Ray Charles is a jazz visionary. Biography of Ray Charles

There are more than seventy albums in the Ray Charles archive

Ray Charles Robinson is a blind jazz musician whose productivity can be the envy of many modern pop stars. More than seventy albums to his credit speak for themselves.

You can say that perhaps this is one of those very cases where quantity is trying to compensate for a lack of quality. But have you heard of such a musician as Frank Sinatra? Personally, he spoke of Ray Robinson as the only genius in the world of show business. His song What’d I say was in fifth place on the list of the most best songs of all times and peoples. Do you know her? Yes, you probably heard it, but you didn’t even know who performed it, not to mention what it was called. It is perceived as one of the most killer rock and roll standards!

IN modern world he is one of the key figures in the development of world show business. And although symbolic lists of the best musicians of the twentieth century are usually very superficial, he is included in them with enviable frequency.

Well, haven't you heard? No problem, we'll fix it all now.

I myself first became acquainted with the biography of this extraordinary artist when I watched the film “Ray”. This is an excellent biographical film that quite accurately and dispassionately describes a significant part of the life of a popular musician.

Personally, the film gave me conflicting feelings. How honest was he? Don't know. But after watching, you don’t get the impression of Ray Charles as some kind of sanctimonious saint or a show business offspring mired in vices.

In short, it's fun, cool, with a hint of deep melancholy and rock 'n' roll fervor. I recommend watching! And for fans of Ray, this film is a must-see.

So let's try to consider what kind of person he was.

So, let's start in order:

Born, raised, died... not all at once. Albany, Georgia is the birthplace of Ray Charles. Charles's family was not just poor. She was unusually poor, even by black standards. As the musician himself later said: “Below us was only the earth.”

When he was only a few months old, the family moved to South Florida, to the village of Greenville. Having abandoned Ray and his younger brother George, his father left the family and went off into the wild.

When Ray was five years old, an incident occurred that is described in some detail in the film. His younger brother accidentally fell into a tub of water and could not get out. Ray tried to help him get out of there, but he didn't have enough strength. And his younger brother died.

There are suggestions that it was because of the shock he suffered that Ray began to gradually lose his sight until he became completely blind at the age of seven. See Ray said that no one knows why he became blind. Perhaps this was a consequence of the illness he had suffered. When the musician became famous, he tried to acquire sight. He even advertised for someone to donate one eye to him, but doctors refused to perform the operation, considering it too risky and pointless.

As a child, he began attending a school for the blind, where he learned Braille. In addition, from the age of three he began to learn to play the piano, and his musical talent also began to manifest itself in the Baptist choir. But when he was only fifteen years old, his mother died, and a couple of years later his father died.

How it all began

When Ray finished school, he became involved in many musical projects. At that time he mainly played jazz and country music. As befits young musicians, he drew his inspiration from other famous jazz musicians, such as Artie Shaw. His first band was called The Florida Playboys.

When he turned seventeen, he collected six hundred dollars and went to Seattle, where he soon met guitarist Gossady McGee, with whom he began to play and founded a band. They first recorded on Swingtime Records. He also collaborated with Fullson when he released his first hit. It's called Confession Blues. Then he released the famous Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand and moved to the Atlantic records label. He just needed a greater degree of creative freedom.

Ray's first wife was Eileen Williams, whom he married on July 31, 1951. Their marriage lasted only a year, after which they divorced. Later he married Della Beatriz, this happened in 1956 and this marriage lasted longer, until the year 77. By the way, the film does not say a word about his first wife, but the leitmotif is the story of his life with his second wife.

In total, Ray had twelve children, but he gave birth to only three (in the biblical sense) in marriage. But let's leave the old dirty laundry the deceased and return to his bright and pure work.

On his new Atlantic label, he was encouraged to find his own unique sound. Which he did with all the passion he was capable of. In fifty-three he recorded his famous single Mess Around. Then, together with guitarist Guitar Slean, he recorded the single The Things That I Used To Do.

When did he write the song I Got a Woman in 1955? , it reached number one on the charts. It is believed that this is the first soul recording. Ray mostly played music that was half gospel and the rest blues ballads. It turns out that Ray Charles was one of those who popularized indigenous black music among the population.

History of the composition What'd I Say

In the Ray Charles in Person record you can hear the very characteristic features that were inherent in the early work of Ray Charles. This album was recorded quite unusually for those years. This was not a studio recording, but a concert performance. At the same time, he played What’d I Say, which became one of his most recognizable compositions. They say it was just an improvisation during a rehearsal before a concert. But it was she who had the greatest influence on the world of rock and roll at one time.

Charles himself told the story of the creation of this song as follows: he was just playing the last song from his program called The Night Time. It was in a nightclub in Milwaukee. When he finished playing, the club administrator confronted him with the fact that he had to lose another 12 minutes. And then he decided to improvise. And he played for all twelve minutes. The public was delighted, although the recording studio later refused to release it, citing the fact that it was too long.

Then the WOAK radio station recorded it and included it in the author’s album. The song instantly became a hit. When Atlantic Records finally gave up, the song was split into two parts. Then many more popular performers made cover versions of it. As Paul McCartney said, this composition gave him a huge impetus for creativity.

Style development

Soon, Ray Charles continued to develop his style, going beyond the boundaries of gospel combined with blues, and began recording with major orchestras. It was then that he wrote his first country song. He received a Grammy for the blues song Let the Good Time Roll. In it he demonstrated a voice of rare strength and expression.

When Ray moved to ABC Records, he signed such a fantastic contract that made him one of the highest paid musicians of his time. He moved to Beverly Hills, where he purchased the largest mansion in the area. There he lived until his death, which at that time was still many, many years away.

