Ray Charles Robinson
(September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004)
was an
American singer,
songwriter,
and pianist.
He is regarded as one
of the most iconic
and influential musicians
in history,
and was often
referred to by
contemporaries as
"The Genius".
Among friends
and fellow musicians,
he preferred being called
"Brother Ray".
Charles was blinded
during childhood,
possibly due
to glaucoma.
Charles pioneered the
soul music genre
during the 1950s
by combining elements of
blues,
jazz,
rhythm and blues,
and gospel
into his music
during his time with
Atlantic Records.
He contributed to the
integration of
country music,
rhythm and blues,
and pop music
during the 1960s
with his crossover success
on ABC Records,
notably with his two
Modern Sounds albums.
While he was
with ABC,
Charles became one of the
first black musicians
to be granted
artistic control
by a mainstream
record company.
Charles' 1960s hit
"Georgia on My Mind"
was the first of his
three career No. 1 hits
on the
Billboard Hot 100.
His 1962 album
Modern Sounds in
Country and Western Music
became his first album
to top the Billboard 200.
Charles had multiple singles
reach the Top 40
on various
Billboard charts:
44 on the US
R&B singles chart,
11 on the
Hot 100 singles chart,
and two on
the Hot Country
singles charts.
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