Charles, Ray

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Ray Charles

Singer, songwriter, pianist

A living legend, Ray Charles is generally regarded as one of the most influential figures in contemporary music. The multitalented musician has seen both artistic and commercial success, surmounting personal tragedy to become an exceptional singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and bandleader. He has also proven himself the master of almost every conceivable musical style, ranging from jazz and rhythm-and-blues to pop, rock, and even country-and-western. But in a career that has thus far spanned four decades, Charles remains best known as the Genius of Soul, the man who fused gospel with rhythm-and-blues to create an entirely new style of black popular music.

The Southern-born Charles took an early interest in music, reportedly teaching himself to play the piano at age three. Although struck with an illness that caused him to start going blind at age five and rendered him totally blind by age seven, he continued to develop his musical talents. At the St. Augustine School for the Blind in Florida, the youth learned to play trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, and organ. He also learned to compose musical scores in Braille, and in 1945, after being orphaned, he left school to begin his career.

During the next ten years Charles experimented with a variety of musical styles before finding his own sound. He traveled through the South with rhythm-and-blues bands, headed up a notable black jazz trio in Seattle, toured with bluesman Lowell Fulson as well as solo, and distinguished himself as an arranger. He tried modeling himself after the great American singer/pianist Nat “King” Cole and absorbed the lessons of such talents as Charles Brown, Guitar Slim, and Lloyd Glenn. But according to Esquire contributing editor Guy Martin, probably “the most radical change in the man’s life occurred” when he stopped imitating others and began “singing like himself.”

As a result, Charles emerged as one of the most innovative entertainers of the 1950s. He recorded a couple of rhythm-and-blues hits in the early fifties, then saw the 1954 “It Should Have Been Me” reach number one. He made recording history, however, with “I’ve Got a Woman” in 1955. His own composition, the song combined the emotional fervor of gospel with the sexuality of the blues to establish an altogether new kind of music. Later called soul, the new music was considered revolutionary not simply because it united two traditions, but because of the emotional intensity with which it was presented. According to Charles, the musician had to feel the music before the audience could feel it.

“I’ve Got a Woman” became a national hit, and its debut helped alter the course of popular music. Indeed, although Charles continued his work in jazz and

For the Record…

Full name, Ray Charles Robinson; born September 23, 1930 (some sources say 1932), in Albany, Ga.; son of Bailey (a mechanic and handyman) and Areatha ([one source lists given name as Reather] a saw mill employee) Robinson; married Della Antwine (a singer); children: three. Education: Attended St. Augustine School for the Blind.

Musician, singer, and composer. Began professional career touring with a combo in the South, 1945; performed with Seattle-based jazz trio, c. 1947-49; toured with bluesman Lowell Fulson, 1950-52; toured as soloist; formed own band, 1954, subsequently adding a female vocal group, the Raelettes (originally spelled Raylettes), and speciality acts; founded Ray Charles Enterprises (recording, publishing, and management company), Los Angeles, Calif.; recording artist with Swing Time, 1951-52, with Atlantic Records, 1952-59, with ABC-Paramount, 1959-65, with Tangerine Records, 1965-73, with Crossover Records, 1973-77, re-signed with Atlantic, 1977. Makes regular concert tours; plays nightclubs and appears on television.

Awards: Winner of down beat magazine’s International Jazz Critics Poll, 1958 and 1961-64; named top male singer in sixteenth International Jazz Critics Poll, 1968; named best soul and rhythm-and-blues artist in down beat’s critics poll, 1984; named to Playboy Jazz and Pop Hall of Fame and to Songwriters Hall of Fame; named honorary life chairman of Rhythm-and-Blues Hall of Fame; inducted into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 1986; honored by John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, 1986; recipient of at least ten Grammy Awards from Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.

Addresses: Home— Los Angeles, CA. Other— 2107 W. Washington Blvd. #2, Los Angeles, CA; c/o Triad Artists Inc., 90200 Sunset Blvd. Suite 823, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

rhythm-and-blues, it was his new sound, the granddaddy of pop, rock, and soul, that consistently drew rave reviews. Scoring top-ten hits became almost routine for the star as he recorded such now-vintage tunes as “This Little Girl of Mine,” “Hallelujah I Love Her So,” “Right Time,” and “What’d I Say.”

Toward the end of the 1950s, the pioneering musician decided to switch from Atlantic Records to ABC/Paramount. The move proved fortuitous. His first hit for the label, the 1960 release “Georgia on My Mind,” became a commercial turning point, with outstanding sales shattering previous records and propelling the young performer into the public eye. As greater attention than ever was focused on his work, Charles found his music appealing to a broader and broader audience. In fact Charles, perhaps more than any other artist of the time, is credited with popularizing traditional black music—what Geoffrey C. Ward, in a review for American Heritage, attested was once called “race music”—among white audiences. As Ward remembered, it “seemed raw, ardent, unabashed, above all, compelling—unlike anything most of us had ever heard before.”

Charles’s eclecticism greatly contributed to his success. Ever inventive, and indifferent to labels, the artist has always been willing to experiment. As he told Martin, “If I like it, I don’t give a damn what it is. I’ll sing it.” As a result, the growing star continued to expand his range. In 1961 he recorded a country and western hit album titled Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, and one of its spin-off singles, “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” became a 1962 country, rhythm-and-blues, and pop hit. From 1961 through 1965 Charles was named the United States’s top male vocalist in down beat magazine’s poll of international jazz critics. Credited with influencing countless musicians, including such greats as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown, the entertainer elected, during the mid-1960s, to begin working the nightclub circuit. Although some critics saw the decision as an admission of declining appeal, Charles’s continuing success has all but vanquished those claims. Indeed, the musician is so versatile that he has been impossible to stereotype—and has thereby been free to pursue his own agenda. And given a choice, Charles prefers to sing and play the piano. In fact, despite his remarkable songwriting talents, Charles does not view himself as a composer at heart. He told Martin, “If you say to me, what is it that is you Then I say singing a song, sitting at the piano and singing.”

