Born in Albany, Georgia, during the depression, and blind by the age of seven, Ray Charles Robinson certainly had the deck stacked against him from the beginning. But as he himself said, he wasn’t good because he was blind; he was good because he was good at what he did.
How He Get’s His Start
Influenced by both the pop vocal stylings of crooners like Nat King Cole and the smooth West Coast Blues of Charles Brown, Charles started off cutting rather unadventurous (yet still exciting) jump blues and rhythm and blues in New Orleans.
But it was musical wanderlust that would lead to the two great milestones of his career. In 1959, the singer consolidated his gospel and blues influences (which he’d already marshaled on cuts like “I Got A Woman”) for a rave-up called “What’d I Say.” The song is widely regarded now as the first hit soul record, sophisticated yet sensual, relentlessly secular yet burning with a religious fervor.
In 1962, he cemented his legacy by releasing the “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” LP, which somehow infused soul into country western standards like “Born To Lose” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” Arguably one of the most brilliant interpretive albums ever released, it did more to integrate modern American music than almost any other LP in history. And although he more or less settled into an oldies-circuit level of fame after that, he remains an institution for his insistence on carrying different forms of music to places that shouldn’t have logically worked, but with him, it did.
How Ray Charles Became Blind
Although young Ray began to lose his sight at the age of five, not long after witnessing his brother’s drowning, his eventual blindness by the age of seven was medical, not traumatic. Most medical experts agree glaucoma was the culprit, although growing up in Charles’ time and place, not to mention economic background, no one will ever be able to say for sure.
Still, his blindness never stopped him from learning to ride a bike, play cards, use stairs, or even fly an airplane. Charles merely used his other senses. He judged distances by sound and learned to sharpen his memory. He refused to use a seeing-eye dog or a cane, although he did require some help from his personal assistant on tour. Charles did, however, seem to believe that his disability exempted him from income taxes, a belief that caused him a great deal of trouble with the IRS.
Marriages and Children
Charles was married twice and had 12 children with ten different women. His first marriage lasted only a year and is not even mentioned in the biographical movie “Ray.” (Actor Jamie Foxx won the 2005 Academy Award for “Best Actor” his portrayal of Charles).
His second marriage, to backup singer Della Beatrice Howard Robinson, lasted 22 years. He was well-known for his philandering, introducing himself to women he liked by pretending to be more helpless than he was.
No. 1 Hits
In 1981, Charles 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. His chart success was legendary with 13 No. 1 hits.
Song Chart
“Georgia On My Mind” Pop
“Hit The Road, Jack,” Pop, R&B
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” Pop, R&B
“I’ve Got A Woman” R&B
“A Fool for You” R&B
“Drown In My Own Tears” R&B
“Mary Ann” R&B
“What’d I Say (Part I)” R&B
“One Mint Julep” R&B
“You Are My Sunshine” R&B
“Unchain My Heart” R&B
“Let’s Go Get Stoned” R&B
“Seven Spanish Angels” Country
Top 10 Hits
Charles had great crossover success. His chart success was most notable in pop, R&B, and country with more than 30 top 10 hits. These were among the songs that didn’t hit the top spot (for that genre) but were in the top 10. Note, some songs did achieve No. 1 in other genres, for example, “Georgia On My Mind,” hit the top spot on the pop chart.
Song Chart
“What’d I Say (Part I)” Pop
“One Mint Julep” Pop
“Unchain My Heart” Pop
“You Don’t Know Me” Pop
“You Are My Sunshine” Pop
“Busted” Pop
“Take These Chains From My Heart” Pop
“Crying Time” Pop
“Blackjack” R&B
“Greenbacks” R&B
“This Little Girl Of Mine” R&B
“Hallelujah I Love Her So” R&B
“Lonely Avenue” R&B
“What Would I Do Without You” R&B
“Ain’t That Love” R&B
“Night Time Is the Right Time” R&B
“Georgia On My Mind " R&B
“Sticks And Stones” R&B
“I’ve Got News For You” R&B
“Ruby” R&B
“Them That Got” R&B
“We Didn’t See a Thing” Country
How Did Singer-Musician Ray Charles Become Blind?
