Of the Many different styles and genres of music one Musical
Artist stands out high above the rest. Ray Charles, in my opinion, is
the epitome of the cross genre artist. He fused the styles of gospel,
blues, soul, r & b, funk, country, and rock n roll into his music.
He is one of my absolute favorites and here is my list of the Top 5 Best
Ray Charles Songs of All Time.
But first a little background for those unfamiliar with this musical giant...
Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia on Sept 23rd 1930. He was the son of Aretha Williams, and Bailey Robinson. His mother, a sharecropper, his was father a railroad repair men, mechanic, and handy man. Ray seemed to be curious about mechanics as a small boy but was introduced to music early on.
Mr. Willey Pit, a local musician, ran the Mr. Wiley Pit's Red Wing Café. Pit would often help Aretha by keeping an eye on Ray's little brother George. It was there that Ray Charles first witnessed Pit playing boogie woogie on an old upright piano and became interested in music.
Little George drowned in a tub of water at the age of 4, being one of the first of hard times in Ray Charles' life. Ray was not born blind. He was around 5 when he began to lose his sight and was totally blind by 7. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine from 1937 to 1945. During his enrollment there his father died when he was 10, then his mother when he was 15.
The school only taught classical music but Ray wanted to play Jazz and Blues. He performed on WFOY, a radio station in St Augustine and would play popular songs on some Fridays at assemblies for the South Campus Literary Society. He also performed certain holidays for the school's Colored Department socials too.
Ray eventually moved to Seattle Washington where he recorded his first hit the Confession Blues in 1949. It was at this time that he changed his name to Ray Charles to avoid being confused with the then famous boxer with a similar name Sugar Ray Robinson. The Confession Blues soared to # 2 on the R&B Charts which paved the way for 2 more hits Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (No. 5) in 1951 and "Kissa Me Baby" (No. 8) in 1952.
There you go... the beginning and start of a long and successful career. Ray Charles went on to record many more hits. Hits like these in my top 5 list:
1. I GOT A WOMAN (1955) Considered to be Ray's first major hit. It has a funny story as to how it was written. According to biographer Michael Lydon it came about as somewhat of an accident. He says that while Ray and his co writer Renald Richard were driving around Ray suddenly sang, ''I got a woman.'' Richard responded, ''Yeah, she lives across town,'' to which Ray added, ''She's good to me.'' The rest is history!
2. HALLELUJAH I LOVE HER SO (1956) A declaration of love and devotion. The title of this one sets the scene for a happy story of how much Ray loves and appreciates a wonderful woman.
3. WHAT'D I SAY, PARTS 1 & 2 (1959) Extremely exciting and mesmerizing R&B grove that is sure to get everyone on the dance floor and chanting the chorus "Tell me what'd I say!
4. GEORGIA ON MY MIND (1960) Weather Ray wrote this one about a woman or the State is of no consequence when the song climbed to no 1 on the charts almost immediately and eventually became the state of Georgia's official state song in 1979.
5. LET'S GO GET STONED (1966) the release of this hit marks a year after Ray ended his epic struggle with heroine. The line "Ain't no harm, to have a little taste, but don't lose your cool and start messing up a man's place" is good advice for any man who wants to go on a bender.
His achievements are many, in 1976 he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame, he was given a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 1981, Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1986, and the 2005 Grammy Awards show was dedicated to Ray Charles' body of music, his influence over many generations, and his musical genius.
Ray Charles' voice and piano has entered the heart and soul of millions of music lovers across the nation and the world. In my opinion there is none like him, his raw talent and fusion of many styles have brought him success in almost all styles of music. There will be no other to replace the place he held in all of us who loved him. His influence spans many generations and still has a hold in this one.
But first a little background for those unfamiliar with this musical giant...
Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia on Sept 23rd 1930. He was the son of Aretha Williams, and Bailey Robinson. His mother, a sharecropper, his was father a railroad repair men, mechanic, and handy man. Ray seemed to be curious about mechanics as a small boy but was introduced to music early on.
