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Ray Charles
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The name Ray Charles is on a Star on Hollywood Boulevard's Walk of Fame. His bronze bust is enshrined in the Playboy Hall of Fame. There is the bronze medallion cast and presented to him by the French Republic on behalf of its people. There are the Halls of Fame: Rhythm & Blues, Jazz, Rock & Roll. There are the many gold records and the 12 Grammys.
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* Ray Charles' final album, which was released posthumously, was a collection of duets between Ray and some of the biggest names in contemporary popular music. The list includes B.B. King, Can Morrison, Willie Nelson, James Taylor, Elton John, and Norah Jones. The album was recorded with both musicians in the studio at the same time, unlike a similar album by Frank Sinatra entitled Duets.
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"David Newman and Ray Charles had a long and rich history together," he said. "Ray once said when he formed his band that David was his first pick. Ray ... said that his career wouldn't have been the same without David at his side."
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The world of music consists of various genres, yet Ray Charles proves himself as the one who is able to convert them all into a soulful tunes despite his physical weakness. As Thomas Thompson had written of him: "He has drawn from each of these musical streams and made a river which he alone can navigate." That opinion appeared to be true, as Ray possessed such a great talent within his soul to skillfully explore beyond musical boundaries, developing a new form of black pop music known as "soul." Therefore, it is undeniably appropriate to regard Ray Charles in the way of Frank Sinatra's praise, honoring him as "the only genius in the business." He was indeed an exceptional musician whose composition has touched both sides of white and black American communities, bringing a unity and harmony in the tunes he created. Probably it was his immense love for music that enabled him to arrange such great and terrific tunes, as he once said: "Music was one of my parts...like my blood.
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By the early 1960's Ray Charles had accomplished his dream. He had come of age musically. He had become a great musician, posting musical milestones along his route. He had made it to Carnegie Hall. The hit records ("Georgia," "Born to Lose") successively kept climbing to the top of the charts. He had made his first triumphant European concert tour in 1960 (a feat which, except for 1965, he has repeated at least once a year ever since).
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Background: Eight years ago, Ray Charles was invited to Morehouse College to perform with the College's jazz ensemble. Entertainer, educator and philanthropist Dr. William H. "Bill" Cosby, whose son graduated from Morehouse in 1992, opened the performance. Later, in 2001, Morehouse awarded Charles an honorary doctorate of humane letters. Ray Charles' experiences at Morehouse struck a resounding chord and marked the beginning of a relationship based on a mutual commitment to find, educate and inspire the next generation of musical pioneers. Charles demonstrated this commitment by donating $2 million to Morehouse, which inspired the advancement of plans to construct a performing arts center in his honor at the College.
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Ray Charles