His work at ABC was distinctive character. On the one hand, he received even greater freedom, and on the other, he stopped participating in experimental projects and began writing music closer to the mainstream. He had a choir as backing singer, and a big band and string orchestras as accompaniment.

This created a dramatically different sound. In the Atlantic he wrote almost chamber music, and at ABC he began producing orchestral jazz standards. At the same time, the musician’s repertoire simply stunned the imagination with its diversity and volume. At the same time he wrote his famous Hit The Road Jack. More precisely, it is written by Percy Mailfield; before recording, the backing singer told Ray that she was pregnant with his child. The musician was far from delighted, and this mixture of rage and anguish, sounding in the song that we now know, was somehow... completely natural.

And here is an excerpt from the film:

Georgia on My Mind has been recorded by many musicians. Among them were Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, and Ray Charles. It was his business card ABC times. Its author, Hog Carmichael, dedicated it to a girl named Georgia, but a little later it became the anthem of the state of Georgia. But there was a girl before, so let the right associations arise for you!

But one way or another, Ray performed Georgia on My Mind in the Statehouse. And, in fact, it entered the circulation of country music. For a black musician, this was simply unimaginable success. And in general, Ray has always opposed racism. Once he even canceled a concert in Georgia because black and white listeners had to sit separately. This deeply outraged him.

Drugs

This idyll lasted until he was 65, when he was arrested for possession of marijuana and heroin. The musician has been dependent on these two “happy drugs” for more than twenty years, that is, almost his entire adult life. Drugs had been found on him before, but so far Ray had managed to get away without being arrested. The first time the police did not have a search warrant and the case was not pursued, the second time he agreed to drug addiction treatment, and the third time he had to go to prison.

He himself saw little of himself as a drug addict. It was only later, during his imprisonment, that he had to quit drugs, but until then he took them like aspirin. That is, in real life he understood how terrible his situation was, and when he went on stage, he began to perceive them as aspirin. That is, you feel bad - and you start taking medicine to relieve the pain.

This “drug addict” part of his life is shown very clearly in the film “Ray”

But what happened next is simply interesting. For example, having given up drugs, he wrote nothing more outstanding. But he did fantastic covers. But he no longer had his masterpieces. Coincidence? Hardly. The fact is that these drugs, when used, replace part of the natural hormones secreted by the brain, and when the patient stops taking the “medicines,” he justifiably loses inspiration and simply becomes depressed.

Additionally, after cleansing his lifestyle, Ray Charles changed his musical style. He became even closer to the mainstream. So after the seventies they began to perceive him far less clearly. Personally, I remember the story with bodybuilders: everyone condemns their passion for steroids and other experiments on their own bodies, but on the other hand, only steroid musclemen are printed on posters. C'est la vie.

He began to record a lot of casual material, so his work during this period began to seem more monotonous. His most notable song of that time was America the Beautiful. Then this song was included in The Message for People, which became the musician’s first politically charged album.

In those years, he no longer played the classical piano, but the piano, which made the sound of his albums in the seventies especially stand out against the background of other years.

Around this time, Ray began to actively experiment with synthesizers. He often imitated other instruments with them a lot, and his keyboard solos took on a completely new flavor. It started to sound more like an electric guitar solo. This was especially evident in the way he handled the pitch wheel, which in the nineties he began to do simply to perfection.

Mature years

Usually, in adulthood, a musician’s audience begins to shift somewhat... more precisely, it does not shift, it remains in its generation, only the age of the listeners changes - they grow old. But Ray Charles managed to get a youth audience. This became especially obvious after the Friendship album.

He also performed at Reagan’s inauguration, which was the reason for evil tongues: they began to claim that Ray had cast a shadow on his reputation. The fact is that Ray was a Democrat, but Reagan was a Republican. Therefore, Ray agreed to perform only for a staggering fee of one hundred thousand dollars. Then his agent commented on it this way: “For that kind of money, we would agree to speak at a meeting of the Ku Klux Klan.”

In the early nineties, Ray Charles began performing in many musical projects, including classical gospel with the London Orchestra as part of a charity event.

All of Charles's albums until the last became popular. On April 30, 2004 he last time gave a concert. But his recordings were released even after his death.

“I won't live forever. 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.”

Iconic American composer and performer, one of the most famous musicians of the 20th century. Ray Charles- author of more than seventy studio albums, winner of 17 awards " Grammy" Died on July 10, 2004.

Biography of Ray Charles / ray Charles

Ray Charles was born on September 23, 1930 in the small town of Albany, Georgia, into a very poor family. Father of the future musician, Bailey Robinson, soon abandoned his family, leaving Ray and his younger brother George in the care of his mother Aretas and her mother-in-law. In the future, Bailey did not take much part in the lives of his children. The musician's mother died in 1945, his father two years later.

At the age of five, Ray Charles witnessed the death of George: the boy drowned in a tub. Ray tried to help him, but couldn’t get him out. Soon after, Ray Charles began to lose his sight and by the age of seven he was completely blind. Presumably, the shock experienced became the cause of the illness; according to another version, it was a consequence of glaucoma.

The creative path of Ray Charles / ray Charles

Very early on, Ray Charles began to show interest in music. As a student at a school for the deaf and blind in St. Augustine, Florida, he not only mastered Braille, but also learned to play the piano, trombone, clarinet, organ and saxophone.

At the age of 17, Ray Charles left Seattle, where he founded his first band. Quite quickly he began recording in the studio and collaborating with a famous R&B artist Lowell Fulson. Ray Charles's first successful composition was the song " Confession Blues", created in 1949.

The full name of the musician is Raymond Charles Robinson(Raymond Charles Robinson). He shortened his name to avoid direct associations with the famous American boxer Ray Robinson, whose peak of popularity occurred at the beginning musical career Ray Charles.

