographs because he did not see what they were giving him to sign, and was extremely reluctant to communicate with journalists.
On June 10, 2004, at the age of 73, the musician died due to an exacerbation of liver disease. “I won’t live forever,” Ray Charles once said during an interview at a recording studio. “I’m smart enough to understand this.” It’s not a matter of how long I will live, the only question is how beautiful my life will be.”
Charles's posthumous album of duets, Genius Loves Company, went platinum in less than half a year, selling more than a million copies, something the late musician had never achieved in his entire 53-year career. On his latest album, the musician performs a duet with such performers as Norah Jones, Van Morrison and Elton John. Later, the film “Ray” was released with the participation of Jamie Foxx based on the biography of Ray Charles.
“The only genius in our profession,” Frank Sinatra said about him.
Ray Charles himself spoke more modestly about himself. “Music has been in the world for a very long time, and will be after me. I was just trying to leave my mark, to do something good in music.”
American Ray Charles is a pianist, vocalist and songwriter in the styles of jazz, blues, rock and roll and country, weaving these styles into a single whole. Charles's genius put him on a par with the best musicians of the 20th century and turned him into one of the symbols of American culture. Rolling Stone magazine named him tenth on its “Immortal List” and second on its list of the 100 best vocalists of all time.
Childhood and youth
Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23, 1930, to Aretha and Bailey Robinson. But soon the parents separated, and Aretha and her sons moved from Georgia to South Florida, to the tiny village of Greenville. There she raised her sons, trying to get out of hopeless poverty. When Ray was five years old, his younger brother George drowned. The elder brother could not save him.
After this tragedy, Ray began to lose his sight and by the age of seven he was blind. He had to learn to live with this, and the boy was sent to boarding school. There Ray developed his musical abilities. He sang in a choir and learned to play the piano, organ, saxophone, trombone and clarinet. After the death of his parents, the blind young man had to make his way in life on his own. At seventeen, Ray Robinson formed the MacSon Trio. In 1949, his song became a hit for the first time.
Music
In the 50s, the musician’s official pseudonym was born. The surname was dropped to avoid confusion with boxer Ray Robinson. Ray Charles is looking for his own style, achieving a unique sound for his compositions. Experiments with the voice, including wheezing, screaming and other sounds in songs that enhance the emotional coloring of the words.
In 1955, his soul single "I Got a Woman" climbed to the top of the R&B charts. During this time, Ray sang gospel songs and blues ballads. He performed traditional “black” music, revealing its beauty to everyone.
The first iconic song written entirely by Ray, What'd I Say, became a rock and roll classic. Ray collaborated with major orchestras, jazzmen, and experimented with country music. The result was that he was awarded a Grammy. The vocalist's powerful and voluminous expressive voice impressed music critics and ordinary listeners.
By the early 60s, the singer was earning so much money that he was able not only to undergo a full medical examination from eminent doctors, but also to purchase a luxurious mansion in the Golden Triangle of Beverly Hills. However, Ray was unable to regain at least partial sight.
Having received creative freedom, the singer expanded his collaboration with other musicians. Ray performed the song Hit The Road Jack as a duet with Margie Hendricks. The new sound brought the composition to the top of popularity for two weeks. The fame was so great that it reached Russia: Soviet jazz bands included it in their repertoire.
During the same period, Ray's signature album, Georgia On My Mind, was recorded. Initially, the author of the song, Hog Carmichael, dedicated it to a girl with that name. But the performer made the song a hit, and residents of the state of Georgia, impressed by his vocals, declared it their anthem.
After the 70s, the musician performed a lot and paid more and more attention to country compositions. In the last decades of his life, Ray Charles included the sound of electronic instruments in his melodies. He wove into a single whole the music of different peoples who became the population of the United States by the 20th century. The classic song "America the Beautiful" was reborn with Ray's performance and gospel/R&B arrangement.
Personal life
The musician loved women, and nine of them became the mothers of his children. But Ray entered into an official union with only two women: with Eileen Williams (July 31, 1951) and Della Beatrice Howard Robinson (April 5, 1955). The first marriage broke up a year later, the second union lasted 22 years, the couple raised three sons: David, Ray Charles and Reverend Robinson.