Mr. Willey Pit, a local musician, ran the Mr. Wiley Pit's Red Wing Café. Pit would often help Aretha by keeping an eye on Ray's little brother George. It was there that Ray Charles first witnessed Pit playing boogie woogie on an old upright piano and became interested in music.
Little George drowned in a tub of water at the age of 4, being one of the first of hard times in Ray Charles' life. Ray was not born blind. He was around 5 when he began to lose his sight and was totally blind by 7. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine from 1937 to 1945. During his enrollment there his father died when he was 10, then his mother when he was 15.
The school only taught classical music but Ray wanted to play Jazz and Blues. He performed on WFOY, a radio station in St Augustine and would play popular songs on some Fridays at assemblies for the South Campus Literary Society. He also performed certain holidays for the school's Colored Department socials too.
Ray eventually moved to Seattle Washington where he recorded his first hit the Confession Blues in 1949. It was at this time that he changed his name to Ray Charles to avoid being confused with the then famous boxer with a similar name Sugar Ray Robinson. The Confession Blues soared to # 2 on the R&B Charts which paved the way for 2 more hits Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (No. 5) in 1951 and "Kissa Me Baby" (No. 8) in 1952.
There you go... the beginning and start of a long and successful career. Ray Charles went on to record many more hits. Hits like these in my top 5 list:
1. I GOT A WOMAN (1955) Considered to be Ray's first major hit. It has a funny story as to how it was written. According to biographer Michael Lydon it came about as somewhat of an accident. He says that while Ray and his co writer Renald Richard were driving around Ray suddenly sang, ''I got a woman.'' Richard responded, ''Yeah, she lives across town,'' to which Ray added, ''She's good to me.'' The rest is history!
2. HALLELUJAH I LOVE HER SO (1956) A declaration of love and devotion. The title of this one sets the scene for a happy story of how much Ray loves and appreciates a wonderful woman.
3. WHAT'D I SAY, PARTS 1 & 2 (1959) Extremely exciting and mesmerizing R&B grove that is sure to get everyone on the dance floor and chanting the chorus "Tell me what'd I say!
4. GEORGIA ON MY MIND (1960) Weather Ray wrote this one about a woman or the State is of no consequence when the song climbed to no 1 on the charts almost immediately and eventually became the state of Georgia's official state song in 1979.
5. LET'S GO GET STONED (1966) the release of this hit marks a year after Ray ended his epic struggle with heroine. The line "Ain't no harm, to have a little taste, but don't lose your cool and start messing up a man's place" is good advice for any man who wants to go on a bender.
His achievements are many, in 1976 he was inducted into the Georgia Music Hall Of Fame, he was given a star on the Hollywood walk of fame in 1981, Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame in 1986, and the 2005 Grammy Awards show was dedicated to Ray Charles' body of music, his influence over many generations, and his musical genius.
Ray Charles' voice and piano has entered the heart and soul of millions of music lovers across the nation and the world. In my opinion there is none like him, his raw talent and fusion of many styles have brought him success in almost all styles of music. There will be no other to replace the place he held in all of us who loved him. His influence spans many generations and still has a hold in this one.
So here are my picks of the top 5 best Ray Charles songs of all
time. I picked them because I feel this is a good place for someone to
start becoming familiar with Ray Charles' body of work.
If u like the music of Ray Charles you might also check out the work of Christopher Leigh . He covered the Ray Charles hit Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) on his latest CD release with the Broken Arrow Blues Band. It's a little different than the original version but I think you might like it.
Click here to download a copy of his latest single free.
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If u like the music of Ray Charles you might also check out the work of Christopher Leigh . He covered the Ray Charles hit Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) on his latest CD release with the Broken Arrow Blues Band. It's a little different than the original version but I think you might like it.
Click here to download a copy of his latest single free.
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