Biography

Ray Charles was born in the 23 september 1930. He saw his brother drown in a tub the family used for laundry. Two years later, Charles lost his eyesight; some say from glaucoma, but the actual illness was never discovered. He learned to read and write music in Braille at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind, and picked up several instruments, including the alto sax, clarinet, trumpet and the piano.

When his mother died, the 15-year-old supported himself by playing music in black dance halls. He move to Seattle, dropped his last name and formed the McSon Trio to back R&B singer Ruth Brown. He also befriended a young man named Quincy Jones (a future talented jazzman), and played with the future Grammy Award-winning composer in small club.

In the 1950s, Atlantic Records purchased his contract from Swingtime Records. His first cross-over hit was the song, "What'd I Say." He sold a million copies in 1959. After signing with ABC-Paramount Records, Charles received higher royalties and ownership of his master recordings.

He connected with audiences in the 1950s by infusing gospel with rock 'n roll rhythms. In the 1960s, Charles broke color barriers in the country music industry. His version of "Georgia on My Mind" was named the state's official song in 1979. Children of the 1980s admired his soulful stylings in the film, "The Blues Brothers," and the youth of today knew him for his jaunty pop TV commercials for Pepsi and appearances on "Sesame Street."

Charles won 12 Grammy Awards -- nine of them between 1960 and 1966. He transformed standards like "Makin' Whoopee," "America the Beautiful," "It Had to Be You" and "Come Rain or Come Shine" into classics. Charles was part of the first class of musicians inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He received the Presidential Medal for the Arts, and was cited as "one of the most respected singers of his generation" at the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986.

Charles recently recorded an album of duets with Norah Jones, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Michael McDonald and James Taylor that is due out in August. The biopic, "Unchain My Heart: The Ray Charles Story," starring Jamie Foxx, will be released this fall.

Outside of work, Ray Charles was married and divorced twice, fathered 12 children and developed quite a reputation as a womanizer. He also struggled with heroin addiction for nearly two decades before quitting in 1965.

Charles died on June 10 of acute liver disease. He was 73years old..