In addition to them, Ray admitted nine more illegitimate children. Before completing his life's journey, the father gave each child a million dollars. The musician's last companion was Norma Pinella.
Death
For the last two years of his life, Ray Charles battled cancer. He had a hard time recovering from surgery. However, even after losing the ability to walk, the musician went daily to his own recording studio RPM, where he worked on the album Genius Loves Company. He died on June 10, 2004 at home. He is buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California.
In the fall in Los Angeles, a concert in memory of Ray Charles brought together twenty thousand spectators and famous musicians in one hall, who performed his songs, which became iconic.
The singer’s biography is reflected in the film “Ray,” which was released in October of the same year. The plot was based on the autobiography “Brother Ray,” written in 1978. The production team consulted with Charles during the production process. He starred in the title role and was awarded an Oscar for it. Sometimes photographs of the actor in this role are confused with photographs of the musician.
The second posthumous album included new works with modern pop and soul stars. To record the third posthumous album, advances in computer sound processing were used. The restored vocal recordings of the singer were combined with melodies performed by the Count Basie orchestra.
Modern technologies allow the singer to communicate with the listener even a decade after his death. Concord Records continues to work with Ray's old recordings, returning his compositions to fans in a new sound.
Discography
- 1956 - The Great Ray Charles
- 1960 - Basin Street Blues
- 1961 - Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music
- 1962 - Hit the Road Jack
- 1963 - Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul
- 1965 - Country & Western Meets Rhythm & Blues
- 1972 - A Message from the People
- 2000 - Sittin" on Top of the World
- 2004 - Genius Loves Company
- 2005 - Genius & Friends
- 2005 - Genius Remixed
- 2006 - Ray Sings, Basie Swings
- 2009 - Genius The Ultimate Ray Charles
- 2010 - Rare Genius: The Undiscovered Masters
- 2012 - Extraordinary Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American pop singer and pianist who became famous for performing compositions in many musical styles. He is considered the most significant person in the music industry in the post-war years.
Childhood
Ray Charles was born on September 23 in the small town of Albany, located in the state of Georgia, into a very poor black family. As the singer himself later said, they could not even be compared with just poor families:
“I was born into an incredibly poor family, exactly as poor as one can imagine, the very bottom of the stairs, below there is only bare and damp earth...”
His father took virtually no part in raising the children, so all worries fell on the shoulders of his mother, aunt Aretha and mother-in-law Mary Jay Robinson. Later, when Ray was 2 years old, his father left the family completely and disappeared. The future singer did not know where he was and with whom he lived.
At the age of five, Ray suffered a misfortune. He witnessed his brother begin to drown in a large bathtub. Since he was much larger and healthier than himself, the boy could not save him on his own, and there was simply no one to call for help. Women at that time were in the city to earn money. As a result, brother George died, and Ray withdrew into himself for a long time. The severe shock and shock of not being able to save his own brother drove the child to a serious illness, as a result of which he began to go blind. Even the doctors were unable to help. Two years later, Ray completely lost his sight.
Since the blind child could not attend a regular high school, his mother sent him to a boarding school in St. Augustine, where the boy was forced to learn Braille and adapt to an unusual condition, which, alas, could not be changed. At the same age, his musical talent began to manifest itself. With the help of the owner of the pharmacy, which was located not far from the house, Ray began to learn to play the piano and sing. At school, he asked to join clubs where they taught how to play other musical instruments. He ended up learning to play the clarinet, trombone, saxophone and organ in just one year.
The beginning of a musical career
After graduating from boarding school, Ray decided not to go to university, because he perfectly understood that it would be impossible to do this due to both financial and physiological circumstances. However, his desire to be a musician did not disappear. On the contrary, the guy dreamed of becoming a professional singer and earning money in order to be able to take care of his loved ones.
