Ray Charles Wikipedia Biography

Ray's family was very poor - as he himself said, “even among other black ones ... we were on the lower step of the stairs, looking up at the rest. Nothing below us is only the Earth. ” Ray's family moved to the small village of Grinville, in Southern Florida, when he was only a few months old. Father did not play a significant role in the life of Ray, and some time after his birth, he completely abandoned their family, leaving Ray and his younger brother George to the care of Authe and her mother -in -law - Mary Jay Mary Jay Robinson.

When Ray was five years old, his brother George, who was a year younger, began to sink in Lohani, standing on the street. Ray, who witnessed this case, tried to help him, but could not do anything, since his brother was too heavy for him. George drowned, and Ray, presumably from the shocked shock, gradually began to blind and at the age of seven, completely blinded.

According to Ray himself, the reason for his blindness remained unknown, but there is evidence that this is a consequence of glaucoma [4] [5]. There are rumors that in the years, already becoming famous, Ray submitted an anonymous announcement about the search for a donor who was ready to sacrifice one eye to the musician. However, the doctors considered this operation meaningless and risky, and it did not take place.

For the first time, Ray’s musical talent began to appear at the age of 3 years - the owner of the nearest pharmacy playing the piano contributed to this. He entered the school for the deaf and blind in St. Ogustin, the state of Florida. There, Ray learned the ABC Braille and playing several musical instruments - piano, organ, saxophone, thrombone and clarinet. Ray’s musical talent appeared at the school - he sang in the Baptist choir.

The mother died in the year, and two years later - father. The beginning of a musical career after graduation, Ray participated in many musical projects, mainly in the styles of jazz and country. The first group in which he took an active part was called The Florida Playboys. In the year, seventeen -year -old Ray, having accumulated dollars, went to Seattle [4]. Soon he began to sign up, first under the Swingtime Records label.

His first hit came out - “Confession Blues” after that he moved to the Atlantic Records label [4], because he understood that “SwingTime Records” would never give him the desired creative freedom. It is noteworthy that out of 12 children, only 3 were born in marriage. This marriage lasted up to a year. At the studio "Atlantic", under the sensitive leadership of the famous producers Ahmed Ertegun and Jerry Veksler, Ray begins to actively search for "his", unique sound.

In the year, Ray released the popular single "Mess Around". In the same year, he arranged and accompanied the famous Bluesman of Guitar Slim guitar bluesmen, the composition “The Things that I Used to Do”, which they recorded, was sold by more than a million circulation. Ray reached the next peak of his career in the year when the single “I Got a Woman” came out. It is this single that most experts are considered the first record in the style of Soul.

At this time, Ray's repertoire was half the state -owned texts with secular texts, half of the blues ballads. Ray was one of the first musicians who traditionally popularized “black” music and made this music truly common among the wide masses. The main features of the work of Ray of the early period are heard on the record "Ray Charles in Person". This album was recorded by the WOAK radio station in the year, not as usual, in the studio, but in a live performance, before the Negro listeners.

It is believed that Ray composed it right during one of the speeches to fill out the time required under the contract. The song instantly became a superchite and had a huge impact on the development of rock and roll. After some time, during the NewPort Festival, Ray gained wide popularity. Incredibly expressive, powerful and energetic vocals conquered both specialists and ordinary listeners.

Mature years - then Ray moved to the ABC Records company, concluding a contract at that time, becoming one of the highest paid musicians at that time [7]. Soon he moves to Beverly Hills, where he became the owner of the largest mansion in the district. There, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, the musician and lived until his death. For arrangements, beigs, string orchestras began to be used, and a large choir on the sake of sakes.

Such records were very contrasting with the chamber sound of Atlantic. Charles's repertoire simply shocked his volume and diversity. In the original, a girl on the name of Georgia dedicated to Khogamikla, this song on April 24, was declared a gym of Georgia, and Ray Charles performed it in the building of the State Legislative Assembly. Ray, his album, entered the circulation of country music, which at that time was unimaginable for a black musician.

Ray opposed racism and racial segregation - so, in him he even abolished the concert in Ogast, Georgia, protesting against racial segregation - during his concert it was assumed that black and white viewers had to sit separately.Some sources mistakenly indicate that for 20 years he was forbidden to perform in Georgia, in fact, there was no such ban - Ray simply did not go there.