In 1953, the musician released the successful singles “ Messaround" And " It Should Have Been Me", and also accompanied the famous bluesman Guitar Slim in the composition " The Things That I Used To Do", which sold millions of copies.

The single "I Got a Woman", recorded in 1955, was the first of Ray Charles's career to reach number one on the charts.

The musician’s next super-hit was the song “ What'd I say" It is believed that Ray Charles I composed it directly at the concert, filling the time stipulated by the contract. By the end of the 50s, the musician had already gained considerable popularity, and in 1959 he received his first Grammy for the blues song “ Let the Good Times Roll».

In the following years, Ray Charles created many hits, including “ Unchain My Heart», « You Are My Sunshine», « Hit The Road Jack" His influence on music is difficult to overestimate: in his work, the musician went beyond blues and gospel, and his “ I Got a Woman"is considered the first composition in the soul style. Ray Charles's famous album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music", released in 1962, became a country hit, which was absolutely incredible for a black musician at that time. Sometimes Ray Charles attracted entire orchestras to his recordings.

Throughout his career, the musician toured a lot. He visited Russia twice with concerts - in 1994 and 2000. Ray Charles' last performance took place on April 30, 2004 in Los Angeles.

For a long time the musician suffered from illness. In all likelihood, it was liver cancer that began to appear in 2002. Despite the fact that in recent months he could not walk and practically did not speak, he continued to work in the studio.

On June 10, 2004, Ray Charles died at his home in Beverly Hills, and two months later his final album, " Genius Loves Company».

Personal life of Ray Charles / ray Charles

The musician was officially married twice. First marriage with Eileen Williams lasted only a year, from 1951 to 1952. From his second marriage with Della Beatrice Howard Robinson Ray Charles has three children, their union lasted from 1955 to 1977. The musician had nine more children from eight different women.

Ray Charles began using drugs at the age of 16 and more than once this addiction jeopardized his career and personal life. He was found to be in possession of drugs several times, but managed to avoid jail time. In 1965, the musician was arrested for possession of marijuana and heroin, and only after that was he able to finally quit drugs.

Shortly after the death of Ray Charles, the biographical film “Ray” was released, telling about the life of the musician from 1930 to 1966. Jamie Foxx, performer leading role in this film, won an Oscar for this work.

Discography of Ray Charles / ray Charles

1956 The Great Ray Charles (Atlantic)
1956 The Genius After Hours (Rhino)
1957 Ray Charles (Atlantic)
1958 Ray Charles at Newport (Atlantic)
1958 Yes, Indeed!!! (Atlantic)
1958 Soul Brothers (Atlantic)
1959 What'd I Say (Atlantic)
1959 Ray Charles (Xtra)
1959 The Fabulous Ray Charles (Hollywood)
1959 Ray Charles (Hollywood)
1959 The Genius of Ray Charles (Atlantic)
1960 Ray Charles in Person (Atlantic)
1960 Genius + Soul = Jazz (DCC)
1960 Basin Street Blues (ABC)
1960 Ray Charles Sextet (Atlantic)
1961 Dedicated to You (ABC/Paramount)
1961 Ray Charles & Betty Carter (ABC/Paramount)
1961 The Genius Sings the Blues (Atlantic)
1961 The Do the Twist with Ray Charles! (Atlantic)
1961 Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (Rhino)
1961 Soul Meeting (Atlantic)
1962 Hit the Road Jack (HMV)
1962 The Original ray Charles London
1962 Modern Sounds in Country & Western, Vol. 2 (Rhino)
1963 Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul (ABC)
1963 I Can't Stop Loving You (HMV)
1964 Sweet & Sour Tears (Rhino)
1964 Have a Smile with Me (ABC/Paramount)
1964 Ballad of Ray Charles (HMV)
1965 Live in Concert (ABC)
1965 Country & Western Meets Rhythm & Blues (ABC/Paramount)
1965 Ballad Style of Ray Charles (HMV)
1965 Swinging Style (HMV)
1965 Baby Its Cold Outside (HMV)
1965 Take These Chains (HMV)
1965 Ray Charles Sings (HMV)
1965 Cincinnati Kid (MGM)
1966 Crying Time (ABC/Paramount)
1966 Ray's Moods (ABC/Paramount)
1966 Busted (HMV)
1967 A Man & His Soul (ABC/Paramount)
1967 Ray Charles Invites You to Listen (ABC)
1968 Memories of a Middle Aged Man (Atlantic)
1969 I'm All Yours-Baby! (ABC/Tangerine)
1969 Doing His Thing (ABC/Tangerine)
196? Le Grand (Atlantic)
1970 My Kind of Jazz (Tangerine)
1970 Love Country Style (ABC/Tangerine)
1970 Ray Charles (Everest)
1971 Volcanic Action of My Soul (ABC/Tangerine)
1972 A Message from the People (ABC/Tangerine)
1972 Through the Eyes of Love (ABC/Tangerine)
1972 Presents the Raelettes (Tangerine)
1972 The Original ray Charles Boulevard
1973 Ray Charles Live (Atlantic)
1973 Jazz Number II (Tangerine)
1973 Genius in Concert L.A.
(Bluesway)
1974 Come Live with Me (Crossover)
1975 Renaissance (Crossover)
1975 My Kind of Jazz, Vol. 3 (Crossover)
1975 World of Ray Charles, Vol. 2 (Decca)
1975 Live in Japan (Crossover)
1975 Ray Charles (Up Front)
1976 Porgy & Bess (RCA Victor)
1977 True to Life (Atlantic)
1978 Love & Peace (Atco)
1978 Blues (Ember)
1978 The Fabulous Ray Charles (Musidisc)
1979 Ain't It So (Atlantic)
1979 King of the Blues (Ampro)
197? Incomparable (Strand)
1980 Brother Ray Is at It Again (Atlantic)
1980 I Can't Stop Loving You (Pickwick)
1982 A Life in Music (Atlantic)
1982 I Give You My Love (IMS)
1983 Wish You Were Here Tonight (Columbia)
1984 Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? (Columbia)
1984 Friendship (Columbia)
1984 Jammin" the Blues (Astan)
1984 °C Rider (Premier)
1984 Ray Charles Blues (Astan)
1986 1985 The Spirit of Christmas (Rhino) From the
Pages of My Mind (Columbia)
1987 The Right Time (Atlantic)
1988 Just Between Us (Columbia)
1988 I Can't Stop Loving You (Colorado)
1988 The Love Songs (Deja Vu)
1989 18 Golden Hits (SPA)
1989 Blues Is My Middle Name Object
1990 Would You Believe? (Warner)
1993 My World (Warner)
1995 It's a Blues (Thing Monad)
1996 Strong Love Affair (Warner)
1996 Berlin, 1962 (Pablo)
1996 Berlin 1962 (Fantasy)
1998 In Concert (Rhino)
1998 Dedicated to You (Rhino)
2000 Sittin" on Top of the World (Pilz)
2000 Les Incontournables
2002 Thanks for Bringing Love Around Again
2004 ray OST
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

