Ray Charles Robinson
"The Genius"
"Brother Ray"
(Ray was blinded during childhood and so wore dark glasses.)
Pioneered soul music during the 1950s through a blend of blues, jazz, rhythm and blues, & gospel
"...I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley..." - Billy Joel
Ray Charles's career is extensive, long, and detailed. Read more on Wikipedia.
Success history -
61 Top 40 singles on Billboard R&B
33 Top 40 singles on Billboard Hot 100
8 Top 40 singles on Billboard Hot Country
17 Grammy Awards (5 posthumously)*
*Grammy Awards Dedication (2005)
1 Academy of Country Music Award
Golden Plate Award (Academy of Achievement)
1 Country Music Association Award
Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1987)
10 recordings inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame
Honors -
Kennedy Center Honors
National Medal of Arts
Polar Music Prize
Rhythm & Blues Foundation Pioneer Award (1991)
Lifetime Musical Achievement - George and Ira Gershwin Award (1991)
Inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (1979)
Inaugural inductee at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1986)
Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame (2022)
Inducted into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame (2022)
No. 10 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
No. 2 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers of All Time
No. 6 on Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time
Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts, University of South Florida (1990)
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Morehouse College (2001)
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Dillard University (2003)
A Tribute to Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House (2016)
Ray Charles's legacy is as profound as his lengthy career honored in the most fitting of ways. His personal life, however, might be seen as devastating to his pristine performances. He was addicted to drugs, especially heroin, and women. He married twice but had numerous affairs. He fathered 12 children with ten different women, born between the years 1949 and 1987. He was arrested numerous times for drug-related offenses. His first arrest in 1955 actually led to continued use if not greater. An arrest in 1964 led to a permanent decision to get help and quit.
I would love to conclude this post with a highlight of Ray Charles' discography but, in a rather peculiar sense, music essayist Robert Christgau will write best -
Charles' discography is a "monumental mess."
AllMusic estimates roughly 60 original albums and over 200 compilation albums. Robert Christgau estimates more.
Ray Charles was not immune to the lows of the entertainment industry but his career was. A lifetime achievement is forever honored.
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