Charles toured until his death in 2004 soon after, the acclaimed biopic Ray, with Jamie Foxx, introduced his legend to a new generation. Ray Charles changed popular music in the U.S., drafting the blueprint for soul music in the 1950s and exerting a massive influence on the R&B and rock that came. His cameo in the 1980 film The Blues Brothers and his role as a Diet Pepsi pitchman cemented his iconic status. He spent the ensuing decades tackling pop standards, show tunes, and country, returning to the country charts in the early 1980s. Ray Charles had officially crossed over to become a pop star, and just in time, as his Atlantic contract was soon to expire. Charles moved to ABC-Paramount later that year and explored his broad interests more freely, making jazz records with singer Betty Carter, cutting the string-drenched standard “Georgia on My Mind,” and diving headfirst into country music. His music was marked by exquisite tension, the profane battling the holy, but his lyrics addressed more earthly concerns, as on his 1959 hit “What’d I Say,” where his moans and grunts were brazenly sexual. The name Ray Charles designates a superstar worldwide. He masterfully exploited his rich baritone to fleck his inventive phrasing with cracks and sighs, overshadowing the jazz-informed brilliance of his piano playing. The name Ray Charles is on a Star on Hollywood Boulevards Walk of Fame. In 1952 he signed with Atlantic Records, where he infused his sound with churchy fervor, a heavier blues feel, and more passionate singing. When he set out on his own in the late ’40s, his music was clearly modeled after the sleek R&B of early Nat “King” Cole and Charles Brown. and George were 'inseparable' and 'loved to explore. As Rays son, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., wrote in the 2010 biography 'You Dont Know Me: Reflections of My Father, Ray Charles,' Ray Sr. But by then he was already a talented pianist, playing boogie-woogie and absorbing the gospel and rural blues that surrounded him. Ray Charles brother, George, was one year younger than him. Ray Charles was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century. Born in Albany, GA, in 1930, he spent most of his childhood in Greenville, FL, where he began losing his sight at age five, going fully blind by age seven. He performs with a gospel fervor that brings to his concerts the atmosphere of a revival meeting. He not only defined modern soul music but also helped escape country music and influenced dozens of rock singers. The family started out poor and stayed that way throughout the hard years of the Depression. His father worked off and on for the railroads his mother took in laundry. Ray had learned how to play the instrument, along with trumpet and clarinet. Ray Charles Robinson was born September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia, the first child of Aretha and Bailey Robinson. Ford writes, One evening, Ray asked McVea whether he could try his sax. Ray Charles changed popular music in the U.S., drafting the blueprint for soul music in the 1950s and exerting a massive influence on the R&B and rock that came in its wake. Ray Charles, singer, pianist, saxophonist, composer, and band leader, is a towering figure in popular music. In a 2007 book about Charles, author Carin T.
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