Ray Charles

One of the most famous artists of the twentieth century was called Ray Charles. He is also one of my favourite heroes. That is why I am going to talk about him. He is well-known with the nickname "The Genius". He was born in 1930, in September. At the beginning of his life, he had a hard childhood, because he was black child, who lived in the Southern States, where racism and poverty were a big part of the lives of the non-white families. What is more, he saw his three-year-old brother drown and he thought he was guilty. In addition to this, he began to be blind at the age of five and was totally blind when he was seven. However, he succeeded in fighting against all of this and became a great piano player in the classic-hall, jazz, country and blues.

Ray Charles and his love for life

Concerning his personality, in spite of his blindness, he always had a good sense of humour. One of his favourite jokes was "I am blind, but it could be worse. I could have been black." Moreover, I think he showed a lot of courage, because he learned how to play the saxophone and the piano in a hospital for blind people and, when his mother died, he moved away in order to forget. As a result, he had a hard time. Was he too brave or too thoughtless? To my mind, one can only be impressed by a blind person who can live by himself. One other important point is that he fought against racism. For example, when he began to be famous, he refused to do his concerts in some states of America, because of the fact that black people were forbidden to have a seat on the ground floor. Accordingly, after a long time of trouble, some states apologized in an official way. Furthermore, one of his songs, "Georgia on my mind," became the anthem of the Georgia, where racism was very strong. A black person succeeded in changing some ways of thinking and in having some influence in the political world by his music and his personality.

Ray Charles

To turn to his music, he was a good piano player anyway, whereas he at first played a Charles Brown-like music. He could have been famous with it, whereas he tried a new kind of music: a mix between blues and gospel. The Soul was born. Firstly, it did not work. However, he kept going. In spite of some priests who were offended by this mix, he became famous. In my opinion, this instance shows us Ray Charles's Genius and his courage. He was the first man to do a "crossover", or to create music which would be enjoyed by both black and white people.

Ray Charles and his love for the song

As a conclusion, Ray Charles could be a role model, because he had firstly nothing to help him and he had so much courage. He became one of the most enjoyed stars. He often "helps" me when I think about him, because he reminds me not to feel daunted when I lose my way.

Ray Charles and his passion for his music. (Google)