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{{for|the composer and conductor of the Ray Charles Singers|Ray Charles (composer)}}

{{Infobox musical artist<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| Name =Ray Charles Robinson
| Img = Ray Charles (cropped).jpg
| Img_capt = Ray Charles in 1990
| Img_size = 250px
| Landscape =
| Background = solo_singer
| Birth_name = Ray Charles Robinson
| Origin = [[Greenville, Florida]], United States
| Born = {{Birth date|1930|9|23}}<br />[[Albany, Georgia]], United States
| Died = {{death date and age|2004|6|10|1930|9|23}}<br />[[Beverly Hills, California]], United States</small>
| Instrument = [[Singer|Vocals]], [[piano]], [[keyboard instrument|keyboards]], [[alto saxophone]], [[trombone]]
| Genre = [[Rhythm and blues]], [[Soul music|soul]], [[blues]], [[rock and roll]], [[jazz]], [[Country music|country]], [[Pop music|pop]], [[Gospel music|gospel]]
| Occupation = [[Composer]], musician, [[arrangement|arranger]], [[bandleader]]
| Years_active = 1947–2004
| Label = [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]], [[ABC Records|ABC]], [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]], [[Swing Time Records|Swingtime]], [[Concord Records|Concord]], [[Columbia Records]]
| Associated_acts = [[Raelettes|The Raelettes]], [[Quincy Jones]], [[Betty Carter]], [[Marvin Gaye]], [[James Brown]], [[Little Richard]]
| URL = [http://www.raycharles.com/ Official website]
}}
'''Ray Charles Robinson''' (September 23, 1930{{ndash}}June 10, 2004), better known by his shortened stage name '''Ray Charles''', was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of [[soul music]] during the 1950s by fusing [[rhythm and blues]], [[gospel music|gospel]], and [[blues]] styles into his early recordings with [[Atlantic Records]].<ref name="Unterberger">Unterberger, Richie. [{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p3876|pure_url=yes}} Biography: Ray Charles]. [[Allmusic]]. Retrieved on 2009-11-26.</ref><ref name=VH1/><ref name=popc>{{cite web|url=http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19764/m1/ |title=Show 15 - The Soul Reformation: More on the evolution of rhythm and blues. [Part 1&#93; : UNT Digital Library |publisher=Digital.library.unt.edu |date=1969-05-11 |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref> He also helped racially integrate [[country music|country]] and [[pop music]] during the 1960s with his [[Crossover (music)|crossover]] success on [[ABC Records]], most notably with his ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music|Modern Sounds]]'' albums.<ref>[http://oldies.about.com/od/soulmotown/p/raycharles.htm Guide Profile: Ray Charles]. About.com. Retrieved on 2008-12-12.</ref><ref>[http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24143629/soul_survivor_ray_charles Soul Survivor Ray Charles]. ''[[Rolling Stone]]''. Retrieved on 2008-11-09.</ref><ref name="Tyrangiel">Tyrangiel, Josh. [http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,Modern_Sounds_in_Country_and_Western_Music,00.html Review: ''Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music'']. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. Retrieved on 2009-07-21.</ref> While with ABC, Charles became one of the first [[African-American]] musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company.<ref name=VH1>VH1 (2003), p. 210.</ref> [[Frank Sinatra]] called Charles “the only true genius in show business.”

''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Charles number 10 on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2004,<ref>{{cite web| title = 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. #10: Ray Charles | work = Van Morrison. Rolling Stone Issue 946| publisher = Rolling Stone| url = http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/5702/31963/32025| accessdate=2010-06-13}}</ref> and number two on their November 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/6027/32782/32797|title=100 Greatest Singers of All Time. #2: Ray Charles|work = Billy Joel| publisher=rollingstone.com| accessdate=2010-06-13}}</ref> In honoring Charles, [[Billy Joel]] noted: "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than [[Elvis Presley]]. I don't know if Ray was the architect of rock & roll, but he was certainly the first guy to do a lot of things . . . Who the hell ever put so many styles together and made it work?"<ref>"A Tribute to Ray Charles", ''Rolling Stoners
'' issue 952/953, July 8–22, 2004.</ref>

