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King Jim
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Ray Charles dies at 73. 
Rest in Peace.
Born: September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia.
Died: June 10, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California.
Soul great Ray Charles has died at the age of 73.
According to network broadcast reports, the legendary singer passed away Thursday morning in Beverly Hills after a long struggle with liver cancer.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was born in Albany, Georgia on Sept. 23, 1930, and despite becoming blind at the age of 7, the singer/pianist had a music career spanning over 50 years.
With hits like "Georgia on My Mind," "Hit the Road Jack" and a soulful rendition of "America the Beautiful," the singer received 12 Grammy awards.
Charles was recently inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame at the 2004 NAACP Image Awards in March.
The highlight of the night was a tribute performance to the "What'd I Say" singer from BB King and Stevie Wonder.
Charles said, "I want you to know this is truly an honor and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
In April, Ray Charles' studio, built 40 years ago in Central Los Angeles, was designated as an official city historic landmark.
Charles had recorded at Ray Charles Studios for four decades.
His upcoming 'Ray Charles Duets' was the latest album produced at the facility.
"I love this place," the 73-year-old Charles said. "It's the only home I've truly had for most of my professional career and I would never leave it."
All about Ray Charles
If they ever sculpt a Mount Rushmore of American Music, he'll be there-nestled between the granite mugs of Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley will sit the smiling face of the Genius of Soul, Brother Ray Charles. Stricken with glaucoma at age six, Charles took to music early on, mastering piano at The St. Augustine School For The Blind. After the death of his mother when he was just 15, Ray ventured out as a professional musician -- first in Florida, then Seattle, where he cut his first record in 1949. Though Charles' early sides displayed considerable skill, the influence of other artists (like Nat "King" Cole) on them was unmistakeable.
But it wouldn't take long for him to fashion a style that was uniquely his. It all started at Atlantic Records in the mid-1950s, where kindred spirits Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler coaxed Charles out of the supper club and into the hard-driving R&B that would turn the pop world on its ear. Ray Charles essentially invented soul music when he introduced the sanctified stomp of black gospel music to the secular moan of the blues. Remarkable as they were, the long string of hits at Atlantic was just the beginning.
Charles' inimitable voice gives anything he sings a unique stamp and through the years Ray has used that to revolutionize several musical genres. It's hard to imagine the impact his soulful signature made on Country & Western when he moved to ABC-Paramount in 1960 and released the Modern Sounds album a couple of years later. Besides launching another string of hit singles, the vocal and instrumental arrangements sent scores of producers in Nashville (and throughout the world) back to the drawing boards. From ground-breaking R&B to country classics up to his definitive later recordings of pop chestnuts and show tunes, Ray Charles has been a source of inspiration to more musicians than we can count, and stands as one of the true architects of 20th century music.
Rest in Peace.
Born: September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia.
Died: June 10, 2004, in Beverly Hills, California.
Soul great Ray Charles has died at the age of 73.
According to network broadcast reports, the legendary singer passed away Thursday morning in Beverly Hills after a long struggle with liver cancer.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee was born in Albany, Georgia on Sept. 23, 1930, and despite becoming blind at the age of 7, the singer/pianist had a music career spanning over 50 years.
With hits like "Georgia on My Mind," "Hit the Road Jack" and a soulful rendition of "America the Beautiful," the singer received 12 Grammy awards.
Charles was recently inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame at the 2004 NAACP Image Awards in March.
The highlight of the night was a tribute performance to the "What'd I Say" singer from BB King and Stevie Wonder.
Charles said, "I want you to know this is truly an honor and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."
In April, Ray Charles' studio, built 40 years ago in Central Los Angeles, was designated as an official city historic landmark.
Charles had recorded at Ray Charles Studios for four decades.
His upcoming 'Ray Charles Duets' was the latest album produced at the facility.
"I love this place," the 73-year-old Charles said. "It's the only home I've truly had for most of my professional career and I would never leave it."
All about Ray Charles
If they ever sculpt a Mount Rushmore of American Music, he'll be there-nestled between the granite mugs of Louis Armstrong, Robert Johnson, Hank Williams and Elvis Presley will sit the smiling face of the Genius of Soul, Brother Ray Charles. Stricken with glaucoma at age six, Charles took to music early on, mastering piano at The St. Augustine School For The Blind. After the death of his mother when he was just 15, Ray ventured out as a professional musician -- first in Florida, then Seattle, where he cut his first record in 1949. Though Charles' early sides displayed considerable skill, the influence of other artists (like Nat "King" Cole) on them was unmistakeable.
But it wouldn't take long for him to fashion a style that was uniquely his. It all started at Atlantic Records in the mid-1950s, where kindred spirits Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler coaxed Charles out of the supper club and into the hard-driving R&B that would turn the pop world on its ear. Ray Charles essentially invented soul music when he introduced the sanctified stomp of black gospel music to the secular moan of the blues. Remarkable as they were, the long string of hits at Atlantic was just the beginning.
Charles' inimitable voice gives anything he sings a unique stamp and through the years Ray has used that to revolutionize several musical genres. It's hard to imagine the impact his soulful signature made on Country & Western when he moved to ABC-Paramount in 1960 and released the Modern Sounds album a couple of years later. Besides launching another string of hit singles, the vocal and instrumental arrangements sent scores of producers in Nashville (and throughout the world) back to the drawing boards. From ground-breaking R&B to country classics up to his definitive later recordings of pop chestnuts and show tunes, Ray Charles has been a source of inspiration to more musicians than we can count, and stands as one of the true architects of 20th century music.