And that’s just what the artist has been doing in the seventies and eighties. He spends nearly half the year in concert, giving polished, professional performances. His audiences, as always, remain diverse, reflecting his widespread appeal. As Martin described, Charles “has consistently been too popular for pure jazz, too jazzy for pure blues, too bluesy for pure pop. Musical fashion was naturally something he made, but most of the time it was cut to fit his defiantly catholic ear.” And if the musician himself has anything to say about it, he’ll continue making music that way forever. As he revealed in his conversation with the Esquire editor: “Music is just as much a part of me as your breathin’ or your bloodstream is to you. So they ain’t no retiring from it; I’m gonna do it… till I die. This is all I know, and all I wanna know.”

If it were up to reviewer Ward, Charles would be named a “National Living Treasure.” From his beginnings as a jazz and rhythm-and-blues man in the 1940s to his peak as an innovator in the fifties and sixties to his continuing excellence as a performer in the seventies and eighties, the entertainer has consistently defied expectations. Indeed, as one of those rare musicians whose talents span a variety of musical styles as well as decades of musical history, Ray Charles has secured a place for himself among the most important figures in post-World War II American music.

Selected discography

Major single releases

“Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand,” Swing Time, 1951.

“Kiss Me Baby,” Swing Time, 1952.

“It Should Have Been Me,” Atlantic, 1954.

“I’ve Got a Woman,” Atlantic, 1955.

“Hallelujah I Love Her So,” Atlantic, 1956.

“What’d I Say?,” Atlantic, 1959.

“Let the Good Times Roll,” Atlantic, 1960.

“Come Rain or Come Shine,” Atlantic, 1960.

“One Mint Julep,” Impulse, 1960.

“Georgia On My Mind,” ABC, 1960.

“Ruby,” ABC, 1960.

“Hit the Road Jack,” ABC, 1961.

“Unchain My Heart,” ABC, 1961.

“I Can’t Stop Loving You,” ABC, 1962.

“Born to Lose,” ABC, 1962.

“You Don’t Know Me,” ABC, 1962.

“Busted,” ABC, 1963.

“I Got a Woman,” ABC, 1965.

“Crying Time,” ABC, 1965.

“Living For the City,” Crossover, 1975.

Albums

Ray Charles, Atlantic, 1957.

The Great Ray Charles, Atlantic, c. 1958.

Ray Charles at Newport, Atlantic, 1958.

Yes Indeed, Atlantic, 1958.

(With Milt Jackson) Soul Brothers, Atlantic, c. 1958.

What’d I Say, Atlantic, 1959.

The Genius of Ray Charles, Atlantic, 1959.

Ray Charles Sextet, Atlantic, 1960.

Ray Charles In Person, Atlantic, 1960.

The Genius Hits the Road, ABC, 1960.

The Genius Sings the Blues, Atlantic, c. 1960.

The Genius After Hours, Atlantic, 1961.

Dedicated to You, ABC, 1961.

Genius + Soul=Jazz, Impulse, 1961.

Ray Charles and Betty Carter, ABC, c. 1960.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western, ABC, 1961.

Modern Sounds in Country and Western, Volume 2, ABC, 1962.

(With Milt Jackson) Brothers in Soul: Soul Meeting, Atlantic, 1962.

Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul, ABC, 1963.

Sweet and Sour Tears, ABC, 1963.

Have a Smile With Me, ABC, 1964.

Live in Concert, ABC, 1965.

Together Again, ABC, 1965.

Cincinnati Kid (film soundtrack) MGM, 1965.

Crying Time, ABC, 1966.

Ray’s Moods, ABC, 1966.

Ray Charles Invites You to Listen, ABC, 1967.

In the Heat of the Night (film soundtrack) UA, 1967.

A Portrait of Ray, ABC, c. 1968.

Love Country Style, ABC, c. 1969.

I’m All Yours Baby, ABC, c. 1969.

Doing His Thing, ABC, 1969.

My Kind of Jazz, Tangerine, 1970.

Volcanic Action of My Soul, ABC, 1971.

Ray Charles Presents the Raelettes, Tangerine, 1972.

Jazz Number Two, Tangerine, 1973.

A Message From the People, ABC, 1972.

Through the Eyes of Love, ABC, c 1972.

Come Live With Me, Crossover, 1974.

Live in Japan, Crossover, 1975.

My Kind of Jazz, Volume 3, Crossover, 1975.

Renaissance, Crossover, 1975.

(With Cleo Laine) Porgy and Bess, RCA, 1976.

True to Life, Atlantic, 1977.

Love and Peace, Atlantic, 1978.

Ain’t It So, Atlantic, 1979.

Brother Ray Is at It Again, Atlantic, 1980.

From the Pages of My Mind, Columbia, 1986.

Also released numerous anthologies, including The Ray Charles Story, four volumes, Atlantic, 1962-64, A Man and His Soul, ABC, 1967, Twenty-fifth Anniversary Salute, ABC, 1971, and Rockin’ With Ray, Archive of Folk and Jazz Music, 1980. More than thirty additional albums feature the Ray Charles Singers.