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RAY
CHARLES (ARTIST BIOGRAPHY)
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23,
1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a
pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound
of rhythm and blues. He brought a soulful sound to country music and
pop standards.
Frank
Sinatra called him "the only true genius in the business”.
Ray
Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia to Bailey Robinson, a
railroad repair man, mechanic and handyman, and Aretha Williams, who
stacked boards in a sawmill; the two were never married. The family
moved to Greenville, Florida, when Ray was an infant. Bailey had two
more families, leaving Aretha to raise the family. When Charles was
five, he witnessed his younger brother, George, drown in his
mother's large portable laundry tub.
When he
was six, Charles began to go blind, becoming totally blind by the
age of seven.There are sources which suggest Ray's blindness was due
to glaucoma. He attended school at the St. Augustine School for the
Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida. He also learned how to
write music and play various musical instruments. While he was there,
his mother died. His father died two years later.
After he
left school, Charles began working as a musician in several bands
that played in various styles, including jazz and, in Tampa “with a
hillbilly band called The Florida Playboys."
Charles
moved to Seattle in the late 40’s,He soon started recording, first
for the label Swingtime Records, then signed with Atlantic Records a
year later. When he entered show business, his name was shortened to
Ray Charles to avoid confusion with boxer Sugar Ray.
Almost
immediately after signing with Atlantic, Charles scored his first
hit singles with the label with the rap-like "It Should Have Been
Me" and the Ertegun-composed "Mess Around", both making the charts
in 1953. But it was Charles' "I Got a Woman" that brought the
musician to national prominence. The song reached the top of
Billboard's R&B singles chart in 1955 and from there until 1959,
Charles would have a series of R&B chart-toppers including "This
Little Girl of Mine", "Lonely Avenue", "Mary Ann", "Drown in My Own
Tears" and "The Night Time (Is the Right Time)".
During
this time of transition, he recruited a young girl group from New
York named the Cookies as his background singing group, changing
their name to the Raelettes in the process. In 1959, Charles crossed
over to top 40 radio with the release of his impromptu blues number,
"What'd I Say", which was initially conceived while Charles was in
concert. The song would reach number 1 on the R&B list and would
become Charles' first top ten single on the pop charts, peaking at
number 6. Charles would also record one of his finest albums, The
Genius of Ray Charles, before leaving Atlantic for a more lucrative
deal with ABC in 1959. Hit songs such as "Georgia On My Mind", "Hit
the Road Jack" and "Unchain My Heart" helped him transition to pop
success and his landmark 1962 album, Modern Sounds in Country and
Western Music, helped to bring country into the mainstream.
In 1965,
Charles was arrested for possession of heroin, a drug to which he
had been addicted for nearly 20 years. It was his third arrest for
the offense, but he avoided prison time after kicking the habit in a
clinic in Los Angeles. He spent a year on parole in 1966.
The
1970s began with a release on his Tangerine label called My Kind Of
Jazz with longtime friend Quincy Jones. It was the source of his
last Pop chart hit, intriguingly titled Booty Butt, which reached
number 36 on the chart.
In 1976,
he collaborated with English vocalist Cleo Laine on an
interpretation of Gershwin's Porgy & Bess. The following year, he
returned to Atlantic with the underrated album True to Life. His
second stint with the label lasted until 1980.
In the
late '80s and early '90s, Charles made appearances on The Super Dave
Osbourne Show, where he performed and appeared in a few vignettes
where he was somehow driving a car, often as Super Dave's chauffeur.
At the height of his newfound fame in the early nineties, Charles
did guest vocals for quite a few projects.
In 1997,
Charles' classic recordings got extensive re-release through a
licensing deal between the singer and Rhino Records.
Charles'
most recent album, prior to his passing, was 2002's Thanks For
Bringing Love Around Again, on his own Crossover imprint. However,
just prior to his death, he had completed work on an album for
Concord Records of duets with such talents as Willie Nelson, Norah
Jones, Elton John, Bonnie Raitt and James Taylor. The disc was
released as scheduled on Aug. 31, 2004.
Ray
Charles died from acute liver disease Thursday June 10, 2004. He was
73. He left behind a long list of hits and Grammy awards and the
musicians he influenced are as diverse in genre as the music he
wrote, arranged, performed and recorded.
(edit
from Wikipedia & Swingmusic) |