Pop Musicians Who Died in the 2000s
25 Best Country Pop Crossover Songs of All Time
Greatest 20 R&B and Soul Artists of All-Time
The Top 100 Love Songs of All Time
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
30 Greatest Male R&B Artists of All-Time
Popular Oldies Duets
100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time
What is “Country Soul”?
30th Anniversary of 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Famous Black Musicians
The Top 10 Biggest Motown Hits of All Time
Top 25 Greatest Country Groups
Top 10 Pop Songs About War
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
Born in Albany, Georgia, during the depression, and blind by the age of seven, Ray Charles Robinson certainly had the deck stacked against him from the beginning. But as he himself said, he wasn’t good because he was blind; he was good because he was good at what he did.
How He Get’s His Start
Influenced by both the pop vocal stylings of crooners like Nat King Cole and the smooth West Coast Blues of Charles Brown, Charles started off cutting rather unadventurous (yet still exciting) jump blues and rhythm and blues in New Orleans.
But it was musical wanderlust that would lead to the two great milestones of his career. In 1959, the singer consolidated his gospel and blues influences (which he’d already marshaled on cuts like “I Got A Woman”) for a rave-up called “What’d I Say.” The song is widely regarded now as the first hit soul record, sophisticated yet sensual, relentlessly secular yet burning with a religious fervor.
In 1962, he cemented his legacy by releasing the “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” LP, which somehow infused soul into country western standards like “Born To Lose” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” Arguably one of the most brilliant interpretive albums ever released, it did more to integrate modern American music than almost any other LP in history. And although he more or less settled into an oldies-circuit level of fame after that, he remains an institution for his insistence on carrying different forms of music to places that shouldn’t have logically worked, but with him, it did.
How Ray Charles Became Blind
Although young Ray began to lose his sight at the age of five, not long after witnessing his brother’s drowning, his eventual blindness by the age of seven was medical, not traumatic. Most medical experts agree glaucoma was the culprit, although growing up in Charles’ time and place, not to mention economic background, no one will ever be able to say for sure.
Still, his blindness never stopped him from learning to ride a bike, play cards, use stairs, or even fly an airplane. Charles merely used his other senses. He judged distances by sound and learned to sharpen his memory. He refused to use a seeing-eye dog or a cane, although he did require some help from his personal assistant on tour. Charles did, however, seem to believe that his disability exempted him from income taxes, a belief that caused him a great deal of trouble with the IRS.
Marriages and Children
Charles was married twice and had 12 children with ten different women. His first marriage lasted only a year and is not even mentioned in the biographical movie “Ray.” (Actor Jamie Foxx won the 2005 Academy Award for “Best Actor” his portrayal of Charles).
His second marriage, to backup singer Della Beatrice Howard Robinson, lasted 22 years. He was well-known for his philandering, introducing himself to women he liked by pretending to be more helpless than he was.
No. 1 Hits
In 1981, Charles 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. His chart success was legendary with 13 No. 1 hits.
Song Chart
“Georgia On My Mind” Pop
“Hit The Road, Jack,” Pop, R&B
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” Pop, R&B
“I’ve Got A Woman” R&B
“A Fool for You” R&B
“Drown In My Own Tears” R&B
“Mary Ann” R&B
“What’d I Say (Part I)” R&B
“One Mint Julep” R&B
“You Are My Sunshine” R&B
“Unchain My Heart” R&B
“Let’s Go Get Stoned” R&B
“Seven Spanish Angels” Country
Top 10 Hits
Charles had great crossover success. His chart success was most notable in pop, R&B, and country with more than 30 top 10 hits. These were among the songs that didn’t hit the top spot (for that genre) but were in the top 10. Note, some songs did achieve No. 1 in other genres, for example, “Georgia On My Mind,” hit the top spot on the pop chart.
Song Chart
“What’d I Say (Part I)” Pop
“One Mint Julep” Pop
“Unchain My Heart” Pop
“You Don’t Know Me” Pop
“You Are My Sunshine” Pop
“Busted” Pop
“Take These Chains From My Heart” Pop
“Crying Time” Pop
“Blackjack” R&B
“Greenbacks” R&B
“This Little Girl Of Mine” R&B
“Hallelujah I Love Her So” R&B
“Lonely Avenue” R&B
“What Would I Do Without You” R&B
“Ain’t That Love” R&B
“Night Time Is the Right Time” R&B
“Georgia On My Mind " R&B
“Sticks And Stones” R&B
“I’ve Got News For You” R&B
“Ruby” R&B
“Them That Got” R&B
“We Didn’t See a Thing” Country
How Did Singer-Musician Ray Charles Become Blind?
