Ray Charles (soul musician, singer and songwriter)

~ Person

Legal name: Ray Charles Robinson

Wikipedia

Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (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 blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles into the music he recorded for 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's 1960 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, two on the Hot Country singles charts.

Charles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by Louis Jordan and Charles Brown. He had a lifelong friendship and occasional partnership with Quincy Jones. Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles "the only true genius in show business," although Charles downplayed this notion. Billy Joel said, "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley".

For his musical contributions, Charles received the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, and the Polar Music Prize. He was one of the inaugural inductees at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He has won 18 Grammy Awards (five posthumously), the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987, and 10 of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked Charles No. 10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and No. 2 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2022, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

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Discography

Album

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1957The Great Ray CharlesRay Charles6
1957Ray Charles (Hallelujah I Love Her So)Ray Charles46
1958Yes Indeed!Ray Charles4
1958Soul BrothersMilt Jackson & Ray Charles4
1959The Genius of Ray CharlesRay Charles38
1959What’d I SayRay Charles34
1960FatheadRay Charles presents David Newman4
1960The Genius Hits the RoadRay Charles3
1961Ray Charles and Betty CarterRay Charles & Betty Carter56
1961The Genius After HoursRay Charles5
1961The Genius Sings the BluesRay Charles6
1961Dedicated to YouRay Charles1
1961Genius + Soul = JazzRay Charles11
1961Soul MeetingRay Charles & Milt Jackson2
1962Modern Sounds in Country and Western MusicRay Charles3.656
1962Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Volume 2Ray Charles1
1963Ingredients in a Recipe for SoulRay Charles2
1964Sweet & Sour TearsRay Charles2
1964Have a Smile With MeRay Charles1
1965The Sensational Ray CharlesRay Charles2
1965Together AgainRay Charles1
1966Crying TimeRay Charles1
1966Ray’s MoodsRay Charles1
1967Invites You to ListenRay Charles1
1968A Portrait of RayRay Charles2
1969I’m All Yours Baby!Ray Charles1
1969Doing His ThingRay Charles1
1970Love Country StyleRay Charles1
1970My Kind of JazzRay Charles1
1971Volcanic Action of My SoulRay Charles1
1972A Message From the PeopleRay Charles4
1972Jazz Number IIRay Charles1
1972Through the Eyes of LoveRay Charles1
1974Come Live With MeRay Charles1
1975RenaissanceRay Charles2
1977True to LifeRay Charles1
1978Love & PeaceRay Charles1
1979Ain’t It SoRay Charles1
1980Brother RayRay Charles1
1980Brother Ray Is at It Again!Ray Charles1
1983Wish You Were Here TonightRay Charles2
1984FriendshipRay Charles5
1984Do I Ever Cross Your MindRay Charles1
1985The Spirit of ChristmasRay Charles5
1986From the Pages of My MindRay Charles2
1988Just Between UsRay Charles2
1989Porgy & BessRay Charles & Cleo Laine1
1989Soul Brothers / Soul MeetingRay Charles & Milt Jackson1
1990Would You Believe?Ray Charles1
1991Ray Charles in LARay Charles1
1993My WorldRay Charles3
1993Georgia TimeRay Charles1
1995It’s a Blues ThingRay Charles & Esther Phillips3
1996Strong Love AffairRay Charles3
1998Ray Charles & FriendsRay Charles1
2002Thanks for Bringing Love Around AgainRay Charles1
2002Alone in the CityRay Charles1
2002Don't Put All Your Dreams in One BasketRay Charles1
2004Genius Loves CompanyRay Charles415
2005Genius & FriendsRay Charles2
2005Soul of a ManRay Charles1
2006Ray Sings, Basie SwingsRay Charles + Count Basie Orchestra37
2009What'd I SayRay Charles2
2018Rooftop StorysRay Charles & Milt Jackson1
Deluxe: Greatest HitsRay Charles1
Hey Now and Lets Have a BallRay Charles1
Let's Have a BallRay Charles1
Soul Brothers, Soul Meeting (disc 1)Ray Charles & Milt Jackson1

Album + Compilation

YearTitleArtistRatingReleases
1961Do the Twist! With Ray CharlesRay Charles2
1962Greatest HitsRay Charles2
1962The Ray Charles Story, Volume OneRay Charles3
1962The Ray Charles Story, Volume 2Ray Charles3
1962The Ray Charles Story, Volume 3Ray Charles3
1963The Sensational Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1964The Ray Charles Story, Volume 4Ray Charles3
1964The Incomparable Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1967A Man and His SoulRay Charles1
1967Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1970The Best of Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1971A 25th Anniversary in Show Business Salute to Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1973Star‐CollectionRay Charles1
1974Ray Charles, Volume IIRay Charles1
1974The World of Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1975The World of Ray Charles Vol. 2Ray Charles2
1978Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1979Le Disque D'or de Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1980I Giganti Del Jazz, Vol. 1Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles1
1980Rockin’ With RayRay Charles1
1981Georgia on My MindRay Charles1
1981Ray Charles / The Coasters (La grande storia del rock)Ray Charles / The Coasters1
1982Soul Brothers / Soul MeetingRay Charles & Milt Jackson4
1982The Flamingos / Ray Charles (La grande storia del rock)The Flamingos / Ray Charles1
1984C.C. RiderRay Charles3
1984Tell The TruthRay Charles1
198716 Original HitsRay Charles1
1987Early YearsRay Charles1
1987His Greatest Hits, Vol. 2Ray Charles1
1987His Greatest Hits, Vol. 1Ray Charles2
1987The Tender Side of Ray CharlesRay Charles1
1987The Right TimeRay Charles1

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