==Biography==
===Early life: 1930–1945===
'''Ray Charles Robinson''' was the son of Aretha Williams, a [[sharecropper]], and Bailey Robinson, a railroad repair man, mechanic and handyman.<ref name=SwingMusicBio>{{cite web|url=http://www.swingmusic.net/Ray_Charles_Biography.html|title=Ray Charles Biography|work=SwingMusic.Net|accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref> Aretha Williams was a devout Christian and the family attended the New Shiloh Baptist Church.<ref>Lydon, Michael, Ray Charles: Man and Music, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-97043-1, Routledge Publishing, January 22, 2004.</ref> When Ray was an infant, his family moved from [[Albany, Georgia]], where he was born, to the poor black community on the western side of [[Greenville, Florida]].
In his early years, Charles showed a curiosity for mechanical things and he often watched the neighborhood men working on their cars and farm machinery. His musical curiosity was sparked at Mr. Wiley Pit's Red Wing Cafe when Pit played [[boogie woogie]] on an old [[upright piano]]. Pit would care for George, Ray's brother, so as to take the burden off Williams. However, George drowned in the Williams' wash tub when he was four years old.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}}

Charles started to lose his sight at the age of five. He went completely blind by the age of seven, apparently due to [[glaucoma]].<ref name="boheme">[http://www.boheme-magazine.net/php/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=258 ''Bohème Magazine''] Obituary: Ray Charles (1930 &ndash; 2004).</ref><ref name="60min"> HE NOT DEAD[http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/14/60minutes/main649346.shtml "The Genius of Ray Charles"], an article about an 1986 segment on Charles from ''[[60 Minutes]]''.</ref> He attended school at the [[Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind]] in [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] from 1937 to 1945,<ref name=Lydon /> where he developed his musical talent.<ref name="boheme" /> During this time he performed on [[WFOY]] radio in St. Augustine. His father died when he was 10 and his mother died five years after.

In school, Charles was taught only classical music, but he wanted to play the jazz and blues he heard on the family radio.<ref name=Lydon>Lydon, Michael: Ray Charles, pp. 29–38.</ref> While at school, he became the school's premier musician. On Fridays, the South Campus Literary Society held assemblies where Charles would play piano and sing popular songs. On Halloween and Washington's birthday, the Colored Department of the school had socials where Charles would play. It was here he established "RC Robinson and the Shop Boys" and sang his own arrangement of "Jingle Bell Boogie."<ref>Lydon, Michael, p. 19</ref> He spent his first Christmas at the school, but later the staff pitched in so that Charles could return to Greenville, as he did each summer.

Henry and Alice Johnson, who owned a store not unlike Mr. Pit's store in Greenville, moved to the [[Frenchtown (Tallahassee)|Frenchtown]] section of [[Tallahassee, Florida|Tallahassee]], just west of Greenville; and they, as well as Freddy and Margaret Bryant, took Charles in. He worked the register in the Bryants' store under the direction of Lucille Bryant, their daughter. It's said he loved Tallahassee and often used the drug store delivery boy's motorbike to run up and down hills using the exhaust sound of a friend's bike to guide him. Charles found [[Tallahassee]] musically exciting too and sat in with the [[Florida A&M University]] student band. He played with the Adderley brothers, [[Nat Adderley|Nat]] and [[Cannonball Adderley|Cannonball]], and began playing gigs with Lawyer Smith and his Band in 1943 at the Red Bird Club and DeLuxe Clubs in Frenchtown and [[roadhouse]]s around Tallahassee, as well as the Governor's Ball.<ref>Lydon, Michael, p. 20</ref>

===Early career: 1945–1952===
After his mother died in 1945, Charles was 15 years old and didn't return to school. He lived in [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] with a couple who were friends of his mother. For over a year, he played the piano for bands at the [[Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville)|Ritz Theatre]] in [[LaVilla, Jacksonville, Florida|LaVilla]], earning $4 a night. Then he moved to [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], and later [[Tampa]], where he played with a [[Southern United States|southern]] band called The Florida Playboys. This is where he began his habit of always wearing sunglasses, made by designer Billy Stickles.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.black-network.com/charlesbio.htm |title=Blacknetwork.com |publisher=Blacknetwork.com |date= |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref>

Charles had always played for other people, but he wanted his own band. He decided to leave Florida for a large city, but Chicago and New York City were too big. After asking a friend to look in a map and note the city in the United States that was farthest from Florida, he moved to [[Seattle]] in 1947<ref name="boheme">{{cite news|title=Charles, Ray (1930–2004)|publisher=HistoryLink url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5707|accessdate=2006-11-25}}</ref> (where he first met and befriended a 14 year old [[Quincy Jones]])<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/kcet/tavissmiley/archive/200701/20070116_jones.html Quincy Jones at www.pbs.org/...] Accessed 2010 May 9.</ref><ref>[http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon0bio-1 Quincy Jones at www.achievement.org/...] Accessed 2010 May 9.</ref> and soon started recording, first for the Down Beat label as the Maxin Trio with guitarist G.D. McKee and bassist Milton Garrett, achieving his first hit with "Confession Blues" in 1949. The song soared to #2 on the R&B charts. He joined [[Swing Time Records]] and under his own name ("Ray Charles" to avoid being confused with [[boxing|boxer]] [[Sugar Ray Robinson]])<ref name=SwingMusicBio/> recorded two more R&B hits, "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (#5) in 1951 and "Kissa Me Baby" (#8) in 1952. The following year, Swing Time folded and [[Ahmet Ertegün]] signed him to [[Atlantic Records]].<ref name="boheme" />