Biography of Ray Charles Real name:
Ray Charles Robinson Date of Birth:
September 23, 1930 in the USA, Albany, Georgia Tools:
Piano, saxophone, vocals, keyboards. Genre:

Jazz, soul, rhythm and blues. Ray Charles's contribution to modern music cannot be overestimated: without Ray Charles, perhaps such performers as Stevie Wonder, Joe Cocker, Manfred Mann, Eric Clapton and many others would not have appeared, considering the blind pianist their spiritual father. In 1994, at the MIDEM festival in Monaco, Ray Charles was awarded special prize

for his contribution to modern music. a personality from those drummers of musical work who were always bored with being content with what they had, who needed discoveries and constant movement forward. One of the main founders of soul, he successfully expanded the boundaries of rhythm and blues of the 50s with gospel vocals, modern jazz, blues and country. I would like to describe his fate in terms from our half-forgotten Soviet past: a leader, a Stakhanovite and a multi-machine operator. His musical achievements cannot be assessed otherwise: the author of more than 70 studio and concert albums, a composer with 50 years of experience, a charming singer, an excellent pianist, arranger and bandleader. And although the most interesting pages his creative biography written a long time ago and since the late 60s he has rarely managed to capture the imagination of the public, he has remained in excellent performing form for decades, continues to record annually and perform extensively.

Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, into an extremely poor family. He never knew his father; his mother raised him and his brother alone. Poverty was soon supplemented by an incurable disease: glaucoma robbed the boy of his sight year after year, and by the age of seven he was completely blind. Shortly before this, little Ray had to endure a terrible shock when brother drowned before his eyes. He learned to read and write, and then write down notes, using the Braille method. Develop your undoubted musical abilities the boy was able to attend St. Augustine's School for Blind and Deaf Children. Here he studied the art of composition and mastered musical instruments, his favorite, of course, immediately became the piano. He was only 15 years old when his mother died, leaving him in the care of his estranged father's first wife. Without finishing school, the guy wandered around Florida for several years in search of any job. And having saved a small amount, he crossed the United States and settled in Seattle, where he managed to get a job as an accompanist in local clubs and cafes.

By the end of the 40s, Ray Charles was already collaborating with small record companies and recording smooth compositions, a mixture of pop style and rhythm and blues, which most closely resembled Nat "King" Cole. He accompanied himself on the piano and sang, imitating the style of Charles Brown. In 1951, his song "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" gained some fame and appeared in the top ten of the R&B chart. However, Charles's early recordings did little to attract attention. Repeatedly and quite rightly criticized, they sounded colder, mediocre and much less emotional than the works of his best period, which made up the golden fund modern music. Although there was no reason to doubt the skill and performing technique of their author.

In the early 50s, the sound of his music changed; from mostly imitative recordings, he moved on to independent original creativity. The change in playing style and composition was influenced by touring with Lowell Fulson, participation in the backing band of rhythm and blues star Ruth Brown, but primarily by studio work in New Orleans with Guitar Slim Slim). Ray played piano and arranged his famous rhythm and blues hit "The Things That I Used to Do." Slim, this crazy-passionate performer, made an indelible impression on Charles.

Since 1952, the Atlantic Records label began to deal with the musician’s creative affairs, and Only now is Charles finding his true voice. Summarizing the experience of past years and using the best practices, he creates his most popular and iconic hit “I Got a Woman”. In this composition 1955 2010, Ray for the first time felt his unmistakable plaintive vocal style, close to gospel, which was perfectly set off by elastic, upbeat horn arrangements.

The soul style as such did not yet exist in the 50s. Meanwhile, all the work done by the musician during these years was precisely aimed at creating a more refined variety of rhythm and blues, in which all the richness of emotional nuances would be preserved. A number of the most successful songs Ray Charles recorded in the 50s were precisely this sophisticated version of R&B, which would soon be called soul. His biggest hits at the time were “This Little Girl of Mine”, “Greenbacks”, “Drown in My Own Tears”, “Hallelujah I Love Her So”, “Mary Ann”, “Lonely Avenue” and “The Right Time” . Black listeners predominated among the musician’s fans, and all of the listed compositions appeared in the Top 10 rating of “black” singles. It took pop music fans many years to appreciate the originality of Charles' sound and skill. The real breakthrough came in 1959, when the artist presented the single “What’d I Say (Part I),” which combined a church atmosphere, successfully conveyed by touching vocals, and the spirit of rock and roll, delivered with the help of an electric piano. Long recognized as a classic, “What’d I Say” has become part of the repertoire of countless bands and artists singing in venues ranging from stadiums to restaurants. It was the first single of Charles' career to reach number six on the national pop chart. And one of the last releases under the auspices of Atlantic, which the artist said goodbye to in the late 50s, moving to the ABC label.

