Ray Charles Robinson
The National R&B Music Society Inc.
Remembering a legend, a Genius Ray Charles on the date of his Birth.
Ray Charles Robinson (September 23,
1930 – June 10, 2004), was an American musician known by his shortened
stage name Ray Charles (to avoid confusion with champion boxer Sugar Ray
Robinson.) He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s
by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early
recordings with Atlantic Records.
He
also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s
with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern
Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first
African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream
record company. Frank Sinatra called Charles “the only true genius in
show business.”
The influences upon his music were mainly jazz, blues, rhythm and blues and country artists of the day such as Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, Charles Brown, Louis Armstrong. His playing reflected influences from country blues and barrelhouse, and stride piano styles.
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