===Voice===
Charles possessed one of the most recognizable voices in American music. In the words of musicologist Henry Pleasants:

<blockquote>[[Sinatra]], and [[Bing Crosby]] before him, had been masters of words. Ray Charles is a master of sounds. His records disclose an extraordinary assortment of slurs, glides, turns, shrieks, wails, breaks, shouts, screams and hollers, all wonderfully controlled, disciplined by inspired musicianship, and harnessed to ingenious subtleties of harmony, dynamics and rhythm... It is either the singing of a man whose vocabulary is inadequate to express what is in his heart and mind or of one whose feelings are too intense for satisfactory verbal or conventionally melodic articulation. He can’t tell it to you. He can’t even sing it to you. He has to cry out to you, or shout to you, in tones eloquent of despair — or exaltation. The voice alone, with little assistance from the text or the notated music, conveys the message.</blockquote>

<blockquote>Ray Charles is usually described as a [[baritone]], and his speaking voice would suggest as much, as would the difficulty he experiences in reaching and sustaining the baritone's high E and F in a popular ballad. But the voice undergoes some sort of transfiguration under stress, and in music of gospel or blues character he can and does sing for measures on end in the high tenor range of A, B flat, B, C and even C sharp and D, sometimes in full voice, sometimes in a ecstatic head voice, sometimes in falsetto. In falsetto he continues up to E and F above high C. On one extraordinary record, "I’m Going Down to the River’ . . . he hits an incredible B flat . . . . giving him an overall range, including the falsetto extension, of at least three octaves.<ref>Pleasants, H. (1974). ''The Great American Popular Singers.'' Simon and Schuster</ref></blockquote>

===Breakthrough period with Atlantic Records: 1953–1959===
Almost immediately after signing with Atlantic, Charles scored his first hit singles. "[[Mess Around]]" was an R&B hit in 1953. "[[It Should Have Been Me]]" and "Don't You Know" both made the charts in 1954, but "[[I Got a Woman]]" (composed with band mate Renald Richard)<ref>{{cite web|last=Dahl |first=Bill |url={{Allmusic|class=song|id=t2562634|pure_url=yes}} |title=profile |publisher=Allmusic.com |date=1954-11-18 |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref> brought him to national prominence.

The song reached the top of [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'s R&B singles chart in 1955 and from there until 1959 he would have a series of R&B successes including "A Fool For You" (#1), [[This Little Girl of Mine]]", "[[Lonely Avenue]]", "Mary Ann", "[[Drown in My Own Tears]]" (#1) and the #5 hit "[[Night Time Is the Right Time|The Night Time (Is the Right Time)]]", which were compiled on his Atlantic releases ''[[Ray Charles (or, Hallelujah I Love Her So)|Hallelujah, I Love Her So]]'', ''[[Yes Indeed!]]'', and ''[[The Genius Sings the Blues]]''.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}}

During this time of transition, he recruited a young girl group from Philadelphia, [[The Cookies]], as his background singing group, recording with them in New York and changing their name to the [[Raelettes]] in the process.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}}

===Crossover success: 1959–1967===
{{See also|Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music}}
[[File:Ray Carles 260971neu000.jpg|thumb|220px|right|Charles in 1971. Photo: Heinrich Klaffs.]]
Hit songs such as "[[Georgia On My Mind]]" (US #1 Pop, #3 R&B), "[[Hit the Road Jack]]" (US #1 Pop and R&B), "[[One Mint Julep]]" (#8 Pop, #1 R&B) and "[[Unchain My Heart (song)|Unchain My Heart]]" (#9 Pop, #1 R&B) helped his transition to pop success, and his landmark 1962 album, ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music]]'' and its sequel ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two|Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2]]'', helped to bring [[country music|country]] into the mainstream of music. His version of the Don Gibson song, ''[[I Can't Stop Loving You]]'' topped the Pop chart for five weeks and stayed at #1 R&B for ten weeks in 1962. It also gave him his only number one record in the UK. In 1963, he founded his own record label, [[Tangerine Records (1963)|Tangerine Records]] which ABC-Paramount distributed. He also had major pop hits in 1963 with "[[Busted (Harlan Howard song)|Busted]]" (US #4) and ''[[Take These Chains From My Heart]]'' (US #8), and a Top 20 hit four years later, in 1967, with "Here We Go Again" (US #15) (which would be a duet with [[Norah Jones]] in 2004).<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.pianofiles.com/browse/artist/ray+charles| title=Ray Charles Biography|work=PianoFiles }}</ref>

===Later years===
In 1965, Ray Charles was arrested for possession of [[heroin]], a drug to which he had been addicted for nearly 20 years.<ref name=SwingMusicBio/> It was his third arrest for the offense, but he avoided [[jail]] time after kicking the habit in a clinic in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]]. He spent a year on [[parole]] in 1966, when his single "[[Crying Time]]" reached #6 on the charts.

