Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a pioneering American pianist and musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. He brought a soulful sound to country music, pop standards, and 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."[1] Frank Sinatra called him "the only true genius in the business."[1][2] And in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Ray Charles [3] #10 on their list of The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[4] Contents [hide] * 1 Biography o 1.1 Early years o 1.2 Middle years o 1.3 Later years o 1.4 Final appearances o 1.5 Controversies and criticisms o 1.6 Personal life * 2 Discography * 3 Filmography * 4 Ray: The Film * 5 Halls of Fame and other honors * 6 References * 7 External links [edit] Biography [edit] Early years Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia,[5] the son of Aretha Williams, who stacked boards in a sawmill, and Bailey Robinson, a railroad repair man, mechanic and handyman.[6] The two were never married. The family moved to Greenville, Florida, when Ray was an infant. Bailey had two more families, leaving Aretha to raise the family. When Charles was five, he witnessed his younger brother, George, drown in his silverlarge portable laundry tub.[7] When he was six, Charles began to go blind, becoming totally blind by the age of seven.[8] Charles never knew exactly why he lost his sight,[1] though there are sources which suggest Ray's blindness was due to glaucoma. He attended school at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida.[8] He also learned how to write music and play various musical instruments.[8] While he was there, his mother died. His father died two years later. After he left school, Charles began working as a musician in several bands that played in various styles, including jazz and, in Tampa “with a hillbilly band called The Florida Playboys." [9] Charles moved to Seattle in 1947[8] He soon started recording, first for the label Swingtime Records, achieving his first hit with "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" in 1951, then signed with Ahmet Ertegün at Atlantic Records a year later.[8] When he entered show business, his name was shortened to Ray Charles to avoid confusion with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.[10] [edit] Middle years Almost immediately after signing with Atlantic, Charles scored his first hit singles with the label with the rap-like "It Should Have Been Me" and the Ertegun-composed "Mess Around", both making the charts in 1953. But it was Charles' "I Got A Woman" (composed with band mate Renald Richard [11]) that brought the musician to national prominence. The song reached the top of Billboard's R&B singles chart in 1955 and from there until 1959, Charles would have a series of R&B chart-toppers including "This Little Girl of Mine", "Lonely Avenue", "Mary Ann", "Drown in My Own Tears" and "The Night Time (Is the Right Time)". During this time of transition, he recruited a young girl group from Philadelphia named the Cookies as his background singing group, recording with them in New York and changing their name to the Raelettes in the process. In 1959, Charles crossed over to top 40 radio with the release of his impromptu blues number, "What'd I Say", which was initially conceived while Charles was in concert. The song would reach number 1 on the R&B list and would become Charles' first top ten single on the pop charts, peaking at number 6. Charles would also record one of his finest albums, The Genius of Ray Charles, before leaving Atlantic for a more lucrative deal with ABC in 1959. Hit songs such as "Georgia On My Mind", "Hit the Road Jack" and "Unchain My Heart" helped him transition to pop success and his landmark 1962 album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, helped to bring country into the mainstream.