Now he was no longer a novice boy, but a famous performer and mature author who could dictate his terms to the ABC company. One of them - the right to control the artistic level of his recordings - he especially valued. This immediately affected the quality of new publications. If until the early 60s there was not a single truly popular album in the musician’s discography, then already in 1960 the picture changed dramatically. Eight records, released between 1960 and 1963, climbed into the Top 20 of the pop chart, at a time when rhythm and blues albums rarely managed to attract mainstream attention. The excellent long-plays “Genius + Soul = Jazz” and “Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul” do the almost impossible, conquering the 4th and 2nd lines of the national chart.

Things are just as great with the hits. Left at his disposal, Charles knows how to achieve the desired result and, having only slightly polished his rhythm and blues sound, in which he has achieved perfection, he produces a series of hit singles that bring him enormous popularity. The peaks of his career are famous hits"Georgia On My Mind", "Hit the Road Jack", "You Don't Know Me". They turned Charles into a world star.

In 1962, he surprised both his newfound fans and the old guard by deciding to delve into country music and the music of the American West in general. And he went deeper so successfully that he released another number one hit, “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” which sold a million copies, and then a wonderful album, “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” which ended up being a top hit that same year. -parade. Luxurious arrangements for these compositions were created with the participation of a big band, string orchestra and choir. For those who were closely acquainted with the entire creative laboratory of the musician (though there were fewer of them then than we would like), there was nothing surprising in this “renegade” of Ray Charles. Restless in his pursuit and open to experimentation, he has always been an eclectic artist, and during his collaboration with Atlantic Records, for example, he repeatedly recorded with famous jazz musicians David Newman, Milt Jackson and others.

If we once again allow ourselves to use Soviet terminology, then Charles can safely be called a sixties man. It was in the 60s that his composing talent flourished; he proved himself to be an exceptionally attractive vocalist and competent arranger. He has first-class hit singles “Busted”, “You Are My Sunshine”, “Take These Chains From My Heart”, “Crying Time”, “Love Me With All Your Heart”, “Together Again”. Like many of his colleagues, he often recorded cover versions of other artists, among whom the Beatles were especially popular. His covers of "Yesterday" and "Eleanor Rigby" had some success, reaching Top 30 in the US.

The beginning of the 60s also marked the culmination of his relationship with the managers of the Grammy ceremony: seven times in four years he became a prize winner. The single “Georgia on My Mind” was awarded for best pop vocal and best pop-rock track, and Charles’ vocal performance on the album “Genius of Ray Charles” was also awarded. And in the category “Best R&B Recording” the artist won four years in a row with the songs “Let the Good Times Roll”, “Hit the Road Jack”, “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Busted”.

The rapid development of events slowed down somewhat in 1965, when the musician was arrested for possession of heroin. This could have happened much earlier and at any moment, because his heroin experience totaled almost 20 years. He spent almost a year in prison, but returned in surprisingly good shape and immediately got down to business. In the second half of the 60s, the musician was less interested in rock and soul, and pop melodies and jazz styles took priority. He especially loved the string arrangements, creating a bridge to the lounge. There were few albums that equally combined commercial and creative success. Among the best are the 1966 disc “Crying Time” (Top 20 US) and the finalist of the top five jazz recordings “A Portrait of Ray”. Rock musicians, as has been the custom for a long time, closely followed the creative vicissitudes of Ray Charles and willingly used his findings. Joe Cocker and Steve Winwood, for example, never hid the powerful influence the artist had on shaping their tastes and playing style. The musician's signature phrasing found its successor and modernizer in the person of another charismatic character - Van Morrison.

During the first twenty years of his professional career, Ray Charles reached such heights that seemed to insure him against any vicissitudes of fate. It’s somehow even indecent to criticize him. Charles is a legendary personification American music, and the American Dream, for that matter. His artistry has not faded over the years; his characteristic touching vocals have retained all their overtones. But the fact remains: as a composer over the past thirty years he has had practically nothing to boast about. Millions of his fans would react with delight to his return to the soul of the mid-50s and 60s. But for some reason, Charles no longer felt the same passion for soul music that inspired him to create his best songs. The passion for jazz, country and, of course, pop standards won out. He continued to record almost as actively, but did not arouse the same interest among the public. Track “Living for the City", winner of the 1975 Grammy for best male vocal in the genre of rhythm and blues, was made, as always, very high quality, but did not captivate the audience.

The singer mastered the country style quite successfully; his 1985 long-play “Friendship” even topped the country chart. A reminder of the true extent of Ray Charles's talent was his participation in the album "We Are The World" (1985) as part of the USA for Africa program. The same periodic successes accompanied him in his jazz excursions, where the album “Ray Charles” (1988) was the most successful. The musician did well in his film debut, playing a small role in the famous film “The Blues Brothers”. Finally, his services to the arts were recognized by his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

In different parts of the world, Ray Charles had devoted fans who filled thousands of halls, and in live shows he appeared fully armed. Even into his 60s, he remained an amazing vocalist. What the organizers of the Grammy ceremony could not help but admit, who in 1990 awarded the musician for the best duet (track “I’ll Be Good to You”), and in 1993 - for best male vocal in the R&B genre (track “Song for You”, cover of a song by Leon Russell). Delivered in Charles's inimitable style, "Song for You" was featured on the 1993 LP My World, one of the few '90s releases recorded with real inspiration and passion.