During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Charles's releases were hit-or-miss,<ref name="boheme"/> with some big hits and critically acclaimed work. His version of "[[Georgia On My Mind]]" was proclaimed the [[state song]] of Georgia on April 24, 1979, and he performed it on the floor of the [[Georgia General Assembly|state legislature]].<ref name="boheme" /> He also had success with his unique version of "[[America the Beautiful]]".

In November 1977 he appeared as the host of NBC's ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77e.phtml |title=SNL Transcripts: Ray Charles: 11/12/77 |publisher=Snltranscripts.jt.org |date=1977-11-12 |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref> In the 1980s a number of other events increased Charles's recognition among young audiences. He made a cameo appearance in the popular 1980 film ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]''. In 1985, "The Right Time" was featured in the episode "Happy Anniversary" of ''[[The Cosby Show]]'' on [[NBC]]. The next year, he sang [[America The Beautiful]] at [[Wrestlemania 2]]. In a Pepsi Cola commercial of the early 1990s &ndash; composed by [[Kenny Ascher]], Joseph C. Caro, and Helary Jay Lipsitz<ref>[http://www.ascap.com/ace/search.cfm?mode=search ASCAP Work ID: 570066694]</ref> &ndash; Charles popularized the [[catchphrase]] "[[You Got the Right One, Baby]]!" and he was featured in the recording of "[[We Are the World]]" for [[USA for Africa]].

After having supported [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]] and for the [[American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)|American Civil Rights Movement]] in the 1960s, Charles courted controversy when he toured South Africa in 1981,<ref name="boheme" /> during an international boycott of the country because of its [[apartheid]] policy.

[[File:Nancy Reagan, Ray Charles, Ronald Reagan.jpg|thumb|right|280px|Charles with President [[Ronald Reagan]] and First Lady [[Nancy Reagan]] in 1984.]]

In 1989, Charles recorded a cover version of the Japanese band [[Southern All Stars]]' song "Itoshi no Ellie" as "Ellie My Love" for a [[Suntory]] TV advertisement, reaching #3 on Japan's [[Oricon]] chart.<ref name="oricon89">[http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~ms-db/oricon/oricon_single_89.htm List of best-selling international singles in Japan of 1989], Extract from the Year-End chart posted by oricon.</ref> Eventually, it sold more than 400,000 copies, and became that year's best-selling single performed by a Western artist for the Japanese music market.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}}

Charles also appeared at two Presidential inaugurations in his lifetime. In 1985, he performed for Ronald Reagan's second inauguration, and in 1993 for Bill Clinton's first.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://imdb.com/name/nm0153124/bio |title=Internet Movie Database Bio on Ray Charles |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref>

In the late 1980s/early 1990s, Charles made appearances on ''[[Super Dave|The Super Dave Osbourne Show]]'', where he performed and appeared in a few vignettes where he was somehow driving a car, often as Super Dave's chauffeur. At the height of his newfound fame in the early nineties, Charles did guest [[singer|vocals]] for several projects. He also appeared (with [[Chaka Khan]]) on long time friend [[Quincy Jones]]' hit "[[I'll Be Good to You]]" in 1990, from Jones's album ''[[Back on the Block]]''. Following [[Jim Henson]]'s death in 1990, Ray Charles appeared in the one-hour CBS tribute, ''The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson''. He gave a short speech about Henson, stating that he "took a simple song and a piece of felt and turned it into a moment of great power". Charles was referring to the song "It's Not Easy Being Green", which he later performed with the rest of the Muppet cast in a tribute to Henson's legacy.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}}

During the sixth season of ''[[Designing Women]]'', Charles sang "[[Georgia on My Mind]]", instead of the song being rendered instrumentally by other musicians as in the previous five seasons. He also appeared in 4 episodes of the popular TV comedy ''[[The Nanny]]'' in Seasons 4 & 5 (1997 & 1998) as 'Sammy', in one episode singing "My Yiddish Mamma" to December romance and later fiancee of character Gramma Yetta, played by veteran actress [[Ann Guilbert]].