In 1947, after several years of saving money through part-time construction jobs, Ray finally decides to move to Seattle, since in his hometown music had always been the last priority for the poor and hungry residents. There, in Seattle, he meets aspiring guitarist Gossady McGee, who would later become one of Ray Charles's best friends, as well as the founder of a group called the MacSon Trio. And since the group’s songs in jazz and country styles almost immediately gain their listeners, the recording studio Swingtime Records becomes interested in the group, which invites two talented guys to start writing compositions under their label. “Walkin" and Talkin"", "Guitar Blues" and "Wonderin" and Wonderin"" are released.
Being “under the wing” of a record company, young and talented musicians soon began to realize that songwriting was becoming more and more a mechanical process for them, and not at all a creative process. And if earlier company representatives took on every new single of their group, then they begin to dictate their rights and set boundaries. Ray did not like this approach to creativity most of all, so in 1952 he terminated the contract and entered into a new one. Now with the record company Atlantic Records. There he not only releases his best songs, but with their help he also finds a new, ideal sound for himself, which later becomes his calling card.
In the 1960s, Ray Charles and his incomparable songs filled with vital energy were already known almost all over the world. At the same time, the singer again changed the recording studio and began collaborating with ABC Records, which at that time produced the most talented, famous and highly paid performers. Ray moves to Beverly Hills, where he begins to actively write songs. At this time, such singles as “Unchain My Heart”, “Georgia On My Mind”, “Cry”, “Makin" Whoopee”, “Busted”, “I Can’t Stop Loving” were born and became popular from the very first minutes. You" and "You Don't Know Me".
Drug addiction
Throughout his life, Ray Charles was addicted to drugs. He did not hide this fact and himself admitted that he first tried marijuana when he was still a 16-year-old teenager.
In 1961, the police found several bags of marijuana and cocaine in the singer's hotel room. A criminal case is initiated, but the lawyers manage to obtain only a suspended sentence for Ray, since at that time the star was already undergoing treatment for drug addiction in a Los Angeles clinic.
Four years later, Ray Charles is found to be in possession of drugs again. This time packs of heroin. However, the singer is again acquitted, after which he completely gives up drugs and begins to act as an active supporter of a healthy life.
Personal life
Ray Charles gained fame all over the world not only thanks to his excellent vocal abilities, but also his love for the female sex. The singer had 12 children, most of whom were born out of wedlock. If we talk about his official spouses, then they were only three women: Eileen Williams (lived together for a year, no children), Della Beatrice Howard Robinson (20 years of marriage and three children) and Norma Pinella (lived with Ray in a civil marriage until his death).
Ray Charles is a famous American singer, composer, and arranger. Born in 1930 in the USA. He devoted his entire life to music, despite the fact that he was blind from birth.
Ray Charles was born in September 1930 in Albany, Georgia, USA. His parents were not musicians and had nothing to do with creativity at all. His mother worked at a sawmill, and his father worked as a mechanic. A little later, the family moved to Florida, largely due to the difficult period in the life of society, the Great Depression. The family was the simplest, and trials never left her.
So, at the age of 5, Ray lost his younger brother, who, by a tragic and absurd accident, drowned in a trough. The future musical genius himself also had a sad childhood, because doctors diagnosed him with blindness, from which he was never able to recover in life, remaining almost completely blind. But, as he later recalled, he was supported by his mother and music, to which he was partial from birth. Already at the age of 3, he quite well learned to sing along to songs that came from the neighboring yard.
Formation and first musical steps
Since he had a pronounced physical defect and could not study in a regular school with his peers, he began learning to read and write in a specialized boarding school for deaf and blind children.
Photo: Ray Charles in his youth It is noteworthy that along with reading using a special method, he also mastered musical notation, and he did it at the same time - he was so interested in learning the basics of music. But it didn’t all end with musical notation; with the same tenacity and talent, he mastered playing the piano, saxophone, organ, clarinet and trumpet, imitating the best musicians, but also bringing his own vision of the process to the performance. He named Chopin, Count Basie and other performers as his teachers.
Fate continued to test his strength; at the age of 15, he lost his parents. This loss pushed him even more towards music, into which he immersed himself and even created his own country band. In many ways, he acted intuitively and even impulsively. So, in 1948, he had at his disposal only 600 collected dollars, which he spent on moving to the city of Seattle, that is, to a completely different end of the big country. Arriving there, he immediately set to work and created the group “Maxim”.