Pop Musicians Who Died in the 2000s
25 Best Country Pop Crossover Songs of All Time
Greatest 20 R&B and Soul Artists of All-Time
The Top 100 Love Songs of All Time
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
30 Greatest Male R&B Artists of All-Time
Popular Oldies Duets
100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time
What is “Country Soul”?
30th Anniversary of 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Famous Black Musicians
The Top 10 Biggest Motown Hits of All Time
Top 25 Greatest Country Groups
Top 10 Pop Songs About War
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
Born in Albany, Georgia, during the depression, and blind by the age of seven, Ray Charles Robinson certainly had the deck stacked against him from the beginning. But as he himself said, he wasn’t good because he was blind; he was good because he was good at what he did.
How He Get’s His Start
Influenced by both the pop vocal stylings of crooners like Nat King Cole and the smooth West Coast Blues of Charles Brown, Charles started off cutting rather unadventurous (yet still exciting) jump blues and rhythm and blues in New Orleans.
But it was musical wanderlust that would lead to the two great milestones of his career. In 1959, the singer consolidated his gospel and blues influences (which he’d already marshaled on cuts like “I Got A Woman”) for a rave-up called “What’d I Say.” The song is widely regarded now as the first hit soul record, sophisticated yet sensual, relentlessly secular yet burning with a religious fervor.
In 1962, he cemented his legacy by releasing the “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” LP, which somehow infused soul into country western standards like “Born To Lose” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” Arguably one of the most brilliant interpretive albums ever released, it did more to integrate modern American music than almost any other LP in history. And although he more or less settled into an oldies-circuit level of fame after that, he remains an institution for his insistence on carrying different forms of music to places that shouldn’t have logically worked, but with him, it did.
How Ray Charles Became Blind
Although young Ray began to lose his sight at the age of five, not long after witnessing his brother’s drowning, his eventual blindness by the age of seven was medical, not traumatic. Most medical experts agree glaucoma was the culprit, although growing up in Charles’ time and place, not to mention economic background, no one will ever be able to say for sure.
Still, his blindness never stopped him from learning to ride a bike, play cards, use stairs, or even fly an airplane. Charles merely used his other senses. He judged distances by sound and learned to sharpen his memory. He refused to use a seeing-eye dog or a cane, although he did require some help from his personal assistant on tour. Charles did, however, seem to believe that his disability exempted him from income taxes, a belief that caused him a great deal of trouble with the IRS.
Marriages and Children
Charles was married twice and had 12 children with ten different women. His first marriage lasted only a year and is not even mentioned in the biographical movie “Ray.” (Actor Jamie Foxx won the 2005 Academy Award for “Best Actor” his portrayal of Charles).
His second marriage, to backup singer Della Beatrice Howard Robinson, lasted 22 years. He was well-known for his philandering, introducing himself to women he liked by pretending to be more helpless than he was.
No. 1 Hits
In 1981, Charles 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. His chart success was legendary with 13 No. 1 hits.
Song Chart
“Georgia On My Mind” Pop
“Hit The Road, Jack,” Pop, R&B
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” Pop, R&B
“I’ve Got A Woman” R&B
“A Fool for You” R&B
“Drown In My Own Tears” R&B
“Mary Ann” R&B
“What’d I Say (Part I)” R&B
“One Mint Julep” R&B
“You Are My Sunshine” R&B
“Unchain My Heart” R&B
“Let’s Go Get Stoned” R&B
“Seven Spanish Angels” Country
Top 10 Hits
Charles had great crossover success. His chart success was most notable in pop, R&B, and country with more than 30 top 10 hits. These were among the songs that didn’t hit the top spot (for that genre) but were in the top 10. Note, some songs did achieve No. 1 in other genres, for example, “Georgia On My Mind,” hit the top spot on the pop chart.
