The Incredible Life Of Ray Charles, The High Priest of Soul
The High Priest of Soul was a nickname that Ray Charles deserved and earned. Against all odds, the blind singer/songwriter and pianist achieved phenomenal success in an impressive array of musical genres including soul and country. His ability to write, perform, and interpret music has ensured that the sounds he made, both vocal and instrumental, are instantly recognizable as his own. The trickle-down effect of his influence hasn’t diminished as his greatest hits can still be counted among America’s greatest 20th-century contemporary musical offerings. Read on to learn about Charles' incredible life and the legacy he left.
Sad Trauma In Early Life
Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23, 1930. His father was a mechanic and his mother was a sharecropper in Albany, Georgia. When he was tiny, the family made the move to Florida for a better life. He grew up poor, but by all accounts happy.
However, when he was around five his younger brother drowned, traumatizing him forever. They were playing near a large metal laundry tub when young George slipped and fell into the water. Tragically, Ray tried to pick him out but he was too heavy with wet clothing. Ray ran indoors screaming but it was too late and his little brother died.
The Second Major Tragedy Of His Life Sets In
Soon after he lost his brother, Charles suffered another awful loss. This time, it was his sight. Charles began to lose his vision at around age seven, likely due to Glaucoma. This condition is treatable, however, when not treated can cause blindness. It is also thought to be induced by stress in some cases.
Charles was completely blind by his seventh birthday, and had to readjust to a life without vision. This didn't stop his music playing though. He first picked up music when he was just three and showed no sign of stopping just because he had gone lost his sight.
Ray Charles, The Student
His mother made sure that he would be okay in life, and wanted to teach him how to live productively without his sight. She kept him doing chores and insisted that he enroll as a charity student at the Florida State School for the Deaf and Blind.
It was here where he learned how to cope with blindness -- learning braille, typing, and repairing radios and cars. It was also here that he learned about music and his love for it grew. He also learned to read and compose in braille which further opened up his life to music.
His Mother's Death
When Ray Charles was just 14, his mother died. He left school and became an orphan, moving to Jacksonville where he lived with a family friend. Charles remembers this time as terribly traumatic and noted that there was little work and a lot of stress throughout this period.
It was during this time that he decided to try and make it as a musician. He took any job that came along. This was the beginning of his long and successful career in music.
Moving Around
After his mother's death, Charles found it hard to settle in one place. He moved to Tampa, but found it difficult to make it as a musician due to the culture there not suiting his style. He hated working for other people and wanted to move away from Florida and the East coast in general as it was the area where he had experienced so much pain and tragedy in his life.
He then moved from Florida all the way to Seattle on a five-day bus journey. This brave young man went on to explore the jazz scene there and came across many talented musicians trying to make their way. For Ray Charles, Seattle was a dream come true.
Seattle Offers A New Life
Seattle was a happy place for Ray Charles. Despite his traumatic childhood, he was able to immerse himself into the Seattle music culture and soon enough found true happiness. During his first week in the city, he had already become a regular fixture in bars and clubs. He played piano and sang, imitating the styles of Nat King Cole and Charles Brown.
Hesitant to develop his own sound, Charles became part of a trio who performed in the city. Before long he was noticed by the legendary Quincy Jones, who had heard rumors about a talented blind guy. This was the start of a beautiful friendship.
The Trio Hit The Radio
As demand for their music grew, the McSon Trio as they called themselves, started to win radio slots. They gained a regular 15-minute show on the radio and became one of the earliest live broadcast acts on the radio in Seattle. At this point, Charles was still only 18 but had already set about making a life for himself in his new city.
He was rumored to have a lot of girlfriends and was a very popular man. Despite his blindness, he was living a life that most people could only dream of. He had established himself on the music scene and got himself a place in Seattle - not bad for an 18-year-old orphan.
Charles Hits The Big Time
After his first flirt with the spotlight, Charles proved himself to be a natural. He was picked up and signed and in 1950 he headed to Los Angeles to record. Seattle had treated him well, but Los Angeles offered a new arena to pursue his passion for music.
He wanted to move away from being a Nat King Cole copy, so he dropped his last name and went on to become simply Ray Charles. During his time in L.A. he recorded with musicians who had played with Cole.
Ray Charles And The Raelettes
After experiencing increasing commercial success with Atlantic Records throughout the 1950s, Charles hired a group of female backup singers called The Cookies. They first recorded together in 1956, and in 1958 Charles renamed the group The Raelettes (after himself).
The women used a gospel-inspired call-and-response style which complemented Charles' singing. The Raelettes recorded many albums and compilations over the years. One of the band's founding members, Margie Hendrix, was the mother of one of Charles's children.
Heroin Addiction Hits Charles
One thing that few people knew about Ray Charles was that he was heavily addicted to heroin starting at the age of 18. He never served a jail sentence, but he was caught with drugs on a number of occasions.