===Final appearances===
In 2000, Charles made a special guest appearance on [[Blue's Clues]] Big Musical Movie as a fictional character named G-Clef. [[The Persuasions]] also made a guest appearance as his companions. Charles recorded "There It Is" during and after filming with [[Steve Burns]] and Traci Paige Johnson. After recording, Charles commented "This has been the most fun I have had since I met [[Ronald Reagan|President Reagan]] in '84."
[[File:Ray Charles Worldwide Offices and Studios.jpg|thumb|Ray Charles Square, [[Los Angeles]]]]
In 2001 Charles played a memorable show in a sold out Teatro Teresa Carreño in [[Caracas, Venezuela]]. In 2002 Charles headlined during the Blues Passions Cognac festival in southern France. Charles, along with the Utah Symphony at Abravanel Hall, paid a visit to Salt Lake City Tuesday night on October 15, 2002 and played a benefit concert for the Regence [[Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association]]'s 10th Annual Caring Foundation for Children Gala.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}}

In 2002, he took part with other musicians in a peace concert in Rome, the first event to take place inside the city's ancient [[Colosseum]] since A.D. 404. It was organized in partnership with the Global Forum and the Quincy Jones Listen Up Foundation. Charles appeared with [[Travis Tritt]] on ''[[CMT Crossroads]]'' in December of that year.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}} He was invited to Star Academy (France) season 2 the 30th November for sing "Hit the Road Jack" with [[Emma Daumas]].

In 2003, Ray Charles headlined the White House Correspondents Dinner in Washington, D.C. where the President, First Lady, [[Colin Powell]] and [[Condoleezza Rice]] attended. He also presented one of his greatest admirers, [[Van Morrison]], with his award upon being inducted in the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]] and the two sang Morrison's song "[[Crazy Love (Van Morrison song)|Crazy Love]]". This performance appears on Morrison's 2007 album, ''[[The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3]]''.

On Friday, April 11, 2003, Ray Charles sang 'America The Beautiful' at Fenway Park in Boston, Friday, prior to the rained out Red Sox home opener against the Baltimore Orioles.{{citation needed|date=March 2010}}

In 2003 Charles performed "Georgia On My Mind" and "America the Beautiful" at a televised annual electronic media journalist banquet held in Washington, D.C., at what may have been his final performance in public. His final public appearance came on April 30, 2004, at the dedication of his music [[studio]] as a [[historic]] [[landmark]] in the city of Los Angeles.<ref name="boheme" />
The RPM International building is located on the corner of Westmorland Blvd. and [[Washington Boulevard (Los Angeles)|Washington Blvd.]], which is also dedicated as the "Ray Charles Square".

===Death===
Charles died on June 10, 2004 at 11:35 a.m. of [[hepatocellular carcinoma|liver cancer]] at his home in [[Beverly Hills, California]], surrounded by family and friends. He was 73 years old. His body was interred in the [[Inglewood Park Cemetery]].
Following the funeral, a BBC spokesman commented: ''"[i]t did not go unnoticed that [[Susaye Greene|Susaye]] [Susaye Greene, former member of the [[Raelettes]] as well as of [[the Supremes]] and [[Wonderlove]], and currently a solo artist] was the only Raelette to sing at Ray's funeral."''{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}
[[File:Ray Charles star on HWF.JPG|thumb|right|Star on [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] at 6777 Hollywood Blvd.]]
His final album, ''[[Genius Loves Company]]'', released two months after his death, consists of duets with various admirers and contemporaries: [[B.B. King]], [[Van Morrison]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[James Taylor]], [[Gladys Knight]], [[Michael McDonald (singer)|Michael McDonald]], [[Natalie Cole]], [[Elton John]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Diana Krall]], [[Norah Jones]], and [[Johnny Mathis]]. The album won eight [[Grammy Awards]], including five for Ray Charles for Best Pop Vocal Album, Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Here We Go Again" with [[Norah Jones]], and Best Gospel Performance for "Heaven Help Us All" with [[Gladys Knight]]; he also received nods for his duets with Elton John and B.B. King.