Professional path
With his characteristic energy, he set to work, creating musical compositions of amazing beauty and sound.
Unfortunately, this period of life is also associated with drug use. To complete the picture, it is worth noting that drugs at that time were very common in society, although they were considered illegal. Until now, the whole hippie movement, which arose several decades ago, is largely associated with the use of illegal drugs. And if we talk about musicians and other people from show business, it becomes clear that only a few have resisted this addiction.
At the end of the 40s, he settled in Los Angeles, where his first record was released and an official contract was concluded with one of the recording studios. Rhythm and blues & rock gospel are two trends that are strongly associated with his name, since the musician performed songs in this genre masterfully.
In the mid-50s, his compositions began to hit the charts, in particular, “I Got a Woman” fell in love with many listeners not only in the USA, but also outside the country. The musician became famous for his virtuoso performance and the fact that he boldly altered the rhythms. For example, the gospel genre has been associated for many decades with serious and even somewhat mournful singing of religious themes. Ray Charles added life to this rhythm and made it truly lively, but retained the characteristics characteristic of the genre.
This approach caused a real sensation, and millions of people became interested in the musician’s work.
Numerous records followed in the 50s. Then he signed a contract with the ABC-Paramoumt recording company, which seemed to him the most promising at that time. Thanks to such fruitful collaboration, he again shot hits, including “Georgia On My Mind”; this music is still often included in the charts and is played in one way or another by different performers.
Creative flourishing
The dawn of his activity and the peak of his popularity occurred in the 60s. One of the cult songs was the song “What`d I Say,” which the singer performed with such sensuality that some puritanical radio stations considered it too sexual and did not broadcast it. But this only spurred interest in her.
Taking notice of his stunningly expressive voice, which can radiate sensuality and metal, the musician was asked by authorities to perform the Georgia state anthem. The performance was so successful that it quickly became a hit, and the name of the state of Georgia itself became a popular female name.
Thanks to professional performance, the music was equally loved by white and black residents of the country, despite the fact that it was a cruel time of struggle and confrontation. No less surprising is the amazing performance of a musician who really did not want to be confined within the framework of any specific genres and constantly experimented, came up with something of his own, and also covered famous classical compositions that sounded completely different in his performance. For example, in his characteristic manner of blues, jazz and soul, he covered the cult song “Yesterday,” which again delighted the audience.
Seventies
The 70s are especially worth highlighting, since the musician’s life changed dramatically. Unfortunately, he is known not only as a brilliant musician, but also as a person who periodically got into trouble due to drugs. Police found drugs in his hotel room several times, but he miraculously avoided any actual prison time.
When the police once again demanded to hand over the drugs that the musician kept in his room, he was saved from arrest only by the fact that the police did not have a search warrant and could not document the presence of heroin. The singer admits that after this he decided to stop using drugs and subsequently stressed in every possible way that this was the only right decision.
The public forgave him a lot, not only because he was completely blind but incredibly cheerful, but also because of his sincerity. Thus, he honestly admitted his drug addiction and especially emphasized that the meaning and way of his life had changed dramatically.
The performer's popularity was so great that he was even invited to perform at the inauguration of Presidents, in particular Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. It is known that the singer considered himself an ardent Democrat, but performed at the inauguration of Ronald Reagan, who, as is known, was a Republican.
Such an act was perceived disapprovingly by part of society. Moreover, the singer’s manager added fuel to the fire, saying that the performer performed solely for the fee. The fee was $100,000, a fantastic amount for those times. This created even more disapproval. Well, society examines every step of famous people under a magnifying glass and any action that does not fit into the format is discussed with particular enthusiasm.
Personal life
Despite his blindness and passion for music, which occupied the vast majority of the artist’s time, his personal life also remained turbulent. Formally, he was married twice, but he has 12 children from 9 women.
