Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23, 1930, in Albany Georgia. His parents, Aretha and Baily Robinson, were poor southerners that moved to Greenville, Florida, while he was still an infant. The family had more than its share of hardship; Ray’s baby brother, George, drowning in a freak washtub accident and he himself developing glaucoma at the age of five, losing his sight completely within two years. As a child, Ray studied at the State School for Deaf and Blind Children, where he developed his talent and ear for playing a variety of musical instruments, including the piano and clarinet. He also sang in the Baptist choir, and a deep love for music as an art form blossomed within him at a very early age. By the time he was in his early teens, Ray was an orphan, and at age 16, he joined a band called “The Florida Playboys.”
In 1948, he moved to Seattle where he and guitarist, Gossady McGee formed the McSon Trio. He soon left the trio and signed with Los Angeles based Swing Time Records, becoming the pianist for the Lowell Fulson band. Eventually, Atlantic Records signed him up, and it would be the musical genius of Ray Charles that would put that record company on the map! His first hit was “Confession Blues” in 1949 and his raw, soulful delivery was a tremendous hit among listeners from all different backgrounds. He had many hits afterwards, including “What I Say” (1959), “Hit The Road, Jack” (1961), “I Can’t Stop Loving You” (1962) and his beloved signature song that would become the state song of Georgia, “Georgia On My Mind.”
Despite his many achievements, Ray Charles had a heroine addiction that took him twenty years to finally shake. Rolling Stone Magazine voted him the “10th Greatest Rock n’ Roll Star of All Time.” He sired twelve children in his lifetime and was a long time supporter of Israel. In 1976, the B’nai Brith named him “Man of the Year.” He died on June 10, 2004, of liver failure, but his music and his legacy live on in the hearts of his many adoring fans.
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