Where can I find a biography of Ray Charles?
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of “America the Beautiful” that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the “definitive version of the song, an American anthem — a classic, just as the man who sang it.” He also appeared in the 1980 hit movie, The Blues Brothers.[1] Frank Sinatra called him “the only true genius in the business”.[1][2] In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Charles[3] number ten on their list of “The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and also voted him number two on their November 2008 list of “The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time” Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Charles number ten on their list of “The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and also voted him number two on their November 2008 list of “The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time”. He was the son of Aretha Williams, a share cropper, and Bailey Robinson, a railroad repair man, mechanic and handyman. The family moved to the western side of Greenville, Florida in the poor black community of Jellyroll, when Ray was an infant. Bailey had three more families, leaving Aretha to raise the family on her own. Ray Charles’s early years showed a curiosity for mechanical things and he often watched the neighborhood men working on their cars and farm machinery. His musical curiosity was had at Mr. Wiley Pit’s Red Wing Cafe and its old upright piano when Pit played boogie woogie. Pit would adopt George, Ray’s younger brother to take the burden off Aretha. Aretha was very religious and the three attended the New Shiloh Baptist Church. Ray started to lose his sight at
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), known by his stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings, as well as a rendition of “America the Beautiful” that Ed Bradley of 60 Minutes called the “definitive version of the song, an American anthem — a classic, just as the man who sang it.” He also appeared in the 1980 hit movie, The Blues Brothers. Frank Sinatra called him “the only true genius in the business”. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Charles number ten on their list of “The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time” and also voted him number two on their November 2008 list of “The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time”. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.
