Ray Charles

Welcome to Rock and Roll Flashback Podcasts!  I'm Jumpin' John, and in this episode I will review the life and career of one of America’s greatest musical performers:  the pianist, singer, composer, bandleader, and entertainer who was often referred to as “the Genius” – Ray Charles! 

All podcasts on the Rock and Roll Flashback Podcast are produced by brothers-in-law Bill Price and "Jumpin' John" McDermott. The Podcast Theme Song, "You Essay", was written by John, and the basic track was recorded by Bill and John on April 1, 2004.
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Transcript

Thank you for that introduction!  I'm Jumpin' John, and we'll be looking back at some of Rock and Roll's greatest artists, songs, and stories.  In this episode I will review the life and career of one of America’s greatest musical performers:  the pianist, singer, composer, bandleader, and entertainer who was often referred to as “the Genius” – Ray Charles! 

Ray Charles Robinson was born September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia.  When Ray was an infant his family moved to Greenville, Florida, and he began his musical career at age five on a piano in a neighborhood café.  Unfortunately, he began to go blind at age six from glaucoma, and had completely lost his sight by age seven.  Ray attended the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine, where he concentrated on musical studies, studied composition, and learned how to play many instruments.  After his mother died, he left school at age 15 to play the piano professionally.  Teenaged Charles worked as a musician in Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa, Florida for a while before using his savings to move to Seattle, Washington in 1947. 

While in Seattle, Ray Charles played piano in The McSon Trio.  Rounding out the Trio were Ray's friend Gossie McKee on guitar, and Milton Garred on bass.  In April 1949, The McSon Trio recorded "Confession Blues", which became Ray's first national hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard R&B chart.  Ray moved to Los Angeles in 1950 and spent the next few years touring with the blues musician Lowell Fulson as Fulson's musical director.  He then signed with Swing Time Records and recorded two R&B hits under the name Ray Charles.  In 1951 "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" reached #5, and in 1952 "Kissa Me Baby" reached #8.  

In June 1952, Ahmet Ertegun of Atlantic Records bought Charles's contract for $2,500.   Starting with his time at Atlantic, Ray Charles would go on to pioneer the soul music genre by combining blues, jazz, and gospel styles into his music.  It was at Atlantic Records that Ray's raspy voice and pounding piano really found an audience.  His first recording session for Atlantic took place in September 1952, when he recorded "The Midnight Hour" and "Roll with My Baby".  Then in 1953, Ray recorded a song written by Ahmet Ertegun, a boogie-woogie style song called "Mess Around".  "Mess Around" hit #3 on the R&B chart.  Also, while in New Orleans in 1953, he worked with Guitar Slim.  Ray played piano, arranged, and produced Guitar Slim's million-selling #1 R&B hit, "The Things That I Used to Do".  

During the next year, Ray had hits with "It Should've Been Me" and "Don't You Know".  Late in 1954, Charles recorded "I've Got a Woman", which reached #2 on the R&B chart.

Around this time period, Ray also toured with Atlantic's R&B star Ruth Brown.

Ray Charles often cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by Louis Jordan and Charles Brown.  He hired a gospel-style female backup quartet, the Cookies, and renamed them the Raelettes.  From 1955 Charles toured extensively in the United States and elsewhere with his own band and the Raeletts.  In 1956 Atlantic released "Hallelujah I Love Her So", and in 1957 that song was included on his self-titled debut LP, also released on Atlantic.  The song peaked at #5 on the Billboard R&B chart.  By 1958, he was not only headlining major black venues such as the Apollo Theater in New York, but also larger venues such as Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival, where his first live album was recorded in 1958.  

Throughout the 1950's, Ray's R&B hits did a lot to pave the way for future soul music sounds.  His tunes, while not called "soul" at the time, nevertheless presented a form of R&B that was sophisticated without sacrificing any emotional grit.  "This Little Girl of Mine," "Drown in My Own Tears," "Hallelujah I Love Her So," "Lonely Avenue," and "The Right Time" were all big hits.  But Charles didn't really capture the pop audience until 1959's single called "What'd I Say".  "What'd I Say" caught the fervor of the church with its pleading vocals, as well as the spirit of rock & roll with its classic electric piano line.  “What’d I Say” proved to be the pinnacle of Ray's success at Atlantic.  Despite some radio stations banning the song because of its sexually suggestive lyrics, the song became Charles' first top-ten pop record.  

“What’d I Say” was a unique combination of gospel, jazz, blues and Latin music.  It was  

Ray's first million-seller, reaching #6 on the Billboard Pop chart and #1 on the R&B chart in 1959.  

Later that year, he released his first country song, a cover of Hank Snow's "I'm Movin' On", and recorded three more albums for the Atlantic label.  1959's big band album, The Genius of Ray Charles, was his first Top 40 album, peaking at #17.  One single off of that 1959 Genius album, "Let The Good Times Roll", would win Ray the Grammy for Best Rhythm & Blues Performance at the 3rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony in 1961.

He also recorded a jazz album, The Genius After Hours, and a blues album, The Genius Sings the Blues, both of which were released after Ray had left Atlantic. 

