Ray Charles Robinson

Ray Charles

Ray Charles was a legendary American musician who pioneered the genre of soul music during the 1950s. Often called "the father of soul," Charles combined blues, gospel and jazz to create groundbreaking hits such as "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." He died in 2004, leaving a lasting impression on contemporary music.

The Death School

Ray Charles Robinson was born September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia. His father, a mechanic, and his mother, a sharecropper, moved the family to Florida when he was an infant. One of the most traumatic events of his childhood was witnessing the drowning death of his younger brother. Soon after his brother's death, Charles gradually began to lose his sight. He was blind by the age of 7, and his mother sent him to a state-sponsored school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida-where he learned to read, write and arrange music in Braille. He also learned to play piano, organ, sax, clarinet and trumpet. Charles's mother died when he was 15, and for a year he toured on the "Chitlin' Crcuit" in the South. While on the road, he picked up a love for heroin.

Georgia On My Mind

A year later, Charles's now classic song, "I Got a Woman," reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. His early work was clearly influenced by Nat King Cole, but his musical style soon became singularly unique, helping to create a new musical genre: soul. Fellow musicians began to call him "The Genius," an appropriate title for the ramblin' musician, who never worked in just one style, but blended and beautified all that he touched. The year 1960 brought Charles his first Grammy Award for "Georgia on My Mind," followed by another Grammy for the single "Hit the Road, Jack." For his day, he maintained a rare level of creative control over his own music. Sadly, however, he continued to struggle with heroin addiction. In 1965, he was arrested for possession.

Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx) in Jail (Ray Charles movie))

Charles avoided jail after his arrest for possession by finally kicking the habit at a clinic in Los Angeles. Charles was married twice, and fathered 12 children with nine different women. He died of lung cancer on June 10, 2004, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. His final album, Genius Loves Company, released two months after his death, consists of duets with various admirers and contemporaries.

Ray accepting a Grammy (2002)

A hero is a person or animal that saves lives. A hero could also be someone who is a role model, or just a person like you and me. Ray Charles Robinson is my hero. He lived from September 23, 1930 to June 11, 2004. Ray was born in Albany, Georgia, and grew up in Greenville, Florida. In conclusion, Ray Charles had a goal to be a good musician. He did just that. A hero is a role model or a person like you and me. I think Ray Charles has been a big inspiration to me. He had a disability, blindness. I have one, too, stuttering. Ray was a very thoughtful person, and he was always a humble person. Ray had a good personality. He is my hero.