Photo: Ray Charles with family The singer did not dispute this fact and did not try to justify himself, saving his reputation. On the contrary, he recognized all his children, and a year before his death he gave each of the heirs a million dollars from his impressive fortune.
last years of life
The singer died in 2004, but it is known for certain that until the last moment he was engaged in music. Towards the end, he could no longer talk, but, having gathered all his strength, he still came to the studio and got to work.
Photo: Ray Charles in recent years In numerous interviews, he emphasized that he considers a good indicator not of the number of years lived, but of the quality, brightness of life, and eventfulness. It is believed that the performer died of liver cancer, which appeared 2 years before his death. Even in these difficult times, the artist’s masculinity is amazing. Losing strength, he was unbroken morally and played music literally until his last breath. After his death, several more albums with songs were released, which also had great success.
The artist was buried in the state of California. There is his star on the Hollywood Boulevard of Fame, and in several halls of fame: blues, jazz, rock and roll, country, his busts are installed. He was also awarded the National Medal of Arts, which was presented by Bill Clinton himself in 1993.
These are just one of the many awards of an amazing man, however, he did not attach much importance to them, rightly considering the love of the audience to be the best reward for his work, regardless of skin color, social status and political preferences.
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Ray Charles, a musician who performed compositions in the style of jazz, rhythm and blues and soul, became one of the most famous American musicians. The result of his creative activity was the release of more than seventy albums, multiple Grammy awards (13 times), and membership in the Hall of Fame of individual musical genres (rock and roll, jazz, country, blues).
The United States contains the hits of Ray Charles, and the famous words spoken by Frank Sinatra call him the only genius in show business.
Ray's childhood
Born Ray Charles Robinson, he saw the world in Albany in 1930. The town was small, and the financial and social situation of Ray's family was unfavorable. A few months after his birth, the whole family had to change their place of residence: they now called the small gray area of Greenville (South Florida) their home.
His father's role in the musician's life was short and insignificant, since he left when the boy and his brother George were very young. He was raised by his mother Aretha and grandmother Mary Jane Robinson.
Tragic incident
The biography of Ray Charles contains one notorious fact related to the death of his brother. This happened when the future musician was only five years old, and George was four. Having plunged headlong into a deep tub of water that stood on the street, George was unable to get out and began to choke. Seeing his brother drowning, Ray tried to save him, but he did not have enough strength to pull the child out.
The resulting shock had a profound effect on Ray. He himself assumed that it was for this reason that his vision began to deteriorate until it disappeared completely. Complete blindness occurred when he was seven years old. Later, glaucoma and its consequences were considered the probable cause of blindness.
There are rumors claiming that the musician, having achieved fame, tried to find a donor for a one-eye transplant. However, the operation was never carried out due to the opinion of doctors who considered this step pointless and risky.
Ray Charles: music training
The formation of the musician’s future career was directly influenced by a pharmacist who played the piano and lived not far from Ray’s house. The first manifestations of the boy's musical talent were already noticeable when he was three years old.
Therefore, after completely losing his sight, his mother made sure that Ray entered a specialized boarding school. It was located in St. Augustine, and here Ray Charles studied organ, piano, trombone, saxophone and clarinet. Thanks to his success in music, the boy was enrolled in the Baptist choir.
1945 was the year of Ray's mother's death, his father died two years later.
Musical career: first steps
The further biography of Ray Charles (the period after completing his studies at the boarding school) is replete with the names of numerous musical projects in which he took part. They often performed country or jazz. The greatest influence on the formation of Ray's style and manner of performance was exerted by such famous jazzmen as Count Basie, Art Tatum, and Artie Shaw.
The first group of which the musician became a full member was called The Florida Playboys.
A trip to Seattle in 1947 was a very significant event for seventeen-year-old Ray. With $600 saved up and the support of guitarist Gossady McGee, he founds and develops the MacSon Trio. To record his first compositions, Ray collaborated with the group of the famous performer Lowell Fulson. Ray's task was to accompany the musicians on the piano. Two years later, Ray Charles's first rhythm and blues song was released. Then several more compositions were released, which later became hits.
