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Ray Charles
was born o September 23, 1930 in Albany,
Georgia.
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As a young child,
his mother (his father left him earlier) moved
and he grew up in Greenville, Florida.
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When he was six,
he began to lose his eye sight (caused by
glaucoma).
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In 1937, at age
seven, he entered St. Augustine’s School for the
Deaf and Blind (in Florida). It was at his
school that he learned how to play instruments
(piano, clarinet and alto saxophone) and write
music (in brail). His mother passed away in
1945, so he left school, and decided to try his
luck playing for big bands.
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In 1948, he moved
to Seattle, thinking that there might be more
work for him there. He got together with two
other local musicians and formed the McSon
Trio [sometimes referred to as the Maxim Trio]. In 1949, he had his first of many hits,
“Confession Blues” with the McSon Trio.
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The Trio began to
tour around the country with artists like Lowell
Fulson. He married his first wife in July of
1951, Eileen Williams, but the marriage ended
after only one year. They had one child. The
early 1950s brought a few more hits, but also
was a time when Charles was first introduced to
heroin.
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In 1952, he signed
with Atlantic Records and began recording more
hits. However, he moved away from the Big Band
sound and turned towards more of a bluesy tune.
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In April 1955 he
married his second wife, Della Beatrice Howard.
Their marriage lasted until 1977, when they were
divorced. They had three children
together (David, Ray and Robert), but Ray supposedly had 12 children
in and out
of wedlock over the years. The list is as
follows (with mother's names if known):
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Alexandria
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Charles
Wayne (Marge Hendricks)
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Corey
Robinson den Bok (Mary Anne den Bok)
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David
Robinson (Della Beatrice Howard)
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Evelyn
(Louise Mitchell)
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Raenee
(Mae Mosely Lyles)
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Ray
Charles Robinson, Jr. (Della Beatrice Howard)
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Reatha
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Reverend
Robert Robinson (Della Beatrice Howard)
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Robyn
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Sheila
(Sandra Jean Betts)
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Vincent (Arlette
Kotchounian)
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Throughout the
1950s he had a few hits by himself and with
other entertainers. Towards the end of the
1950s he began experimenting again with his
music besides his usual Blues style, he started
to work in a Jazzy sound as well. In fact, he
received critical acclaim at the 1958 Newport
Jazz Festival. The culmination of sounds In
1959, he left Atlantic to go to ABC-Paramount,
which allowed for him to continue with his new
Soul/Jazz sound. This proved successful, shown
by the huge sales of Genius + Soul = Jazz.
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He had three number
one hits on the pop charts between 1960 and
1962: "Georgia On My Mind" (1960), "Hit the Road
Jack" (1961), and "I Can't Stop Loving You"
(1962).
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He started Ray
Charles Enterprises in 1962, producing albums
with his own sound, and many more hits during
the 1960s. In 1962, he released his seminal
album Modern Sounds in Country and Western
Music, which was a huge success on the
charts and made the Genius a legend. It was in
the mid-sixties, during his greatest period of
success that he was arrested for drug
possession. Fortunately, it was the straw that
enabled him to seek help and stop his long time
drug addiction.
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He began to expand
his career and entered the world of movies. He
appeared in Swinging Along (1962), The
Cincinnati Kid (1965) and In the Heat of
the Night (1967) to great success. He also
appeared in other films over the next two
decades, including a memorable role in The
Blue Brothers.
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During the 1970s,
he recorded less hits, especially as the taste
in music changed. He did not record another hit
until 1989, with “I’ll Be Good to You” with
Chaka Khan. However, he was inducted into the
Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in 1982, followed
by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 (he
was one of the charter members).
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In 1986 he was
nominated for the
Emmy Award
for
Outstanding Achievement in Music and Lyrics
for America Votes the #1 Song. He was
also nominated for the
Emmy Award
for
Outstanding Individual Performance in a
Variety or Music Program for his appearance on
Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration.
His appearances on The Kennedy Center Honors:
A Celebration of the Performing Arts earned
him two more Emmy nominations for Outstanding
Achievement in Music Direction in 1989 and 1991.
He was also nominated for fifth Emmy Award for
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music
and Lyrics for his appearance on
Bob Hope: The
First 90 Years.
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Ray Charles, the man called the “Genius” and the
“Father of Soul” passed away on June 10, 2004.
A few months later, Ray (portrayed by
Jamie Foxx),
a movie based on his life was released to great
fanfare. However, his legend remained alive as
the big winner for the
2005 Grammy Awards with his album Genius
Loves Company. The awards included: Best
Album, Record of the Year ("Here We Go Again"
with Norah Jones),
Best Pop Vocal Album, and Best Pop Collaboration
("Here We Go Again" with
Norah Jones).
Biography by Ian Ripley,
PopStarsPlus.com, Sr. Staff Writer
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