The album included a version of [[Harold Arlen]]'s "[[Over the Rainbow]]", sung as a duet by Charles and [[Johnny Mathis]], which recording was later played at his memorial service.<ref>{{cite news|title=Many Pay Respects to Ray Charles|publisher=CBS News|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/10/entertainment/main622401.shtml|accessdate=2006-11-25 | date=June 10, 2004}}</ref>

Two more posthumous albums, ''[[Genius & Friends]]'' (2005) and ''[[Ray Sings, Basie Swings]]'' (2006), were released.
''[[Genius & Friends]]'' consisted of duets recorded from 1997 to 2005 with his choice of artists. ''Ray Sings, Basie Swings'' consists of archived vocals of Ray Charles from live mid-1970s performances added to new instrumental tracks specially recorded by the contemporary [[Count Basie Orchestra]] and other musicians. Charles's vocals recorded from the concert mixing board were added to new accompaniments to create a "fantasy concert" recording. Gregg Field, who had performed as a drummer with both Charles and Basie, produced the album.{{Citation needed|date=March 2010}}

==Personal life==
Charles was married twice and fathered 12 children with nine different women.<ref name=AboutComMarriage>{{cite web|title=Marriages of Ray Charles|url=http://marriage.about.com/od/entertainmen1/p/charlesray.htm|work=About.com|accessdate=2008-02-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/10/14/60minutes/main649346.shtml | work=CBS News | title=The Genius Of Ray Charles | date=October 14, 2004}}</ref> His first marriage to Eileen Williams was brief: July 31, 1951 to 1952. He had three children from his second marriage, to Della Beatrice Howard Robinson from April 5, 1955 to 1977. His long term girlfriend and partner at the time of his death was Norma Pinella.

His children:
* Born ~ 1950: Evelyn Robinson (to Louise Mitchell)
* Born ~ 1955: Ray Charles Robinson, Jr. (to Della Robinson)
* Born ~ 1958: David Robinson (to Della Robinson)
* Born ~ 1959: Charles Wayne Hendricks (to Margie Hendricks)
* Born ~ 1960: Reverend Robert Robinson (to Della Robinson)
* Born ~ 1961: Raenee Robinson (to Mae Mosely Lyles)
* Born ~ 1963: Sheila Raye Charles Robinson (to Sandra Jean Betts)<ref name="Sheila Ray Charles">{{cite web|title=Ray Charles' daughter, Sheila Raye Charles, on The Overnighter with Ewing Stevens |url=http://www.radiolive.co.nz/Ray-Charles-daughter-Sheila-Raye-Charles-on-The-Overnighter-with-Ewing-Stevens/tabid/506/articleID/13773/Default.aspx | work=RadioLIVE.co.nz|accessdate=2010-07-01}}</ref>
* Born ~ 1966: Reatha Butler (unknown)
* Born ~ 1968: Alexandra Bertrand (to Chantal Bertrand)
* Born ~ 1977: Vincent Kotchounian (to Arlette Kotchounian)
* Born ~ 1978: Robyn Moffett (to Gloria Moffett)
* Born ~ 1987: Ryan Corey Robinson den Bok (to Mary Anne den Bok)

Charles gave each of his children $1 million (tax-free) in December 2002 at a family lunch. Ten of his 12 children were given a check for $1,000,000 at the luncheon, while two couldn't make it.<ref name="Ray Charles' Children Discuss Father's Unknown Generosity">[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_18_106/ai_n6358894/ Ray Charles' Children Discuss Father's Unknown Generosity]. Retrieved 2010-02-03.</ref>

===Chess===
Chess was a hobby of his, using a special board with holes for the pieces and raised squares.<ref>[http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=81063&kpage=1#reply22 The chess games of Ray Charles]. Retrieved 2010-02-03.</ref>
In 2002, he played American Grandmaster and former U. S. Champion [[Larry Evans]]. Evans won but some analysts believe Ray Charles resigned prematurely.<ref>http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6814</ref>

===Drugs===
On November 14, 1961, Charles was arrested on a narcotics charge in an Indiana hotel room, where he waited to perform. The detectives seized heroin, marijuana, and other items. Charles, then 31, stated that he had been a drug addict since the age of 16. While the case was dismissed because of the manner in which the evidence was obtained,<ref name=pc16>{{cite web|url=http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19765/m1/ |title=Show 16 - The Soul Reformation: More on the evolution of rhythm and blues. [Part 2&#93; : UNT Digital Library |publisher=Digital.library.unt.edu |date= |accessdate=2010-09-18}}</ref> Charles's situation did not improve until a few years later. Individuals such as Quincy Jones and Reverend Henry Griffin, felt that those around Charles were responsible for his drug use. By 1964 Charles's drug addiction caught up with him and he was arrested for possession of marijuana and heroin. Following a self-imposed stay<ref name=pc16/> at St. Francis Hospital in Lynwood, California, Charles received five years' probation. Charles responded to the saga of his drug use and reform with the songs "I Don't Need No Doctor", "Let's Go Get Stoned", and the release of his first album since having kicked his heroin addiction in 1966, ''Crying Time''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.answers.com/Ray%20Charles |title=Answers.com |publisher=Answers.com |date= |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/ray-charles/about-ray-charles/554/ |title=PBS.org |publisher=PBS.org |date=2006-05-17 |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|Ray Charles discography}}