With the advent of the CD era, the collected works of Ray Charles were systematically remastered and reissued in different thematic and chronological collections, compilations of concert recordings, rare and unreleased materials appeared - dozens of discs and box sets. In the mid-90s, the musician reminded Americans of himself in another way, one of the most effective: he recorded vocals for several commercials for diet Pepsi. His discography during these years was rarely replenished with new releases. In 1998, Ray Charles released a good blues recording, “Dedicated to You,” and in 2000, he returned to jazz and prepared an interesting tribute to Steve Turre, “In the Spur of the Moment.”

In May 2002, the Roman Colosseum received its first listeners - after a 2000-year hiatus (yes!). The host of the show, which was held in defense of world peace, was none other than Ray Charles. He performed his classic hit “Georgia on My Mind” ". In May 2003, Charles played his 10,000th concert in Los Angeles. That is, over the last 50 years of his life, he appeared on stage an average of 200 times a year.. This would have continued further, but my health had let me down. After hip surgery, the musician spent many months regaining his shape. He had to cancel a number of performances but giving up work completely was beyond his strength. Therefore, the musician continued to cook new album, this time a selection of duets with Elton John, Norah Jones, Johnny Mathis and other vocalists. This last album released after Ray's death in 2004 simply came and took almost all of the 2005 Grammys in their respective categories.

“The Father of Soul”, who went through the instructive school of life, Ray Charles has sincere fatherly feelings for people who are somehow deprived by fate. In 1987, he allocated a million dollars to create a fund for the deaf and opened a special clinic for patients with hearing impairment. He not only participated in the fight for civil rights, but also actively financed the activities of Martin Luther King Jr. And in 2003, he sponsored a million dollars to the University of New Orleans to develop a special course dedicated to the culture, music, linguistics and cooking of black Americans, their contribution to life modern America. It would only be logical if one of the main characters of this course would be Ray Charles Robinson himself.

“Ray, you will forever be in our hearts!”

Ray Charles discography:

• 1956 The Great Ray Charles (Atlantic)
• 1956 The Genius After Hours (Rhino)
• 1957 Ray Charles (Atlantic)
• 1958 Ray Charles at Newport (Atlantic)
• 1958 Yes, Indeed!! (Atlantic)
• 1958 Soul Brothers (Atlantic)
• 1959 What'd I Say (Atlantic)
• 1959 Ray Charles (Xtra)
• 1959 The Fabulous Ray Charles (Hollywood)
• 1959 Ray Charles (Hollywood)
• 1959 The Genius of Ray Charles (Atlantic)
• 1960 Ray Charles in Person (Atlantic)
• 1960 Genius + Soul = Jazz (DCC)
• 1960 Basin Street Blues (ABC)
• 1960 Ray Charles Sextet (Atlantic)
• 1961 Dedicated to You (ABC/Paramount)
• 1961 Ray Charles & Betty Carter (ABC/Paramount)
• 1961 The Genius Sings the Blues (Atlantic)
• 1961 The Do the Twist with Ray Charles! (Atlantic)
• 1961 Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music (Rhino)
• 1961 Soul Meeting (Atlantic)
• 1962 Hit the Road Jack (HMV)
• 1962 The Original Ray Charles London
• 1962 Modern Sounds in Country & Western, Vol. 2 (Rhino)
• 1963 Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul (ABC)
• 1963 I Can't Stop Loving You (HMV)
• 1964 Sweet & Sour Tears (Rhino)
• 1964 Have a Smile with Me (ABC/Paramount)
• 1964 Ballad of Ray Charles (HMV)
• 1965 Live in Concert (ABC)
• 1965 Country & Western Meets Rhythm & Blues (ABC/Paramount)
• 1965 Ballad Style of Ray Charles (HMV)
• 1965 Swinging Style (HMV)
• 1965 Baby Its Cold Outside (HMV)
• 1965 Take These Chains (HMV)
• 1965 Ray Charles Sings (HMV)
• 1965 Cincinnati Kid (MGM)
• 1966 Crying Time (ABC/Paramount)
• 1966 Ray's Moods (ABC/Paramount)
• 1966 Busted (HMV)
• 1967 A Man & His Soul (ABC/Paramount)
• 1967 Ray Charles Invites You to Listen (ABC)
• 1968 Memories of a Middle Aged Man (Atlantic)
• 1969 I'm All Yours-Baby! (ABC/Tangerine)
• 1969 Doing His Thing (ABC/Tangerine)
• 196? Le Grand (Atlantic)
• 1970 My Kind of Jazz (Tangerine)
• 1970 Love Country Style (ABC/Tangerine)
• 1970 Ray Charles (Everest)
• 1971 Volcanic Action of My Soul (ABC/Tangerine)
• 1972 A Message from the People (ABC/Tangerine)
• 1972 Through the Eyes of Love (ABC/Tangerine)
• 1972 Presents the Raelettes (Tangerine)
• 1972 The Original Ray Charles Boulevard
• 1973 Ray Charles Live (Atlantic)
• 1973 Jazz Number II (Tangerine)
• 1973 Genius in Concert L.A.
• (Bluesway)
• 1974 Come Live with Me (Crossover)
• 1975 Renaissance (Crossover)
• 1975 My Kind of Jazz, Vol. 3 (Crossover)
• 1975 World of Ray Charles, Vol. 2 (Decca)
• 1975 Live in Japan (Crossover)
• 1975 Ray Charles (Up Front)
• 1976 Porgy & Bess (RCA Victor)
• 1977 True to Life (Atlantic)
• 1978 Love & Peace (Atco)
• 1978 Blues (Ember)
• 1978 The Fabulous Ray Charles (Musidisc)
• 1979 Ain't It So (Atlantic)
• 1979 King of the Blues (Ampro)
• 197? Incomparable (Strand)
• 1980 Brother Ray Is at It Again (Atlantic)
• 1980 I Can't Stop Loving You (Pickwick)
• 1982 A Life in Music (Atlantic)
• 1982 I Give You My Love (IMS)
• 1983 Wish You Were Here Tonight (Columbia)
• 1984 Do I Ever Cross Your Mind? (Columbia)
• 1984 Friendship (Columbia)
• 1984 Jammin' the Blues (Astan)
• 1984 C C Rider (Premier)
• 1984 Ray Charles Blues (Astan)
• 1985 The Spirit of Christmas (Rhino)
• 1986 From the Pages of My Mind (Columbia)
• 1987 The Right Time (Atlantic)
• 1988 Just Between Us (Columbia)
• 1988 I Can't Stop Loving You (Colorado)
• 1988 The Love Songs (Deja Vu)
• 1989 18 Golden Hits (SPA)
• 1989 Blues Is My Middle Name Object
• 1990 Would You Believe? (Warner)
• 1993 My World (Warner)
• 1995 It's a Blues (Thing Monad)
• 1996 Strong Love Affair (Warner)
• 1996 Berlin, 1962 (Pablo)
• 1996 Berlin 1962 (Fantasy)
• 1998 In Concert (Rhino)
• 1998 Dedicated to You (Rhino)
• 2000 Sittin' on Top of the World (Pilz)
• 2000 Les Incontournables

