The Grammy Awards in 2005 were all dedicated to Ray Charles.Ģ6. Charles was inducted into the National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame in 2004.Ģ5. Charles was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1993.Ģ4. In 1991, he was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Foundation.Ģ3. In 1987, he was presented the “Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.”Ģ2. “Hit the Road Jack” stayed at the number 1 position for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and also earned him a Grammy Award.Ģ1. “Hit the Road Jack,” another one of his singles released in 1960, went on to become one of his greatest works.Ģ0. The song also became the state song of Georgia in 1979.ġ9. After “Georgia on my Mind” was released, it became extremely successful and was covered by a number of artists, including Billie Holiday, Coldplay and Van Morrison to name a few. “Georgia on my Mind” is a single that was released for his 1960 album, “The Genius Hits the Road.”ġ8. He was soon noticed for his musical talent and he began performing in a number of clubs and was even invited for the Governor’s Ball.ġ7. He joined a number of local bands in Tallahassee, which further heightened his interest in music, such as the “Florida A&M University Student Band” and the “Adderley Brothers.”ġ6. He later worked as a register boy under the direction of a girl at a drug store, in Tallahassee.ġ5. In school, he had shown a great interest in learning jazz and blues music, as he was taught only classical music.ġ4. However, he didn’t let his personal losses deter him from pursuing a musical career.ġ3.
By the time he was 15 years old, both of his parents were dead and he was orphaned. He studied at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind from 1937 to 1945, during which time, he honed his musical skills.ġ2. He was diagnosed with glaucoma at a very young age and by the age of seven, he had become completely blind.ġ1. Charles was born to Aretha and Bailey Robinson in Albany, Georgia.ġ0. In 2002, Rolling Stone ranked Charles number ten on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time,” and number two on their November 2008 list of the “100 Greatest Singers of All Time.”ĩ. Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles, “the only true genius in show business,” although Charles downplayed this notion.Ĩ. Their friendship lasted until the end of Charles’s life.ħ. Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by country, jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues artists of the day, including Louis Jordan and Charles Brown.Ħ. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.ĥ. He contributed to the integration of country music, rhythm and blues, and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his two Modern Sounds albums.Ĥ. He pioneered the soul music genre during the 1950s by combining blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles into the music he recorded for Atlantic Records.ģ. Charles was blind from the age of seven.Ģ. Among friends and fellow musicians, he preferred being called “Brother Ray.” He was often referred to as “The Genius.” Take a look below for 30 more fun and interesting facts about Ray Charles.ġ.
Ray Charles Robinson was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and composer.
0 kommentar(er)
