<back - RAY CHARLES - Sept.23/1930 - June 10/2004 - Ray Charles Robinson is considered to be the most influential musician/artist in the development of 'Soul'. Singers like Sam Cooke and Bobby 'Blue' Bland also did a great deal to pioneer the form, but Ray Charles did even more to devise a new form of Pop by merging '50s R&B with Gospel-powered vocals, and adding plenty of Jazz, Blues, and Country. Then there is his singing! His style is among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th-century singer/performer, up there with the likes of Elvis Presley, BB King and Billie Holiday. Blind since the age of 6 (from glaucoma), Ray Charles studied composition and learned many instruments at the St. Augustine School for the the Blind.

His parents had died by his early teens, and Ray worked as a musician in Florida for a while before using his savings to move to Seattle in 1947. By the late 40's, Ray Charles was recording a smooth Pop/R&B style. In the '50s, Ray's sound started to toughen as he toured with Lowell Fulson, and went to New Orleans to record with Guitar Slim, playing piano and arranging Slim's huge R&B hit, The Things That I Used to Do. Ray Charles got his first Top 10 hit with Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand in 1951.It was at Atlantic Records that Ray truly found his voice, with I Got a Woman a hit in 1955. Throughout the '50s, Ray Charles ran off a series of R&B hits that, (although they weren't called 'Soul' at the time), did a lot to pave the way for 'Soul' by presenting a form of R&B that was sophisticated without sacrificing any emotional grit. This Little Girl of Mine, Drown in My Own Tears, Hallelujah I Love Her So, the Doc Pomus classic Lonely Avenue, and The Right Time were all big hits. But Ray Charles didn't really capture the Pop audience until What'd I Say which caught the fervor of Gospel with Ray's pleading vocals, as well as the spirit of Rock n' Roll.  It was his first Top 10 Pop hit, and one of his final Atlantic singles, as he left the label at the end of the '50s for ABC Records. One of the chief attractions of the ABC deal for Ray Charles was a much greater degree of artistic control of his recordings. Brother Ray put it to good use on early-'60s hits like Unchain My Heart and Hit the Road Jack, which solidified his stardom. In 1962, Ray turned his attention to Country music, topping the charts with the I Can't Stop Loving You. He remained extremely popular through the mid-'60s, scoring big hits like Busted, and Let's Go Get Stoned. Ray Charles truly changed the sound, and face of contemporary culture world-wide. Ray Charles was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The Rhythm and Blues Foundation honored him in 1991 with a Lifetime Achievement Award.  -LivinBlues
MP3 - Shudda Been Me | What I Say | Hey Now! |