Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, but he was raised on Florida. He was born into an extremely poor family, and he didn't become blind until the age of seven. When he became blind he was sent to the Saint Augustine School of the Blind and Deaf and that's where he began to study the instruments, consisting of the piano, saxophone, and the clarinet. At age 15 his mom died and then his dad two years later, so since childhood he has had a tough life. He didn't go anywhere particular to become how big he is, he was just an ordinarily traveling musician trying to get by, starting in traveling in Florida and than Washington. In the early years he traveled with country/western and jazz bands, singing and playing the piano. In 1950 he moved to Los Angeles, and by 1954 had his first big hit with Atlantic Records. "I Got A Woman," combined the blues and sounds of Gospel into one. This recording would make Charles famous and mark the beginning of a new genre, "soul." In the 1980s, Charles was often in the public eye, making frequent appearances on television and in the movies. He had a number of albums and performed duets with many well-known musicians including Willie Nelson, Chaka Khan, and the Blues Brothers. He really started when he met a young Quincy Jones and earned a name in the clubs. He worked with companies like Atlantic, Downbeat, and Swingtime, but moreover he was with Atlantic. In 1941 he came out with a song called "Confessions Blues," it was his first early hit, the tender vocal and light, romantic mood owes a large debt to smooth bluesman Charles Brown. In 1955, the song "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand," a release that helped began to bring Ray to national attention and his last hit before moving to Atlantic Records. Starting of the year 1954, the song "It should have been me," His first bona-fide smash. In a recording career spanning more than half a century,

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