Song Chart
“What’d I Say (Part I)” Pop
“One Mint Julep” Pop
“Unchain My Heart” Pop
“You Don’t Know Me” Pop
“You Are My Sunshine” Pop
“Busted” Pop
“Take These Chains From My Heart” Pop
“Crying Time” Pop
“Blackjack” R&B
“Greenbacks” R&B
“This Little Girl Of Mine” R&B
“Hallelujah I Love Her So” R&B
“Lonely Avenue” R&B
“What Would I Do Without You” R&B
“Ain’t That Love” R&B
“Night Time Is the Right Time” R&B
“Georgia On My Mind " R&B
“Sticks And Stones” R&B
“I’ve Got News For You” R&B
“Ruby” R&B
“Them That Got” R&B
“We Didn’t See a Thing” Country
How Did Singer-Musician Ray Charles Become Blind?
Pop Musicians Who Died in the 2000s
25 Best Country Pop Crossover Songs of All Time
Greatest 20 R&B and Soul Artists of All-Time
The Top 100 Love Songs of All Time
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
30 Greatest Male R&B Artists of All-Time
Popular Oldies Duets
100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time
What is “Country Soul”?
30th Anniversary of 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Famous Black Musicians
The Top 10 Biggest Motown Hits of All Time
Top 25 Greatest Country Groups
Top 10 Pop Songs About War
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
Born in Albany, Georgia, during the depression, and blind by the age of seven, Ray Charles Robinson certainly had the deck stacked against him from the beginning. But as he himself said, he wasn’t good because he was blind; he was good because he was good at what he did.
How He Get’s His Start
Influenced by both the pop vocal stylings of crooners like Nat King Cole and the smooth West Coast Blues of Charles Brown, Charles started off cutting rather unadventurous (yet still exciting) jump blues and rhythm and blues in New Orleans.
But it was musical wanderlust that would lead to the two great milestones of his career. In 1959, the singer consolidated his gospel and blues influences (which he’d already marshaled on cuts like “I Got A Woman”) for a rave-up called “What’d I Say.” The song is widely regarded now as the first hit soul record, sophisticated yet sensual, relentlessly secular yet burning with a religious fervor.
In 1962, he cemented his legacy by releasing the “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music” LP, which somehow infused soul into country western standards like “Born To Lose” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” Arguably one of the most brilliant interpretive albums ever released, it did more to integrate modern American music than almost any other LP in history. And although he more or less settled into an oldies-circuit level of fame after that, he remains an institution for his insistence on carrying different forms of music to places that shouldn’t have logically worked, but with him, it did.
How Ray Charles Became Blind
Although young Ray began to lose his sight at the age of five, not long after witnessing his brother’s drowning, his eventual blindness by the age of seven was medical, not traumatic. Most medical experts agree glaucoma was the culprit, although growing up in Charles’ time and place, not to mention economic background, no one will ever be able to say for sure.
Still, his blindness never stopped him from learning to ride a bike, play cards, use stairs, or even fly an airplane. Charles merely used his other senses. He judged distances by sound and learned to sharpen his memory. He refused to use a seeing-eye dog or a cane, although he did require some help from his personal assistant on tour. Charles did, however, seem to believe that his disability exempted him from income taxes, a belief that caused him a great deal of trouble with the IRS.
Marriages and Children
Charles was married twice and had 12 children with ten different women. His first marriage lasted only a year and is not even mentioned in the biographical movie “Ray.” (Actor Jamie Foxx won the 2005 Academy Award for “Best Actor” his portrayal of Charles).
His second marriage, to backup singer Della Beatrice Howard Robinson, lasted 22 years. He was well-known for his philandering, introducing himself to women he liked by pretending to be more helpless than he was.
No. 1 Hits
In 1981, Charles 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. His chart success was legendary with 13 No. 1 hits.
Song Chart
“Georgia On My Mind” Pop
“Hit The Road, Jack,” Pop, R&B
“I Can’t Stop Loving You” Pop, R&B
“I’ve Got A Woman” R&B
“A Fool for You” R&B
“Drown In My Own Tears” R&B
“Mary Ann” R&B
“What’d I Say (Part I)” R&B
“One Mint Julep” R&B
“You Are My Sunshine” R&B
“Unchain My Heart” R&B
“Let’s Go Get Stoned” R&B
“Seven Spanish Angels” Country
Top 10 Hits
Charles had great crossover success. His chart success was most notable in pop, R&B, and country with more than 30 top 10 hits. These were among the songs that didn’t hit the top spot (for that genre) but were in the top 10. Note, some songs did achieve No. 1 in other genres, for example, “Georgia On My Mind,” hit the top spot on the pop chart.