In 1965, his most serious arrest was in Boston when he was caught with a huge quantity of heroin. Before this point the authorities had seemed to turn a blind eye to his behavior, but now they had to step in. He was admitted to the hospital where he got psychiatric help to overcome his addiction.
Ray Takes A Year Off
After his drug bust, Ray wanted to escape the limelight and please the authorities who thought that he was setting a terrible example for young people in America. So, instead of continuing to tour and play shows, Charles decided to spend a year trying to work on himself.
He had regular therapy and tried to go clean of heroin for the year. Although he did produce music during this time, he rarely made it to the recording studio to record. His main focus was getting clean, which he succeeded in doing in 1966.
He Becomes 'The Genius Of Soul'
By now, Charles was a certified legend, but in the '60s and '70s he stood out as a soul hero. He tried many different genres during this period, including country and western and pop, but his jazz and blues roots were always there.
His nickname was coined when a music critic caught him using the word 'soul' to describe his music. It's said that Frank Sinatra called him 'the genius,' so together this gave him the nickname the Genius of Soul.
The Blues Brothers Wanted Ray Charles
In the '80s, Ray Charles was still making music and playing gigs, however, some of his releases weren't as well received. He was never doubted, he always held his position as a musical genius, but in his later life he turned to comedy briefly, appearing in The Blues Brothers movie alongside John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd.
Ray Charles received a huge honor in the 80s when he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame along with Elvis Presley and Sam Cooke.
High-Profile Appearances
As his music work wound down, Ray Charles became appearing in commercials. He sang on a Coca-Cola ad and also became the face of the organization USA for Africa, singing "We are the World" alongside a whole host of stars.
In his later years, Charles was still an avid performer, and went onto influence some of the most popular names in music. Almost to the very end of his life he kept performing. Overall, Ray Charles made 60+ albums, won 12 Grammys, and received many musical honors.
Composing Songs For Music And Television
By the '80s, Ray Charles was a major celebrity, however, his music career had gone from being the father of a genre to making music for a living. That's not to say he wasn't producing incredible music, it's just that he was more of an influencer and father of jazz than a current innovator in the field.
He went on to live a more relaxed lifestyle, free of heroin, and started to compose songs for music and television. He even made a guest appearance in the show Moonlighting.
A Troubled Personal Life
Although musically Ray Charles was a major success, his personal life was not so much of a success. Of course, he had a terrible addiction for the best part of two decades, but on top of that he struggled with relationships. He fathered 12 children in his lifetime with several different mothers. His marriages were far from perfect.
His first marriage was very brief and lasted only a year. In part, people believe that his heroin addiction was to blame for the breakdown of that marriage. His second marriage was more successful, and lasted over 20 years, however during this period he had a six-year affair.
Working With The Best
In the '90s, Ray left Columbia Records and went to Warner Bros. Records where he worked with some huge names and continued to create amazing music. Until the day he died, Ray was still a keen musician and performer.
During this period of his life, he worked with Eric Clapton, Mavis Staples, and June Porter to record. He also collaborated with a number of country singers and hit the country music billboard chart too! If anyone knew how to cross genres in music, it was Ray Charles.
Final Performances
In 2002, Ray Charles performed a peace concert in Rome, alongside other musicians. The concert was of great historical importance, as it was performed inside the Colosseum and was the first event to take place at the venue since AD 404 - a long, long time ago!
In 2003, he headlined the White House Correspondents dinner in front of the president and many of the major faces of politics. In 2003, he also performed at the annual electronic media journalist's banquet, where he performed "Georgia on My Mind" and "America the Beautiful."
Ray Charles PasseD Away At At 73
On June 10, 2004, at age 73, Ray Charles took his last breath and passed away in Beverley Hills, California. He had been suffering from liver disease, however, things had been looking up for Ray. He had been feeling better following a successful hip replacement in 2003 and was even planning another tour.
His death was a result of complications of liver disease. In 1983, he told The Washington Post, "Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead,". He went on to say that "I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind." And that he did.
Ray, The Movie
A movie based on his life was released in 2004. Charles had a lot of input into the film and had been meeting with Jamie Foxx, who had been set to play him. Tragically, Charles died before the movie released, however, his legacy is weaved throughout the movie and Foxx gave a perfect depiction of the legendary persona Charles was.
The 2004 biopic even won the 2005 Academy Award Best Actor award for Foxx's performance.
His Final Album Is A Hit
Ray Charles had been working on an incredible collaboration album, which was released after his death. The album was called Genius Loves Company and was full of amazing collaborations with other legendary artists like B.B King, Norah Jones, Natalie Cole, Diana Krall, Van Morrison, and Elton John.
The album topped the Billboard chart and was a major success. Charles left the music scene with 32 superb chart hits and 12 Grammy awards, plus a stunning musical legacy. The Genius of Soul left us with some of the best soul music ever created.
