Ray Charles was born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930 in Albany, GA. He was born to Aretha and Bailey Robinson; Aretha worked in a sawmill where she stacked boards, while Bailey worked as a mechanic. At the age of only 3 months, he, his mother and father moved to Greenville, FL during the height of the Depression years. Ray Charles Robinson also had a younger brother who he saw die at the age of 5, and then shortly after when he was seven he lost his sight to Glaucoma. Ray Charles' mother was able to send him to a school for the blind and deaf, where he was taken in as a charity student. There he learned how to read Braille and how to write his music in Braille. Since Ray Charles had such a love for music when he had the chance he learned how to read the music, memorize it, and then play it. In his autobiography he describes how he wasn't able to read and play as the other children did. At the age of 15, Ray Charles had lost his mother. He explains that this was the worst experience of his life, mainly because his mother was such a dynamic force in what he did. On his road to success, Ray Charles explains how he ate, slept, dreamt, and drank Nat King Cole. How his biggest desire was to be like him, and that is what help him get to the top. Ray Charles struggled from place to place trying to find someone to help, and even take him in. Ray Charles played in bands; it took quite sometime before he made a name for himself, other then that guy who sounds like Nat King Cole. Nevertheless Charles got bored with Florida and made his way to Seattle Washington, so he could form his own band. �During my time in Seattle, I met and worked with some musicians who later made names for themselves. There was a fellow named Bumps Blackwell who had a band. As I recall, he hired me to play a gig one night with him. There was a young guy named Quincy Jones in the band. I think we may have first met in a club -- maybe the 908 or the Black and Tan or the Elk's Club. It probably sounds like I'm making our meeting insignificant, but musicians just meet; it ain't no big deal. Quincy and I became very good friends because I could write music and he wanted to learn how to write. He would come over to my house in the morning, wake me up, and sit at the piano while I would show him how to do little things. That's how we became very close. I have always loved him and he's the same way now as he was as a kid -- just as sweet and nice.� While in Seattle, Charles met with Jack Lauderdale of Swingtime Records, and offered them a recording contract after hearing the band play at a night club. Ray Charles made many hits with Swingtime before he eventually switched to Atlantic. And lived a very extreme life. A life that dealt with drug using, adultery, and racism, but he made it through it all. He was even banned from playing in his home town for not playing at a segregated concert. Ray Charles made a difference and his vision really had nothing to do with it. He took his dream and turned it into reality.
