In Remembrance: Ray Charles

    Ray Charles, the musician who combined blues and gospel to become one the leading recording artists of the 20^th century and whose music often greatly impacted the films that it appeared in, has passed away on June 9, 2004 at the age 73.

     Born Ray Charles Robinson, he would later drop the last name to avoid confusion with the well-known boxer, on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, Charles lost his sight by the time he was seven years old. That didn’t deter him from pursuing music, as he had started playing the piano at age 3. Soon after loosing his sight he entered the St Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind where studied classical piano and learned to read and write music in Braille. After school he worked in both Florida and Seattle, Washington before moving to Los Angeles. In 1954 he recorded “I Got A Woman” at an Atlanta, Georgia radio station. The song was credited as being the beginning of soul music. His first major hit came in 1959 with “What I’d Say” which crossed over on to the white music charts Top Ten. He followed up his success with “Georgia On My Mind,” “Hit The Road Jack,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Crying Time.” Charles music not only helped to define the 1950s and 60s, but in many ways transcended those decades as well.

     While Charles made few film appearances, his performances were powerful and memorable. His performances of “It’s All Right,” “Georgia On My Mind,” and “Let The Good Times Roll” in 1966’s The Big T.N.T. Show stand out in a concert film that was overflowing with 1960s musical stars. He contributed a show-stopping rendition of  “Shake A Tail Feather” in the 1980 musical comedy The Blues Brothers. Charles also demonstrated a self-deprecating sense of humor in the comedy Spy Hard (1996) where he appeared in a cameo role as a bus driver. Charles also sang the title theme to the civil rights drama In The Heat Of The Night (1967) and contributed songs to the soundtracks of such films as Sleepless In Seattle (1993), Eve’s Bayou (1997) and Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002).