The late Ray Charles is an American superhero. Born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930, you might say he's the greatest musician ever to come out of this country (Elvis, Dylan, Aretha, Leonard Bernstein, and Hank Williams notwithstanding). Charles not only explored a diverse musical palette.
and blind, his accomplishments are even more impressive given these challenges.
Born into poverty, he lost his sight by age seven, and both his parents a short
time later. A self-taught musician, he began playing professionally in
his mid-teens, scoring his first hits by the time he hit his early 20s.
Signed to the fledgling Atlantic Records in 1953, and then ABC-Paramount a few years later, he was an immediate success, hitting his
stride with such songs as "I Got A Woman," "What'd I Say," The Night
Time (Is the Right Time)," "Lonely Avenue," and "Drown in my Own Tears,"
tracks that remain standards even today.
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