On September 23, 1930, in the small town of Albany, Georgia, a boy, Ray Charles Robinson, was born into the Robinson family. When he was a few months old, they moved to Gainesville, Florida, where his younger brother was born. When the father left the family, the mother began to raise the brothers alone.

Young Ray Charles

Childhood

At 3 years old young musician hummed songs, imitating the musician from the cafe who taught him to play the piano.

When Ray was 5, his brother drowned before his eyes, and a year later Charles himself went blind. Doctors diagnosed glaucoma in the 1930s; it was incurable. His mother taught him to do without the help of others. Ray Charles said that he barely remembers how to see it, only the image of his mother and the color remained in his memory.

When Ray was 7 years old, in 1937, he entered a school for blind children, where he was taught to read words and music in Braille. After graduating in 1945, Ray Charles played clarinet, trombone, organ, piano and saxophone.

These were the musician’s first steps towards creating his own music. Never finishing school, after the death of his mother, Ray traveled around Florida in search of work. By the age of 16, he became a professional tapper, performing with groups of musicians throughout Florida.

Youth years

In 1948, Ray moved to Seattle, where he played in cafes and clubs. Here he founded his first jazz-blues project, The Maxim Trio. He tried drugs for the first time. He himself said that he belongs to the type of people who realize that this passion will lead to death, but still want to find out by consuming even more.

Music was in his blood. He lived it and recorded from the age of 17. Even though his first records did not become popular, Ray created something new, combining several directions in music.

Ten years later, the genius’s songs became popular. In 1951, record companies became interested in him and he released his first hit. Ray Charles invented a new genre of soul.

He quickly gained popularity, but some of his songs were banned from listening, claiming that they had sexual overtones. This did not stop his popularity, although he himself became depressed and began using hard drugs.

Peak of popularity

In 1961, Ray canceled a concert in his home state of Georgia due to racism. He spoke there years later, when the law equalized the rights of blacks with white people. Ray Charles' popularity peaked in the 1960s. It was the dawn of genius.

He dedicated the song Busted to Kennedy after his death. He changed his mind to rock and soul, becoming interested in jazz and pop music. It was a difficult period of rehabilitation from drug addiction and scandals.

Almost until his death he wrote music and sang. His concerts were in demand, and his songs were always in the top charts. He gave concerts in many countries, including Russia, Japan and Germany.

The cultural legacy of Ray Charles

Many musicians, actors and politicians deservedly call him the king of soul and jazz. He released many records, some of them came out after his death. Over the course of a 50-year career, Ray Charles received a Grammy, the only performer to receive such an honor for half a century.

Ray was a spirited and cheerful person who knew how to live. During his life, he was married twice and had 12 children from nine different women. The most popular rock stars call him an inspiration. Carlos Santana, Michael Jackson,

Ray Charles never wanted to be famous. In his opinion, fame is like a headache. But he always wanted to be great. And he became one. Frank Sinatra spoke of Charles as a genius. Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Mig Jagger and others popular artists they considered him a teacher whose songs shaped their musical careers.

Ray has recorded 70 studio albums, numerous gold records and received 17 Grammy Awards. He himself was surprised at the number of people who gathered at his concerts far beyond America. And this was true. Everyone came to listen to the blind African-American, father of soul, brilliant pianist, composer and arranger. What is his secret? In talent, multiplied by sincerity and passion for music.

short biography

Raymond Charles Robinson's life has been a series of losses and victories since childhood. He was born on September 23, 1930 in the southern United States in the town of Albany, Georgia. A couple of months after his birth, the family moved to Greenville, Florida. It was here that the future singer spent his childhood.The family lived in poverty. Raising a son fell on the shoulders of his mother, a fragile and petite woman. The father disappeared at work, and later left the family altogether.

As you know, trouble does not come alone. At the age of 5, Ray began to go blind. Glaucoma developed, as a result of which the boy completely lost his sight two years later. Simultaneously with the terrible disease, another tragedy occurs. Ray's younger brother drowns before his eyes. Until the end of his life, he regretted that he could not save him.

Stopping seeing the world is scary. But not for Ray. Mom prepared the boy for future life. She told me how to move around the house and how to perform household chores. He washed dishes, chopped wood and did absolutely everything that a sighted person would do. The neighbors condemned my mother for such an upbringing, but Ray was grateful.