Song Chart
“What’d I Say (Part I)” Pop
“One Mint Julep” Pop
“Unchain My Heart” Pop
“You Don’t Know Me” Pop
“You Are My Sunshine” Pop
“Busted” Pop
“Take These Chains From My Heart” Pop
“Crying Time” Pop
“Blackjack” R&B
“Greenbacks” R&B
“This Little Girl Of Mine” R&B
“Hallelujah I Love Her So” R&B
“Lonely Avenue” R&B
“What Would I Do Without You” R&B
“Ain’t That Love” R&B
“Night Time Is the Right Time” R&B
“Georgia On My Mind " R&B
“Sticks And Stones” R&B
“I’ve Got News For You” R&B
“Ruby” R&B
“Them That Got” R&B
“We Didn’t See a Thing” Country
Top 10 Hits
Charles had great crossover success. His chart success was most notable in pop, R&B, and country with more than 30 top 10 hits. These were among the songs that didn’t hit the top spot (for that genre) but were in the top 10. Note, some songs did achieve No. 1 in other genres, for example, “Georgia On My Mind,” hit the top spot on the pop chart.
Song Chart
“What’d I Say (Part I)” Pop
“One Mint Julep” Pop
“Unchain My Heart” Pop
“You Don’t Know Me” Pop
“You Are My Sunshine” Pop
“Busted” Pop
“Take These Chains From My Heart” Pop
“Crying Time” Pop
“Blackjack” R&B
“Greenbacks” R&B
“This Little Girl Of Mine” R&B
“Hallelujah I Love Her So” R&B
“Lonely Avenue” R&B
“What Would I Do Without You” R&B
“Ain’t That Love” R&B
“Night Time Is the Right Time” R&B
“Georgia On My Mind " R&B
“Sticks And Stones” R&B
“I’ve Got News For You” R&B
“Ruby” R&B
“Them That Got” R&B
“We Didn’t See a Thing” Country
How Did Singer-Musician Ray Charles Become Blind?
Pop Musicians Who Died in the 2000s
25 Best Country Pop Crossover Songs of All Time
Greatest 20 R&B and Soul Artists of All-Time
The Top 100 Love Songs of All Time
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
30 Greatest Male R&B Artists of All-Time
Popular Oldies Duets
100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time
What is “Country Soul”?
30th Anniversary of 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Famous Black Musicians
The Top 10 Biggest Motown Hits of All Time
Top 25 Greatest Country Groups
Top 10 Pop Songs About War
How Did Singer-Musician Ray Charles Become Blind?
How Did Singer-Musician Ray Charles Become Blind?
Pop Musicians Who Died in the 2000s
Pop Musicians Who Died in the 2000s
25 Best Country Pop Crossover Songs of All Time
25 Best Country Pop Crossover Songs of All Time
Greatest 20 R&B and Soul Artists of All-Time
Greatest 20 R&B and Soul Artists of All-Time
The Top 100 Love Songs of All Time
The Top 100 Love Songs of All Time
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Best 100 Songs From the 1990s
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
The Top 40 Pop Artists of All Time
30 Greatest Male R&B Artists of All-Time
30 Greatest Male R&B Artists of All-Time
Popular Oldies Duets
Popular Oldies Duets
100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time
100 of the Best Pop Songs of All Time
What is “Country Soul”?
What is “Country Soul”?
30th Anniversary of 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
30th Anniversary of 1986 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
Famous Black Musicians
Famous Black Musicians
The Top 10 Biggest Motown Hits of All Time
The Top 10 Biggest Motown Hits of All Time
Top 25 Greatest Country Groups
Top 25 Greatest Country Groups
Top 10 Pop Songs About War
Top 10 Pop Songs About War
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
Home
Home
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
About Us Advertise Careers Privacy Policy Editorial Guidelines Contact Terms of Use EU Privacy
About Us
Advertise
Careers
Privacy Policy
Editorial Guidelines
Contact
Terms of Use
EU Privacy
Entertainment
Careers
Activities
Humor
LiveAbout is part of the Dotdash Meredith publishing family.
When you visit the site, Dotdash Meredith and its partners may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Cookies Settings Reject All Accept Cookies