Musician's activities in the 50s
The new decade was marked for Ray Charles Robinson by a change of label and a shortening of his name. This measure was necessary, since a boxer with a similar name was popular at that time.
Ray's first marriage lasted only a year. Beginning in July 1951, the life together of the musician and Eileen Williams did not stand the test of time. The next time Ray joined the barque three years later, he married Della Beatrice Robinson (nee Howard). They lived together until 1977.
The biography of Ray Charles in the mid-50s is full of successful songs, written independently or in collaboration with other musicians. It is during this period that a recognizable and original unique sound is formed.
Ray Charles's songs sold millions of copies, bringing popularity to the musician himself and the styles in which he worked. Ray's repertoire included secular gospel songs and blues ballads. The popularity of gospel and R&B owes much to the work of this musician, whose activities attracted a large number of new fans. There were representatives of both black and white audiences. Ray Charles, as one of the first performers in the style of rhythm and blues, is credited with the impressive spread of “black” music.
The end of the fifties brought Ray universal popularity, participation in the Newport Festival, recording a large number of hits, as well as his first Grammy Award.
Biography of Ray Charles: 60s
After receiving worldwide recognition, Ray moved to a huge mansion in Beverly Hills. As one of the few top-earning artists, he began to use his creative freedom to expand his approach to music. As a result, his works became closer to pop and mainstream styles. Despite the fact that the new compositions were strikingly different from what he had done before, Ray's music was consistently successful. The breadth and variety of the musician's repertoire has reached amazing volumes.
The song "Georgia On My Mind", which became the anthem of Ray Charles' home state, was published in the early 60s. A significant event followed: the release of the album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. The hits included in it belong to the country genre, which, combined with Ray’s racial identity, became a kind of revolution.
The musician's anti-racist sentiment
Coming from the lowest social class, Ray Charles was a lifelong activist for racial equality. An excellent example of his attitude to this issue can be seen in the cancellation of a concert in Augusta in 1961 due to the fact that black and white spectators were planned to be seated separately. In addition, Ray contributed (including financially) to King's activities and openly expressed disapproval of the policies of J.F. Kennedy.
Some sources mention a twenty-year ban for Ray from entering Georgia, but in reality he simply did not plan to go there.
Ray Charles and his "monkey on his back"
This is how the musician allegorically called his addiction to heroin. After discovering what it was at age 16, he spent the next two decades dependent on the drug.
In 1961, during a search of Ray's hotel room, illegal drugs were found, but there was no trial because the procedure was violated (there was no warrant). In subsequent years, the musician was repeatedly found using drugs, and in 1965 in Boston he was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana and heroin.
Life with a clean slate
The decisive step, after which Ray Charles said a decisive “no” to drugs, was long-term treatment in a clinic in Los Angeles. This measure saved him from being in prison; the court limited himself to assigning a rather lenient punishment: one year of probation. After completing a rehabilitation course, Ray Charles did not return to using, finding inspiration and solace exclusively in music and performances.
“Ray,” a film about Ray Charles, covers the theme of the musician’s drug addiction in great detail.
Mainstream and Ray's later years
Freed from drugs, the musician acquires a new style, approaching the mainstream. A feature of this period is the absence of their own compositions in favor of fantastic performances of songs by other musicians.
With the advent of the 80s, Ray Charles expanded his range of activities: participation in the filming of the film “The Blues Brothers”, in a popular television show, as well as in Pepsi advertising.
The musician accepts invitations from the organizers of charity events, works with popular young performers and performs at the inauguration. Ray Charles's activity, full of public events, ended in 2004 in Los Angeles, when his last performance took place.
In the last years of his life, the musician suffered from liver cancer and severe consequences of surgery performed on his hip. Despite this, he showed up at his RPM studio every day to do his job. In one of his interviews, he noted that it doesn’t matter how long life is, what matters is how beautiful it is.
After Ray Charles died in 2004, his memory was honored with the release of a posthumous album. He has received eight Grammy awards. Later, another collection would be released, including joint compositions by Ray Charles and other performers.
As part of the memorial ceremony, many musicians and thousands of loyal fans said goodbye to Ray.
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