Ray Charles

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This article is about the rhythm and blues singer. For other uses, see Ray Charles (disambiguation).

Ray Charles

Ray Charles (cropped).jpg

Ray Charles in 1990

Background information

Birth name Ray Charles Robinson

Born September 23, 1930

Albany, Georgia, U.S.[1]

Origin Greenville, Florida, U.S.

Died June 10, 2004 (aged 73)

Beverly Hills, California, U.S.

Genres

R&B soul blues gospel country jazz pop rock and roll

Occupation(s) Musician, singer, songwriter, composer

Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards

Years active 19472004

Labels Atlantic, ABC, Warner Bros., Swing Time, Concord, Columbia, Flashback

Associated acts The Raelettes, USA for Africa, Billy Joel, Gladys Knight

Website www.raycharles.com

Raymond Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 June 10, 2004), known professionally as Ray
Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. Among friends and fellow
musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray." He was often referred to as "The Genius."[2][3]
Charles was blind from the age of seven.

He pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950s by combining blues, rhythm and blues, and
gospel styles into the music he recorded for Atlantic Records.[4][5][6] He also contributed to the
integration of country and rhythm and blues and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover
success on ABC Records, most notably with his two Modern Sounds albums.[7][8][9] While he was
with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be granted artistic control
by a mainstream record company.[5]

Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by country, jazz,
blues, and rhythm and blues artists of the day, including Louis Jordan and Charles Brown.[10] In the
late forties, he became friends with Quincy Jones, to whom he learned the ropes of arranging jazz
music. Their friendship would last till the end of Charles' life.

Frank Sinatra called him "the only true genius in show business," although Charles downplayed this
notion.[11]

In 2002, Rolling Stone ranked Charles at number ten on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All
Time,"[2] and number two on their November 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."[12]
Billy Joel observed: "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than
Elvis Presley".[13]