==Filmography==
* ''Swingin' Along'' ([[1961 in film|1961]])
* ''Ballad in Blue'' ([[1964 in film|1964]])
* ''The Big T.N.T. Show'' ([[1966 in film|1966]]) (documentary)
* ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'' ([[1980 in film|1980]])
* Who's The Boss (himself) 1987
* ''Limit Up'' ([[1989 in film|1989]])
* ''Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones'' ([[1990 in film|1990]]) (documentary)
* ''[[Love Affair (1994 film)|Love Affair]]'' ([[1994 in film|1994]])
* ''[[Spy Hard]]'' ([[1996 in film|1996]])
* ''[[The Nanny]]'' (1999) as Sammy
* ''Adv. Super Dave'' ([[2000 in film|2000]])
* ''[[Blue's Big Musical Movie]]'' (2000)
* ''Soul Deep''

==Biographical film==
{{Main|Ray (film)}}

Charles was significantly involved in the biopic ''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]'', an October [[2004 in film|2004 film]] which portrays his life and career between 1930 and 1966 and stars [[Jamie Foxx]] as Charles. Foxx won the [[77th Academy Awards|2005]] [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for [[Academy Award for Best Actor|Best Actor]] for the role.

Before shooting could begin, director [[Taylor Hackford]] brought Foxx to meet Charles, who insisted that they sit down at two pianos and play together. After two hours, he stood up, hugged Foxx, and gave his blessing, proclaiming, "He's the one... he can do it." Charles was expected to attend a showing of the completed film, but died before it opened. The movie is the all-time number one biopic per screen average, opening on 2006 screens and making 20 million dollars.<ref>[http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1540&p=.htm 'Box Office Mojo]. Retrieved 2010-02-03.</ref>

As noted in the film's final credits, ''Ray'' is based on true events, but includes some characters, names, locations, events which have been changed and others which have been "fictionalized for dramatization purposes". [[Artistic license|Dramatic license]] accounts for scenes that refer to Charles as temporarily banned from performing in [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].

The credits note that he is survived by 12 children, 21 grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren as of the movie release in October 2004.

==Hall of Fame and other honors==
[[File:RayCharlesStatue.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Statue in Ray Charles Plaza in [[Albany, Georgia]]]]

In 1979, Charles was one of the first of the Georgia State Music Hall of Fame to be recognized as a musician born in the state.<ref>{{cite news|title=List of Inductees|date=1979–2007|publisher=Georgia Music Hall of Fame|url=http://www.gamusichall.com/inducteelist.html|accessdate=2006-11-25 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061015013823/http://www.gamusichall.com/inducteelist.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 2006-10-15}}</ref> Ray's version of "Georgia On My Mind" was made the official state song for Georgia.<ref>{{cite news|title=State Song|year=1979|publisher=Georgia Secretary of State|url=http://sos.georgia.gov/archives/state_symbols/state_song.html }}</ref> In 1981, he was given a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]] and was one of the first inductees to the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]] at its inaugural ceremony in 1986.<ref>{{cite news|title=Inductees|publisher = Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum|url=http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=76|accessdate=2006-11-25 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061123064050/http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=76 |archivedate = November 23, 2006}}</ref> He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986.<ref>{{cite news|title=List of Kennedy Center Honorees|year=1986|publisher=Kennedy Center|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history/home.html|accessdate=2006-11-25}}</ref>

In 1987, he was awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]]. In 1991, he was inducted to the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. In 1993, he was awarded the [[National Medal of Arts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html#93 |title=Lifetime Honors - National Medal of Arts |publisher=Nea.gov |date= |accessdate=2010-09-10}}</ref> In 1998 he was awarded the [[Polar Music Prize]] together with [[Ravi Shankar]] in [[Stockholm, Sweden]]. In 2004 he was inducted to the [[Jazz Hall of Fame]], and inducted to the National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hall of Fame|year=2004|publisher=National Black Sports & Entertainment|url=http://www.harlemdiscover.com/halloffame|accessdate=2006-11-25}}</ref> The [[Grammy Awards of 2005]] were dedicated to Charles.

