From:   "Dik de Heer" 
Date:  Mon Sep 23, 2002  1:15 am
Subject:  Born To Be With You : Ray Charles
 
RAY CHARLES (By Shaun Mather)

Born Ray Charles Robinson, 23 September 1930, Albany, Georgia

Nicknamed The Genius, Ray Charles is one of the leading figures in the
history of popular music. He has recorded everything from pop, R&B, soul,
gospel and even country music and like Jerry Lee Lewis, whatever he sings
it always come out as Ray Charles music.

He went blind at the age of six from glaucoma and his parents died when he
was in his early teens. He moved to Seattle in 1947 and began recording in
the pop/R&B style of the day. In the early '50s he started mingling with
earthier R&B talents like Lowell Fulson and Guitar Slim, resulting in a
tougher sound on future RC singles. Ray signed for Atlantic Records and
watched as "I Got a Woman," rose to number two in the R&B chart in 1955.
His sound had become a revolutionary one with gospel way up in the mix.
Other R&B hits followed like "This Little Girl of Mine," "Drown in My Own
Tears," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "Lonely Avenue," and "The Right Time".
With the '50s fading he moved up another gear when he fused the church and
the dance hall with "What'd I Say" (# 6 pop, # 1 R&B) which has become a
much covered classic.

A move to ABC didn't stop the momentum and items like "Unchain My Heart"
and "Hit the Road Jack" continued his hit streak. In 1962, he took the
unprecedented move of turning to country & western music, topping the
singles charts with "I Can't Stop Loving You" taken from the legendary
Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music album. "Busted," "You Are My
Sunshine," "Take These Chains from My Heart," and "Crying Time," followed.

Since the heady days of the '60s it's probably fair to say that Ray Charles
has lost his imaginative spark, but he remains a living icon who is adored
by fans and performers alike.

Recommended listening:
The Chronological 1949-50 - Classics CD 5000.
The Best of Ray Charles - The Atlantic Years - Rhino CD.
Or: The birth of soul : the complete Atlantic rhythm and blues
recordings, 1952-1959 (Atlantic, 3 CD-set)
Official website: http://www.raycharles.com
Autobiography: Ray Charles & David Ritz, Brother Ray : Ray Charles'
Own Story. New York: Da Capo Press, 1992. (Original edition : New
York : Dial, 1978.)
Biography: Michael Lydon, Ray Charles : Man And Music. New York :
Riverhead Books, 1998.