On the Billboard Hot 100 it was ranked no. It was his strongest Pop record back then and went no.1 on the R&B Charts. The Grammy Hall of Fame consists of ten of his songs including "What'd I Say", "Hit the Road Jack", "I Can't Stop Loving You", "I Got a Woman" and "Georgia on My Mind".ĭuring his Atlantic era (1952-1959) his most successful song was "What'd I Say", released in 1959. He won a total of 17 Grammy Awards and he's the only artist who won the Grammy for Best R&B Performance five times. Furthermore he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 and one year later he was awarded with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. 10 on the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. 2 on its list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time and no. The Rolling Stone Magazine ranked the music legend no. Ray Charles - The Genius Ray Charles at the 2003 Montreal International Jazz Festival, one of his last public performances Charles' career is filled with hits that reshaped music of several Genres which is why he's rightly known as The Genius. Rolling Stone Magazine ranked "I Got a Woman" as the 239th Greatest Song of All Time.
One year after "Mess Around" Ray released his next two hits "It Should've Been Me"which was ranked no.5 on the R&B Charts and "I Got a Woman" which climbed to the top spot of the R&B Charts. His first success came along with the single "Mess Around" that was published in 1953. That era marks his "real" start because that was the time where his music became distinctive as he combined R&B and Gospel. In 1952 Ray signed with Atlantic Records. Another singer that inspired his style was Louis Jordan. The band was renamed twice, first into Ray Charles Trio and then into Ray Charles Orchestra.īack then Ray tried to adapt his favorite singers, Nat King Cole and Charles Brown, who were his biggest inspiration in music business. One year later they recorded their first tapes and in 1949 they had their first hit with their debut single "Confession Blues/I Love You I Love You". In 1947 he moved to Seattle and joined the Maxin Trio. Augustine where he further developed his musical talent. Ray's own music story began with him learning to play the piano and afterwards attending the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Ray Charles while singing and playing the piano His first steps into music business On June 10th, 2004, Ray died of liver disease at the age of 73 in Beverly Hills, California. He was arrested three times for possession of drugs including marijuana and heroin. Ray was married twice and is a father of twelve by ten women. He lost his sight due to glaucoma at the age of seven. Raymond Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia, on September 23rd, 1930. He inspired artists who became major figures in music history such as Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin. He had a big impact on the evolution of R&B, Blues, Country and Soul. Ray Charles who's also referred to as The Genius and got called Brother Ray by friends was an American singer, songwriter, pianist and composer.