Ray Charles photograph

Ray Charles

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Gender Male
Death19 years ago
Date of birth September 23,1930
Zodiac sign Libra
Date of died June 10,2004
DiedBeverly Hills
California
United States
Children Sheila Raye Charles
Vincent Kotchounian
Ray Charles Robinson, Jr.
Charles Wayne Hendricks
Height 175 (cm)
Job Actor
Composer
Songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Gospel singer
Arranger
Jazz Pianist
Books Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story
The Piano Transcriptions
Ray - Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack
Ray: Essential Piano Songs : Transcribed for Piano, Voice & Guitar
Georgia on My Mind (Sheet Music)
The Best of Ray Charles: The Atlantic Years
You're the voice
Ray: Pro Vocal Men's Edition
Listen artist www.youtube.com
Spouse Della Beatrice Howard Robinson
Bernice Offenberg
Eileen Williams
SongsSongsHit the Road JackRay Charles Greatest Hits · 1962 I Can't Stop Lovin' YouRay Charles Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music · 1962 Seven Spanish AngelsAlways On My Mind · 1982 View 25+ more
1961
Skos genre Country music
R&B/Soul
Blues
Born Albany
Georgia
United States
ListWhat'd I Say, Pt. 1 & 2What'd I Say · 1959
Hit the Road JackRay Charles Greatest Hits · 1962
I Believe to My SoulThe Genius Sings the Blues · 1961
What'd I Say, Pt. 1What'd I Say · 1959
1961
1962
AlbumsHallellujah I Love Her So (HD...
Genius Loves Company
Modern Sounds in Country...
Ray Charles Live
Siblings George Robinson
Parents Aretha Robinson
Bailey Robinson
Date of Reg.
Date of Upd.
ID403801
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Ray Charles Life story


Ray Charles Robinson Sr. was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius". Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray".

Early Life

Ray charles was born on september 23. 1930 in albany. Georgia. He was born into a poor family and his fathre was a mechanic and his mohter was a housewife. He was born blind due to glaucoma. But he had a strong will and determination to make something of himself.

Musical Talent

Ray chalres had an innate musical talent which he developed from a young age. He learned to play the piano. Trumpet. Saxophone and guitar and he could read and write music in braille. He was known for blending the genres of jazz. Blues. Gospel and country music.

Career

Ray charles began his muscial career in 1947. Performing in small clubs and bars. He gained more attention in the early 1950s and he released his first hit single. i got a woman. In 1955. He had many hit songs throughout the 1950s and 1960s including what d i say. georgia on my mind and hit the road jack.

Awards and Achievements

Ray charles won 12 grammy awards during his career. Including one for lifetime achievement. He was also inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1986 and the blues hall of fame in 2008.

Activism

Ray charles was a strong advocate of civil rgihts and he was a vocal supporter of the civil rights movement. He was one of the first celerbities to speak out for equal rights for african americans and he actively campaigned for equal rights throughout his career.

Personal Life

Ray charles was married twice and he had 12 chlidren. His first marriage was to eileen williams in 1955 and thye had four children. His second marriage was to norma pinella in 1964 and they had eight children.

Health Problems

Ray charles struggled with drug addiction trhoughout his life and he was also diagnosed with liver disease in the early 1990s. He underwent surgery in 1993 to remove a cancerous tumor from his liver. But he eventulaly deid from the disease in 2004.

Legacy

Ray charles is remembered as one of the most influenital musicians of all time and he has been credited with changing the face of popular music. His influence can be heard in many genres. From jazz to soul and orck and roll.

Important Event

In 2004. Ray charles received a star on the hollywood walk of fame. The star was unveiled by his frined and fellow musician. Willie nelson.

Interesting Fact

Ray charles was the first african-american to be featured on the cover of time magazine in 1999.

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Barrett Strong: Motown trailblazer and hitmaker, dies at 81

Feb 16,2020 12:42 am

By Mark SavageBBC Music Correspondent

Barrett Strong, a pivotal figure in the history of Motown Records, has died at the Age Of 81.

