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Ray Charles
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How can one possibly summarize the life of one of the greatest performers in music history in just a few short words? Despite battling drug addiction and personal demons for much of his life, Charles was able to wow and inspire audiences for decades. Born during the great depression, he would experience hardship at a young age, losing his younger brother in a drowning accident at the age of 5. Then only 2 years later, Charles lost his eyesight. But despite this, Ray Charles learned to play the piano and the rest, as they say, is history.
If there is one sollitary truth to Ray Charles music, it’s that a spiritual touch resonated throughout it. His musical journey began by patterning himself after Nat King Cole. His first 3 recordings were made in Tampa, Florida in 1947 and included Guitar Blues, Walkin' And Talkin,' and Wonderin' And Wonderin'. With a recording contract in 1949 on the former Downbeat label, but at the time under the Swingtime banner, Charles and his trio (called the McSon Trio) moved to Los Angeles and cut numerous sides on which the influence of King Cole is clearly evident including the somewhat autobiographical All To Myself Alone and a medium tempo jiver called Let's Have A Ball. During the early 1950s, the trio released several singles including Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand, which hit the U.S. R&B chart.
In 1952, Charles made his first commercially signifigant musical relationship when he signed with Atlantic records. Charles realized at this point that it was time to stop imitating Nat King Cole, and start singing like Ray Charles. The real Ray Charles emerged in 1954 on a record called I Got A Woman. The recording reached #1 on the R&B chart in 1955. More significantly it brought together elements of gospel music in a secular setting, in a way they had never been married before, and served to spawn a whole new genre later to become known as Soul.
Ray Charles would continue his career by diving into various forms of music from gospel, to jazz and even country western. When it was all said and done, Charles racked up a 12 competitive Grammys, earned three Emmy nominations, scored the Kennedy Center Honors, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the National Medal of Arts and inductions into the Rock, Jazz and Rhythm and Blues halls of fame. Not bad for a poor blind kid born in the depression in the poverty stricken depths of Albany, Georgia. On Thursday June 10th, 2004, the world lost one of the greatest musicians of all time. Ray Charles left behind a wealth of music and a spirit that will live on forever.
Top Hits Include: 1955- “I Got a Woman, 1955- “A Fool for You" 1956- “Drown in my own Tear” 1961- “Hit the Road Jack” 1962- “I can’t stop Loving You”
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