Ray Charles was an American musician and singer who was born on September 23, 1930 in Alabama, Georgia. He experimented with many different styles including jazz, gospel, pop, country, and the blues. The emotion he puts into every performance amazes the public, as some people have labeled him as “The Genius”, “a cornerstone of music”, and “a legend of his own time”. Ray Charles had a 50 year career of making all types of music, researching how different genres create the unique sound that labels it as such. Ray Charles became completely blind at the age of seven years-old, however he already had a strong foundation for playing the piano. He left his studies at school and created a band at an early age. Ray Charles’ music inspired many famous
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Ray Charles grew up in a poor family, however he never saw any other way of living, and assumed it was normal. In Ray Charles’ autobiography, Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story, the text states, “Folks who don’t have much.can get sling just fine. Just fine, that is, till they start seeing that there’s more to be had.” (page 11, paragraph 5). His father died at the age of ten, and his mother died five years later, leaving him an orphan at the age of fifteen. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind for eight years, though after his mother passed away, he decided to end his studies and create a musical career in tenth grade. At Seattle’s Red Distinct, when he was only 16 years-old at the time, Ray Charles befriended 14 year-old, Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones would grow up to be a producer, songwriter, musician, and composer, producing one of the best selling records, Michael Jackson Thriller (1982). Ray Charles assisted in teaching him how to arrange and write music in a certain way. After Seattle, Ray Charles moved to Jacksonville to live with Charles Wayne Powell, who used to be friends with his mother. While living in Jacksonville, he played the piano at Ritz Theater in La Villa for $4 per night. Afterwards, Ray Charles moved to Los Angeles where he produced his first record, “Confession Blues,” at eighteen years-old in
Ray Charles grew up in a poor family, however he never saw any other way of living, and assumed it was normal. In Ray Charles’ autobiography, Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story, the text states, “Folks who don’t have much.can get sling just fine. Just fine, that is, till they start seeing that there’s more to be had.” (page 11, paragraph 5). His father died at the age of ten, and his mother died five years later, leaving him an orphan at the age of fifteen. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind for eight years, though after his mother passed away, he decided to end his studies and create a musical career in tenth grade. At Seattle’s Red Distinct, when he was only 16 years-old at the time, Ray Charles befriended 14 year-old, Quincy Jones. Quincy Jones would grow up to be a producer, songwriter, musician, and composer, producing one of the best selling records, Michael Jackson Thriller (1982). Ray Charles assisted in teaching him how to arrange and write music in a certain way. After Seattle, Ray Charles moved to Jacksonville to live with Charles Wayne Powell, who used to be friends with his mother. While living in Jacksonville, he played the piano at Ritz Theater in La Villa for $4 per night. Afterwards, Ray Charles moved to Los Angeles where he produced his first record, “Confession Blues,” at eighteen years-old in