Ray Charles
 Ray Charles started out smooth - A substandard Nat King Cole - but
after signing to Atlantic, his gospel background kicked in and he
effectively invented soul.
As his vibrant music evolved he blended
R&B, Rock & Roll, big band jazz and country - the latter
on the groundbreaking Modern Sounds In Country & Western
Music album, which gave him a US pop Number 1 with I
Can't Stop Loving You.
Born in Albany, Georgia, into harsh poverty on 23 September
1930, Ray Charles Robinson lost his sight to glaucoma at the age
of seven.
By his mid-teens Charles had learned to read and score
music in Braille and play the piano, clarinet, saxophone and
trumpet.
Meeting with little success in the South he moved to Seattle
where his career blossomed.
The records Charles made from 1955 -
1965 - during which time he battled, and eventually conquered, a
severe heroin addiction - influenced, and were covered by, a whole
host of 60s British acts, from The Beatles and
The Rolling Stones
to Van Morrison, Joe Cocker and
Rod Stewart.
He later set up his
own label, Tangerine, and became a very tough businessman.
Although future records, which relied too much on pop songs and
sugary string arrangements, rarely recaptured the glory of his
peak years, in concert his voice remained strong and wonderfully
expressive.
Ray Charles died on 10 June 2004, aged 73. "A great soul
has gone on," said close friend Aretha
Franklin, after news
of Charles' death was announced. "He was a fabulous man, full of
humour and wit. A giant of an artist. The music world will miss
his voice".
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