Ray charles cause of death2/26/2024 ![]() In this video, Jonny pays tribute to Ray Charles by playing “Georgia on my Mind” with his eyes closed for the entire piece. Jonny May plays Ray Charles’ “Georgia on my Mind” Remarkably, the famous pianist was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2015.Ray Charles also wrote an autobiographical book, Brother Ray, in which he tells his honest life story in his own words.There is a movie on Ray’s life, Ray, where Jamie Foxx starred as the legendary pianist, winning an Academy Award for his performance.He maintained a passion for the game and had his own chess boards made, one of which is now in the American History Museum. ![]() While in a rehabilitation program at the hospital, Ray began playing chess.Being a very talented child, Ray learned how to play the organ, saxophone, clarinet and trumpet in spite of his blindness.His final album, Genius Loves Company, was released two months after he died. During his lifetime, Ray Charles recorded more than 60 albums and performed more than 10,000 concerts. King, Willie Nelson and Stevie Wonder were among those who performed at the service. Impressively, more than 1,500 people came to the funeral to say goodbye to the musical legend. Sadly, he died at 73 years old, in 2004, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. For many years, Ray Charles struggled with a heroin addiction, but he eventually managed to kick the habit at a clinic. In 1960, Ray won his first Grammy Award for “Georgia on My Mind,” followed by another Grammy for the single “Hit the Road, Jack.” He had his first hits in the early 1950’s and was still at the top of the charts later in his career. ![]() Indeed, by using his voice as an instrument to summon a strong emotional response and by combining elements of gospel, R&B, jazz and country music, he stood out in the music scene. As a matter of fact, he is considered to be the father of soul music. While overcoming poverty, blindness, the loss of his parents, and racism, Ray became internationally known as a musical genius. His keyboard was actually marked with braille stickers. After his mother’s death, he traveled blind and alone, switching bus stops, night clubs, and hotels in different towns, doing recordings and gigs. There he learned to read, write and arrange music in Braille. Thus, his mother sent him to a state-sponsored school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. Unfortunately, he began to lose his sight at a very young age, possibly from glaucoma, and had become blind by age seven. I can’t leave them alone,” he added.Ray began his piano career at age five by playing in a neighborhood café. “My obsession centers on women-did then and does now. “Cigarettes and smack are the two truly addictive habits I’ve known. In 1964 the Raelettes released the single “A Lover’s Blues” which featured Margie on lead vocals, but this was the last song that she recorded with Ray, because in July 1964 during a tour in Europe, Ray fired her from The Raelettes during an argument.Ĭharles Wayne Hendricks’s father, Charles stated in his 1978 autobiography, Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story, that he became hooked on women after losing his virginity at 12 years old to a woman about 20. Margie and the Raelettes performed on several of Ray’s songs, but during the 1960s, Margie’s relationship with Ray began to fall apart and she later started to use alcohol and heroin, and her career began to suffer. The couple had a six-year-long affair.Īfter she gave birth to Charles Wayne, Margie wanted Ray to leave his wife Della Beatrice Howard and live with her and their son, but Ray refused. How did his parents meet? Charles Wayne Hendricks’ mother, Margie was a rhythm and blues singer and also one of the original founding members of the Raelettes, who were the backing singers for his father, Ray Charles. Though Charles Wayne Hendricks is the only child of mother and father, He also has 11 other half-siblings from his father, Ray Charles’ side.
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