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Ray Charles: Georgia
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"Ray" Movie Synopsis: Born in a poor town in Georgia, Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven shortly after witnessing his younger brother's accidental death. Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world, Charles found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard.
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Ray Charles is a wonderful musician. He was raised in Greenville, Florida; although he was born in Georgia. At age five he began to loose his sight at age five because of Glaucoma that went untreated. His brother had drown a few months before he became all the way blind. Then Ray began seeing things in a watery way. They would turn out blurring and bubbly.
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Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia, in 1932. At the age of six, living in Greenville, Florida, he went blind. He was enrolled in a state school for the blind at St. Augustine, Florida, where he first began to study piano by Braille. By the time he was seventeen, both his parents were dead and Ray was a thoroughly accredited professional, playing with everything from rhythm-and-blues groups to hillbilly bands. He played both piano and alto sax, and in 1948, wound up in Seattle, Washington, with a trio.
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Ray Charles, the legendary musician, singer, and entertainer, has died at the age of 73. Born in poverty in Albany, Georgia, blind by the age of 6, and an orphan by the time he was a teenager, Charles overcame both physical and social hardships in order to become one of the most popular and respected entertainers of his era. Certainly one of Georgia's most beloved "sons," he was considered by many to be the "Father of Soul", for combining rhythm and blues with gospel to create, a new, distinct genre of music.
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According to the hit movie Ray, Charles was banned from performing in Georgia in 1961, following his refusal to play to a white-only audience. Mr. Charles was never banned from performing in his home state of Georgia. In 1979 the General Assembly did welcome him. He sang the classic Hoagy Carmichel song "Georgia."
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Featuring a remarkable performance from Jamie Foxx in the central role and directed by acclaimed filmmaker Taylor Hackford, "Ray" follows the inspiring story of a one-of-a-kind genius. Born in a poor town in Georgia, Ray Charles went blind at the age of seven shortly after witnessing his younger brother's accidental death. Inspired by a fiercely independent mother who insisted he make his own way in the world, Charles found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered incorporating gospel, country, jazz and orchestral influences into his inimitable style. As he revolutionized the way people appreciated music, he simultaneously fought segregation in the very clubs that launched him and championed artists' rights within the corporate music business. "Ray" provides an unflinching portrait of Charles' musical genius as he overcomes drug addiction while transforming into one of this country's most beloved performers.
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