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In 1950, Charles' performance in a Miami hotel impressed Henry Stone, who went on to record a Ray Charles Rockin' record, which did not achieve popularity. During his stay in Miami, Charles was required to stay in the segregated but thriving black community of Overtown .
Jul 23, 2024 · Ray Charles (born September 23, 1930, Albany, Georgia, U.S.—died June 10, 2004, Beverly Hills, California) was an American pianist, singer, composer, and bandleader, a leading entertainer billed as “the Genius.” Charles was credited with the early development of soul music, a style based on a melding of gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz music.
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Jul 17, 2024 · The music icon received a special honor a few years later as one of the first people inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Charles was recognized for his contributions to the genre ...
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Jun 17, 2004 · Charles became a certified star with the 1959 release of “What’d I Say.” The record broke the usual two and a half-minute mold for a radio song, with its extended “call and response” chorus and improvisational style.
It was the way Ray Charles melded the passion of gospel with the pain of the blues, as both a vocalist and pianist, that prompted Frank Sinatra to call him “the only genius in the business” and for Aretha Franklin to refer to him as “the Right Reverend.”
Nov 4, 2019 · In 1981, Charles was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was one of the first inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony in 1986. His chart success was legendary with 13 No. 1 hits.
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Charles embraced R&B, jazz, blues, pop, and country music with equal fervor, and during a career that spanned nearly six decades, he stamped each genre with his distinctive and moving style. He made country songs a significant part of his repertoire from the 1960s onward.