On December 7, 2007, Ray Charles Plaza was opened in [[Albany, Georgia]], with a revolving, lighted [[bronze sculpture]] of Charles seated at a [[piano]]. Later that month, on December 26, 2007, Ray Charles was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame. He was also presented with the [[UCLA Spring Sing#The George and Ira Gershwin Award|George and Ira Gershwin Award]] for Lifetime Musical Achievement, during the 1991 [[UCLA Spring Sing]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Calendar & Events: Spring Sing: Gershwin Award|publisher=UCLA|url=http://www.uclalumni.net/CalendarEvents/springsing/Gershwin/winners.cfm}}</ref>

In 2003, Charles was awarded an honorary degree by [[Dillard University]]. Upon his death, he endowed a professorship of African-American culinary history at the school, which is the first such chair in the nation.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E0D91F3AF930A15751C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all|title=A Gift to Black Cuisine, From Ray Charles|first=Mimi|last=Read|work=New York Times|date=February 23, 2005|accessdate=2010-10-11}}</ref> A $20 million performing arts center at [[Morehouse College]] was named after Charles and was dedicated in September 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.morehouse.edu/news/archives/002313.html|publisher=Morehouse College|title=Morehouse Cuts the Ribbon on the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Music Academic Building|accessdate=2010-10-11}}</ref>

==Ray Charles Post Office Building==
On Tuesday, July 12, 2005, President George Bush signed into law a bill (PL 109–25), sponsored by Congresswoman Diane E. Watson (CA-33rd), designating the U.S. postal facility at 4960 W. [[Washington Boulevard]] in Los Angeles, California, the Ray Charles Post Office Building. On August 24, 2005, the [[United States Congress]] honored Charles by dedicating and renaming the former [[West Adams, Los Angeles, California|West Adams]] Station post office, on the site of the former legendary [[jazz]] and [[supper club]] [[The Parisian Room]], the "Ray Charles Station".<ref>{{cite news|title=Restaurants|year=1974|publisher=Black Enterprise Magazine|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=4-c8Ar4hyCcC&pg=PA52&dq=%224960+W+Washington+Blvd%22&hl=en&ei=w6T6TNqXMIKasAOr_pD3DQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAA}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* [http://staugustine.com/stories/022503/new_1351077.shtml Article from the St. Augustine Record noting Charles' being on WFOY.]
* {{cite book|author = [[VH1]]<small>([http://books.google.com/books?id=pRi-4Vmh_9QC&pg=PR10&vq=Modern+Sounds&dq=Modern+Sounds+In+Country+and+western+music&source=gbs_search_s&sig=ACfU3U0hsXXBfXprrBW6D-sf2Mr__9YwVA#PPA217,M1 see list of contributors)]</small>|title=100 Greatest Albums|others=edited by Jacob Hoye|year=2003|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]], USA|isbn=0-743-44876-6|page=210}}

==External links==
{{Wikipedia-Books|Ray Charles}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{commons|Ray Charles}}
{{Refbegin}}
* [http://www.raycharles.com/ Ray Charles website]
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1464285/Ray-Charles.html Ray Charles] - Daily Telegraph obituary
*{{MusicBrainz artist|id= 2ce02909-598b-44ef-a456-151ba0a3bd70|name=Ray Charles}}
* [http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/ray-charles Ray Charles] at [[RollingStone]].com
* [http://songwritershalloffame.org/ceremony/entry/C3105/5049 Ray Charles] at [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]]
* [http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/ray-charles Ray Charles] at [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]]
* {{IMDb name|id=0153124}}
*{{Allmusic|class=artist|id=p3876}}
* {{Find a Grave|8896492}}
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20071012222747/http://www.raycharles.com/the_man_autobiography.html Ray Charles autobiography: The Early Years 1930–1960]
* [http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/past/view/i-can-t-stop-loving-you-ray-charles-and-country-music I Can't Stop Loving You: Ray Charles and Country Music - Past Exhibit at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum]
* [http://www.genesis-publications.com/News/News-Archive/News-Archive-2009/Yes-Indeed-The-Photographs-of-Joe-Adams/2302 Yes Indeed! The Photographs of Joe Adams]

===Watch===
* [http://www.visionaryproject.com/charlesray Ray Charles's oral history video excerpts] at the National Visionary Leadership Project

===Listen===
* {{Pop Chronicles|15}}
{{Refend}}

{{Ray Charles}}
{{Polar Music Prize}}
{{1986 Kennedy Center Honorees}}

{{Persondata
|NAME = Charles, Ray
|ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Robinson, Ray Charles
|SHORT DESCRIPTION= [[Vocalist]], musician, songwriter, [[music arranger|arranger]], [[bandleader]]
|DATE OF BIRTH = September 23, 1930
|PLACE OF BIRTH = [[Albany, Georgia]], U.S.
|DATE OF DEATH = June 10, 2004
|PLACE OF DEATH =[[Beverly Hills, California]], U.S.}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Ray}}
[[Category:1930 births]]
[[Category:1940s singers]]
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[[Category:Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees‎]]
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[[Category:Songwriters from Florida]]
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