Charles, Ray (1930–2004)

Arranger, composer, musician, and singer known for his synthesis of gospel, soul, and rhythm and blues music. Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia, on September 23, 1930, to Aretha and Baily Robinson. After Charles lost his sight to glaucoma at the age of seven, his mother, Aretha Robinson, sent him to the State School for the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida, where he learned to read Braille, was exposed to classical music, and learned to play the piano and clarinet. While at the school, Charles became familiar with the gospel, country, and blues musical styles that influenced his style of music.

As a teenager, Charles played the clarinet with Julian “Cannonball” Adderly, who was then a college student, budding saxophonist, and leader of a college band. This was Charles's first real experience with a band, and he learned to write arrangements by dictating the notes. After his mother's death when he was fifteen, Charles realized that he would have to use his gift as a musician to survive. He left school; joined the Musician's Local Union 632 in Jacksonville, Florida; and began playing with the Florida Playboys, a white country and western band. In 1948, after moving to Seattle, Washington, he adopted the name “Ray Charles” and began to develop his musical style. It was in Seattle that he recorded his first record for the Los Angeles–based Swing Time label.

Like many notable musicians of that period, Charles developed a drug addiction that would plague him for the next twenty years. In 1950, Charles moved to Los Angeles, where he produced his first big hit with Atlantic Records, “I've Got a Woman” (1954). The song marked the invention of soul music, and Charles soon produced many more songs with his blend of gospel and blues combinations that emphasized bluesy piano chords and was reminiscent of Negro spirituals. Charles also became known for his arrangements with female background groups, which became popularly known as “doo-wop girls.” He formed the Raeletts for a recording in 1957, and they quickly became a permanent fixture at concerts and were heard on Charles's major hits, including “What'd I Say,” “Tell the Truth,” and “The Night Time Is the Right Time.”

In the early 1960s, Charles spent much of his time touring abroad. He also became independent of record [Page 175]companies and management agencies, establishing his own company, RPM International, in 1963 to oversee his management, publishing, and recording. Charles began producing his own records on RPM International in 1965. Despite his growing success, Charles's drug habit continued to plague him, and in 1964, he was arrested in Boston on a charge of heroin possession. Vowing to kick the habit, he entered a drug rehabilitation center and received five years' probation on the drug charge.

Drug free, Charles continued his illustrious career as a musician throughout the 1970s and 1980s, appearing on Sesame Street and recording “It's Not Easy Being Green” with the Muppets. Charles also supplied the vocals for the movie soundtrack In The Heat of the Night and participated in the recording of the USA for Africa release, “We Are the World.” Charles appeared on television in commercials by Pepsi, Coca-Cola, and Olympia Beer.

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