Ray Charles

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Ray Charles


Ray Charles in 1990
Background information
Birth name Ray Charles Robinson
Also known as Brother Ray, The Genius
Born September 23, 1930(1930-09-23)
Albany, Georgia, USA
Origin Greenville, Florida, USA
Died June 10, 2004 (aged 73)
Beverly Hills, California, USA
Genres Rhythm and blues, soul, rock and roll, blues, jazz, country, pop, gospel
Occupations Singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, bandleader
Instruments Vocals, piano, keyboards, alto saxophone, trombone
Years active 1947–2004
Labels Atlantic, ABC, Warner Bros., Swingtime, Concord
Associated acts The Raelettes, Quincy Jones, Betty Carter, Marvin Gaye, James Brown, Little Richard
Website www.raycharles.com
Ray Charles, born Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an African-American musician. Charles was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm & blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings for Atlantic Records.[1][2] He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums.[3][4][5] During his tenure with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company.[2]

In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Charles number 10 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time",[6] and voted him number two on their November 2008 list of "The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time