Ray Charles Biography

Fast Facts

• Had his first national hit song with "I've Got a Woman" in 1955, which he quickly followed by hits like "A Fool for You," "Drown in My Own Tears," and "Hallelujah I Love Her So․"
• Attended the St․ Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind, where he learned how to repair cars and radios and took formal piano lessons
• Began losing his sight at the age of 5 and was completely blind by the age of 7, and the cause was thought to have been glaucoma
• Started out as a Nat King Cole imitator, but eventually realized that he had to change "because nobody knows who I am․"
• Formed the McSon Trio in Seattle at the age of 18 and released his first single, "Confession Blues," in 1949
• Served as the musical director for Lowell Fulson's band for two years before returning to his own recording career, signing with Atlantic Records in 1953
• Quote: "I can't retire from music any more than I can retire from my liver․ You'd have to remove the music from me surgically-like you were taking out my appendix․"
• Quote: "I ain't going to live forever․ I got enough sense to know that․ I also know it's not a question of how long I live, but it's a question of how well I live․"
• Best known as a musician, composer, and singer-songwriter who pioneered the soul music genre
• His final album was a series of duets with performers like B․ B․ King, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, and Bonnie Raitt
• Made more than 60 albums during his career and sang a wide variety of songs, including "Georgia on My Mind," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and "America the Beautiful․"