The next day after the murder, J. Kennedy Ray released the single “Busted”, unclenched - so Ray remembered the end of his anti -radio policy. He also actively supported and financed the activities of Martin Luther King. In the year, in Boston, Ray was arrested for storing heroin and marijuana. The musician was dependent on the heroin for 20 years [6]. Ray first began to use drugs at the age of 16.

This for many years influenced both the career and the personal life of the musician - it was, as he himself put it, "a monkey on my back." For the third time, Ray found drugs - first cocaine and marijuana, then heroin, but Ray and this time avoided imprisonment. For the first time, the police found drugs in his hotel room another year, but the matter did not get a continuation, since the police did not have a search warrant at that time.

He was treated for drug addiction in the Los Angeles clinic, and therefore did not receive a real term in prison, but only a year probation. After that, Ray finally quit drugs. As he later explained, “Sometimes I felt terribly, but as soon as I went on stage and the group began to play, I don’t know why, but it seemed like aspirin - it hurts you, you accept it and no longer feel pain.” Ray's dependence on drugs is widely displayed in the film "Ray".

All subsequent life Ray opposed drugs. After he quit drugs, his musical style changed. He became closer to the mainstream, although, on the other hand, maybe this is just a coincidence, after rejection of drugs, he did not write almost anything outstanding, but sang other people's songs, which, however, did simply fantastically. After the x, his musical creativity was accepted by critics and listeners ambiguously - some songs were extremely popular, while others remained unrecognized audience [4].

At this time, he focused on living performances, and there were a lot of passing material on studio albums. The music becomes more monotonous, the slope emerges towards the style of "country". During this period, the song “American the Beautiful”, first released on the remarkable album “The Message for People”, the first politically painted album of the musician, gained the greatest fame.

The next album winging - “Renaissance” included Stevie Wander “Living for the City”, recorded by Ray just a few months after the original release. For this track, Ray receives Grammy. Wander greatly appreciated the version of Charles, and also sang with him this song with a duet in the year. By the way, it was the only case of Ray and Stevi cooperation in history. In addition, in this period, it is worth highlighting the version of the classical opera J.

The characteristic features of this period - the active use of almost all compositions of the then fashionable Rhodes Piano with its recognizable sound, long solo on it, piercing string arrangements, melodic ballads and anticipated vocals. Ray also gives his songs a more modern sound, introduces electronic elements, often replacing them with real tools. Since that time, its "branded" manner of playing on the synthesizer, with electronic solo imitating an electric guitar, originates.

To achieve similarities, Ray helped his pitch-wheel, having reached perfection by this. Late years - at the end of the X there was a number of events that further increased the recognition of Ray among the young audience. The album of the duets "Friendship" comes out. Ray signed up on it with some musicians fashionable in the country community, as well as with such music pillars as Tony Bennett The song “EVERYBODY GETS The Blues” and Billy Joel “Baby Grand”.

In the year, Ray spoke during the inauguration of Ronald Reagan. An episode is associated with this performance, which later threw a shadow on Ray's reputation. It is known that Ray was a convinced democrat, and Reagan was a Republican. Rei agreed to speak only for an unheated fee at that time in dollars. In the year, he performed the song "American the Beautiful" during the show "Wrestlemania 2".

Ray participated in the Diet Pepsi advertising campaign, which again greatly increased its popularity. At the same time, the producers of Charles decide to take advantage of his popularity and release the My World album, recorded on which Leon Russell’s song “Song for You” received the Grammy Award. Combining the elements of pop music, Soul and hip-hop, this album becomes amazing, however, perhaps the last, desperately desperately by Ray’s jump towards the young audience.

During this period, Ray twice came with concerts to Russia - in the year and in the year. In the same year, he also spoke at the inauguration of Bill Clinton - three years before that the president handed him the national medal of art. In the year, Ray returned to jazz in his work and released the composition “In the Spur of the Moment” dedicated to Steve Tarra.In the year, Ray participated in the cognac festival in Southern France.

During the performance, one of the fans ran out onto the stage and began to perform one of the songs of Ray “Mess Around” and the chapel.

As a sign of his respect, Ray began playing the music of this song. In May, Charles held a concert in Los Angeles-in a row. Ray Charles on one of the performances in the year. One of the last public performances by Ray occurred in the year, during the annual banquet of electronic media journalists, which took place in Washington. The last performance of Ray Charles occurred on April 30 in Los Angeles [4].

Death Ray's health was undermined by a thigh operation, from which he could not recover for a long time - despite the disease, he continued to work on the album “Genius Loves Company”. Ray died at the age of 73, in his house in Beverly Hills, California.