Ray Charles' contract with Atlantic expired in 1959, and several major labels offered him record deals.  Choosing not to renegotiate his contract with Atlantic, he signed with ABC-Paramount in November 1959.  While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.  Ray obtained a more liberal contract than other artists had at the time, with ABC offering him a $50,000 annual advance, higher royalties than before, and eventual ownership of his master tapes.  He would end up contributing to the integration of country music, rhythm and blues, and pop music during the 1960's with his crossover success on ABC Records.  His two Modern Sounds albums were both successful.   

One of the chief attractions of the ABC deal for Ray Charles was a much greater degree of artistic control of his recordings.  He quickly put it to good use.  Charles's 1960 hit "Georgia on My Mind" was the first of his three career #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.  Then in 1961 he had another #1 hit with “Hit the Road, Jack”.  

In November 1961 ABC released "Unchain My Heart", which would go on to reach #9 on the Hot 100 and #1 on the R&B charts.

Ray Charles’s rhythmic piano playing and band arranging had revived the funky quality of jazz, but he also recorded in many other musical genres.  In 1962 he surprised the pop world by turning his attention to country & western music.  His album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music topped the Billboard 200, selling more than a million copies, as did its single “I Can’t Stop Loving You.”  "I Can't Stop Loving You" reached #1 on the U. S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, #1 on the U.S. R&B chart, #1 on the U. S. Adult Contemporary chart, and #1 in the U.K. chart.  Ray Charles would remain extremely popular through the mid 1960's, scoring big hits like "You Are My Sunshine" and "Take These Chains From My Heart" in 1962, "Busted" in 1963, and "Crying Time" in 1965.  However, his musical momentum was slowed by a 1965 bust for heroin.  Ray had struggled for years with his addiction to heroin and went into rehab.  After a year-long absence from performing, he bounced back with a #1 R&B hit in 1966, ironically called "Let's Go Get Stoned".

By this time Charles was focusing increasingly less on rock and soul, in favor of pop tunes and jazz standards.  His new musical direction seemed aimed more at the easy listening audience than anyone else.   While Ray's soulful version of “America the Beautiful” only peaked at #98 in 1976's R&B chart, it became the definitive version of the song and - I would argue - a national treasure.  By the 1970's his music was rarely played on radio stations.  The rise of psychedelic rock and harder forms of rock and R&B music had reduced Charles's radio appeal.  Ray nonetheless continued to have an active recording career.  He would appear occasionally on television and worked in films such as Ballad in Blue in 1964 and The Blues Brothers in 1980 as a featured act and sound track composer.  He published an autobiography, Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story in 1978, written with David Ritz.  In the 1990's he sang several ads for Diet Pepsi. 

Ray Charles Robinson's influence and legacy is extensive.  As a singer, songwriter, and pianist, he is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history.  He was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius” and "Brother Ray".  He had a lifelong friendship and occasional partnership with Quincy Jones.  Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles [and I quote] "the only true genius in show business" [end quote].  As I mentioned earlier, Ray Charles was credited with the early development of soul music, with his blending of gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz music.  His singing style was among the most emotional and easily identifiable of any 20th century performer.  Ray was also a superb keyboard player, arranger, and bandleader. 

Ray Charles had multiple singles reach the Top 40 on various Billboard charts.  He had 44 on the US R&B singles chart, 11 on the Hot 100 singles chart, and 2 on the Hot Country singles charts.  He won 18 Grammy Awards (five posthumously) and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.  Ten of his recordings have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Rolling Stone ranked Ray Charles #10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time, and #2 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. 

Among his many national and international honors and awards, Ray Charles received the American Academy of Achievement, the Kennedy Center Honors, the National Medal of Arts, and the Polar Music Prize.  He was inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Foundation and was inducted into the National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame.  In 1979, Ray Charles was one of the first musicians born in the state to be inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame.  His version of "Georgia on My Mind" was also made the official state song of the state of Georgia.  In 1981, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.  Ray Charles was also one of the inaugural inductees at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.  

During the 1990's Ray recorded three albums for Warner Brothers, but remained most popular as a concert draw.  In 2002, he released Thanks for Bringing Love Around Again on his own CrossOver label, and the following year began recording an album of duets featuring B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, and James Taylor.  After hip replacement surgery in 2003, he scheduled a tour for the following summer, but was forced to cancel an appearance in March 2004.  Three months later, on June 10, 2004, Ray Charles succumbed to liver disease at his home in Beverly Hills, CA. 

The duets album, Genius Loves Company, was released two months after his death.  The movie Ray was released in the fall of 2004 and was a critical and commercial success.  Jamie Foxx won the 2005 Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Ray Charles.  Two more posthumous albums, Genius & Friends and Ray Sings, Basie Swings, appeared in 2005 and 2006 respectively.  

Posthumous awards and honors for Ray Charles have been numerous:

•The Grammy Awards of 2005 were dedicated to Charles.

•The United States Postal Service issued a forever stamp honoring Charles, as part of its Musical Icons series, on September 23, 2013. 

•In 2015, Charles was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame. 

•In 2016, U.S. President Barack Obama said [and I quote], "Ray Charles's version of "America the Beautiful" will always be, in my view, the most patriotic piece of music ever performed" [end quote].

•In 2022, Charles was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.  As such, he was the 13th person to be inducted into both the Country and Rock Halls of Fame.  That same year he was also inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.

This has been Rock and Roll Flashback…a look at the life and career of the talented pianist, singer, composer, bandleader, and leading entertainer - Ray Charles!  I'm Jumpin' John McDermott, and until next time….Rock On!