There was a cafe near their home in Greenville that often played boogie-woogie. As soon as he heard a familiar melody, the boy dropped everything and ran to a cafe, where he was taught to play the piano.

After losing his sight, his mother sent her son to St. Augustine's School for the Deaf and Blind. Here Ray continued musical education in Braille. He learned the intricacies of playing the clarinet, saxophone and other instruments, and sang in a Baptist choir. Here he first encountered harsh racism: insults and fights from white students.

At the age of 15, Ray lost his mother. He could not cry, the grief was so great. After this, Charles decides to quit school and go to his mother's friend in Jacksonville. A little later he wanted independence. So he ended up in Orlando, where hunger, poverty, gambling in various cafes and drugs awaited him, addiction to which lasted 17 years.

Ray began performing with the group "The Florida Playboys", which consisted mainly of white performers. One of the members of the lineup liked the performance of the young African-American, and he was offered to replace the pianist.

The dream of having his own group haunted the future father of soul. It's time to take on new heights, as his mother bequeathed to him. He immediately excluded large cities - the probability of remaining a nobody is too great. Ray asked a friend to look on the map for a city that is located on the other side of the country if you draw a straight line from Orlando. Seattle lay ahead.

In Seattle, he begins to record his own songs, adhering to the R&B direction. One of popular compositions“Baby, let me hold your hand” is considered to be a popular song from that time. Everyone said he sang like Nat "King" Cole. Ray did not deny this, he honed his skills, sang, enjoying his favorite pastime. According to critics, his early songs sounded cold and less emotional. Everything changed in the 50s, when Ray made another important decision in life - to be himself. This is how soul began to appear.

Ray Charles literally merged white and black musical cultures into one. Soul included jazz, rhythm and blues, and black spirituals. Ray changed the pitch of his voice. No imitation, only his own baritone, seasoned with various moans, screams and other sounds. This made his work exceptional, memorable, alive and real.

Under Atlantic Records, Ray Charles recorded one of his most famous songs, “I Got a Woman.” The plaintive vocals combined with the horn arrangement gave the composition an emotionality that still touches the heartstrings.

The pinnacle of Ray Charles's success is associated with the release of the album “What"d I Say.” It combined gospel, jazz and blues. Despite the popularity of the song of the same name, it was not allowed on the radio. It was considered too sexy because of Ray’s characteristic vocals. This is not prevented many performers from including the composition in their repertoire in the future.

Charles later moves to the ABC record company, where he begins to earn large fees. This is the time of the hits "Georgia On My Mind" and "Hit the Road Jack". The popularity of the singer and composer is growing, he tours and continues to immerse himself in the world of music as deeply as possible, releasing new hits.

The career decline occurs in the mid-60s. It is connected to an arrest for heroin possession. Medication-assisted rehabilitation helped avoid a prison sentence. He was given a year's probation. The drugs were over.

A genius died musical world at the age of 73, on June 10, 2004, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Liver disease worsened. After his death, several more albums were released, which received 5 Grammys. The talent of Ray Charles cannot be overestimated; one can only enjoy it and be amazed at its endless energy.

Interesting Facts:

• While blind, Ray rode a bicycle and motorcycle.
• He always shaved in front of the mirror.
• Ray was married twice, although the number of women he was interested in was not limited to two. In total he had 12 children from 9 different women. Subsequently, the heirs gave him 20 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

• In 2004, Ray gave $1 million to each child.
• Charles helped Martin Luther King in the fight against racism. He sponsored the pastor's activities, sending him money from concerts. Ray did not dare to give sermons, he was afraid that he could not restrain himself and “break the woods.”
• The single "Georgia on My Mind" became the official anthem of the state of Georgia - the place where the father of soul was born.
• The song “What"d I Say" is pure improvisation. At one of the concerts, Ray had 10-12 minutes left that needed to be worked out. He asked the women who sang along with him to simply repeat the phrases after him - characteristic church hymns. Thus a new hit was born. After the concert, people came up to him and asked where they could buy the record.
• His most famous hit in America was the song “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” It occupied the leading position for 5 weeks.
• Ray Charles became one of the few black artists to reach number one on the country's music charts.
• As he became famous, he dropped Robinson from his name to avoid confusion with boxer Ray Robinson.
• He underwent hip replacement surgery in the fall of 2003.
• Before each concert, he took a glass of gin and coffee, which gave him courage and enthusiasm.
• In the early 60s, he almost died while flying from Louisiana to Oklahoma City. Ice completely covered the plane's windshield, forcing the pilot to fly at random. After several circles in the air, through a small area on the glass, we managed to see the space around us and land the plane.
• In the early 90s he participated in the Diet Pepsi advertising campaign.

• Ray did not like to communicate with journalists and was reluctant to give autographs due to the fact that he did not see exactly what he would have to leave a signature on.
• His example and resounding success became an inspiration for other blind musicians: Ronnie Milsap and Terry Gibbs.
• Charles's records are included in the Library of Congress.
• In his hometown of Albany, Ray Charles Plaza opened in 2007 with a circular rotating pedestal containing a bronze sculpture. famous performer at the piano.
• One of Ray's hobbies was chess.
• He was the first to combine rhythm and blues with black church chant.
• Pictured on postage stamps USA, a series dedicated to musical idols.
• Ray Charles received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 16, 1981.
• A Rolling Stone magazine poll placed Ray in second place as the greatest singer of his era. The survey was conducted in 2008.

• He performed at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan in 1985. This caused a flurry of discontent and is associated with differences in political beliefs. Ray was considered a Democrat and Reagan was considered a Republican. According to the musician's agent, he was simply making money. The fee for the performance was 100 thousand dollars.
• He also performed at Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993.
• At one of the concerts in Southern France, a young man climbed onto the stage and began to perform “Mess around”. What did Ray do? He began to accompany the fan.