He sang the label's first major hit, Money (That's What I Want), in 1959, and went on to co-write classic songs like I Heard It Through the Grapevine, War and Papa Was a Rollin' Stone.

Those hits were " revolutionary in sound and captured The Spirit of the times" Motown founder Berry Gordy said in a written tribute to the musician.

No cause of death has been disclosed.

" Barrett has left his indelible stamp. . on Music History , " said Temptations founder Otis Williams in a statement. " Our Motown family has lost a beloved brother and extraordinary songwriter. "

Gordy added: " Barrett was not only a great singer and Piano Player , but he, along with his writing partner Norman Whitfield , created an incredible body of work.

" Barrett is an original member of the Motown Family and will be missed by all of us. "

Royalties fight

Strong was born in Mississippi and grew up in Detroit, where he sang and played piano with his Four Sisters in The Strong Sisters, a gospel group.

While touring Local Churches , they befriended soul stars such as Jackie Wilson and Sam Cooke .

" My sisters were very Pretty Girls , so when all the singers would come to town, all The Guys would stop by My House , " he later recalled. " I'd play The Piano and we'd have a Jam Session . "

He was just 18 when he agreed To Let Gordy manage him and release his music.

Within a year, he had a million-selling single, Money, which was subsequently covered by The Beatles , The Rolling Stones and the Flying Lizards.

According to Strong, The Song began with its infectious piano riff, which he dreamed up during a spontaneous recording session at Motown's Hitsville headquarters.

" I just happened to be sitting there playing The Piano , " " I was playing What'd I Say, by Ray Charles , and the groove spun off of that.

" Everybody said, 'What was that? !'" he recalled. " They said, 'Let's write some lyrics,' and we had a song. "

With its opening refrain, " " Money was an instant hit, shooting to Number Two on the US R& B chart and number 23 on the Hot 100.

The success provided Gordy with vital capital to expand his operation, and Motown went on to transform US music, breaking down racial barriers as it went.

However, Strong spent years fighting the label for his share of The Song 's royalties, after they removed his name from the credits. (Gordy claimed he had written The Song , and that Barrett's credit was a " clerical error" ).

How Grapevine was buried

Money was Strong's only hit as a vocalist, albeit one that kept him on the radio for More Than 60 years.

He later said he was happy to retreat behind The Scenes .

" I never felt comfortable with myself as a recording artist, " The Father of six told Billboard magazine.

" I had to work to support My Family . I'm not looking for the spotlight and all The Glamour and stuff like that. I just like to work in my studio and see what we can come up with. "

In Motown's back rooms, he teamed up with producer Norman Whitfield , with whom he wrote some of the label's most cherished singles, including Ball of Confusion, Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me), I Wish It Would Rain and Wherever I Lay My Hat (That's My Home).

Many of their songs had roots in political activism. Edwin Starr 's War, for example, was inspired by Strong's cousin, a paratrooper who was badly injured in Vietnam.

I Heard It Through The Grapevine, meanwhile, took its title from The Days of the US Civil War , when the " grapevine telegraph" was a system of communication used by slaves.

Strong heard the phrase on The Streets of Chicago and took it to Whitfield. Together, they worked it into a song of epic romantic betrayal.

Smokey Robinson 's Miracles recorded it first, in 1966, but Gordy decided not to release it. A year later, Marvin Gaye cut his own version, but it was also vetoed.

It was only when Gladys Knight & The Pips sped The Song up, putting a lighter spin on its aching melody, that it got the seal of approval.

Their version reached Number Two in 1967; and Gaye's dark, hypnotic reading of The Track was buried as an album Track - until E Rodney Jones , a DJ at Chicago's WVON radio station put it on air.

After The Song aired for the First Time , Jones told Motown marketing man Phil Jones that " the phones lit up". It was released 11 months after The Pips ' version and became Motown's biggest-selling single.

" They didn't think it was a hit record, " Strong later recalled. " You know how it goes: They say, 'We don't like that,' but when it's a hit, everybody takes credit. "



Source of news: bbc.com

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