Ray Charles Robinson

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.

Ray Charles Robinson became blind at the age of seven. At six he suffered from glaucoma. At age fifteen, he went to a school for the blind and deaf. There he learned how to play the piano. Later, he was able to play the saxophone. Ray was in three bands, all were high paying. People tried to cheat him out of his money. Some people would count by fives and tens, but he was only getting one dollar bills. When times got tough, Ray would say, “Music was one of my parts…like my blood. It was a necessity for me like food or water.”

I believe that Ray Charles never gave up on his dreams. Ray was in Coca Cola commercials and produced his own records. He produced many of my favorite songs. My two favorite songs are “Hit the Road Jack” and “What I Say.” His mother told him to never become a cripple. Later in life, he became a “cripple.” He was doing drugs. His mom and brother came to him in a vision and told him to quit drugs. That’s what he did.

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.