I think of his mother and the courage she had to send him away to school so soon after losing his little brother. The determination she instilled in him is evident. You may be gone from us Ray Charles Robinson, but your music will live forever.
I love this comment I also want to see from the outside looking in at an artist. When you are an artist and you have that signature sound that signature tone that signature style that nobody can imitate really anything you touch his legendary.
My mother has been blind since she was 4 years old. My grandmother had the exact same kind of determination for her to be independent and that attitude you’ve got to make it on your own. Sending children off to school who were blind etc etc… wasn’t a choice back in the day. It was something that had to be done and you couldn’t put your emotions into as a parent of children like this. I can identify with Ray Charles and what his mother knew she had to do to make Ray be able to survive and boy did. I sure do miss his presence in the American vernacular of our society and his artistry, his music and his soul and his toughness. The American dream to persevere doesn’t get any better than that despite the horrible history Ray and millions of others that faced it and still do today. Bigots are a dime a dozen in all walks of life!
Genius is not too strong a word for Ray. So many of my favorite songs throughout my life since my teen years (I'm now 70) are by Ray : blues, jazz, country, gospel, swing rock and roll R&B. He spans it all and adds to it. Thank you, Brother Ray. RIP
I dont know HOW Ray lived day to day blind & given the circumstances he had to go thru....! He'd must of had some guardians to watch over him....what a time! Im just amazed at his life story.....
Poignant how he had his sight long enough to see his brother drown, his mother insisting he be independent, then both parents die leaving him alone in total darkness. All as if he was being prepped from the beginning to help change the world with his unique style of music.
Ray Charles is the Grand Master!!! He personifies the deepest in his soul. His voice cuts thru with resonance, pain, joy and sorrow like no other. The closest to Ray is Joe Cocker. With a sound of soul himself.
In the history of American music he remains the best we ever had ____ his influence still exists especially in country music ____ his moving renditions are as relevant as ever ____ country rock and roll blues jazz gospel ___ standards !! Wow. He sang the American song book with such uniqueness he owned these songs ____ case in point ___ Come Rain Come Shine _____ there will never be another ____ rest in peace Ray and thanks ___ you remain my hero
Ray Charles was right up there with Louis Armstrong, Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, Dizzy Gillespie, Monk, Miles Davis and all them other Legends. Never gonna be another Ray down here on Earth. RIP
Elvis was good...but only the greatest to whites only... he was the biggest race exploiter there was... took black music and moves and “ whitened “ it up... Ray has a video on you tube and said the same thing I am saying... just as he explained... the greates are not recognized...
It’s crazy some people haven’t realized this but I’ll let you in on a secret…..black, white, Spanish, Korean, middle eastern…..etc…. Get ready for it…..ALL THE SAME! 2eyes, 2arms, 2legs, ONE HEART! Billy Joel & Ray Charles may not seem similar but if you close your eyes & listen to “Baby Grand” you will hear the beauty 2 souls can create! Exterior has nothing to do with it!!!!! Love you all out there
What a great Documentary from 1991 - I found at least a dozen MORE songs of Ray's I'd never heard to add to my "High Priest of SOUL" playlist...to say nothing of being awe-struck at his performances **Billy Preston at 55 seconds imitating Ray is UNCANNY - what an incredible talent in his own right!!**
There is a large part of enjoying what you are doing. Mr. Ray enjoyed music so what I hear is that country music is just another form of music that he enjoyed presenting to people.
For years I had no idea that Ray was doing drugs for part of his life until Jamie Foxx's portrayal of Ray Charles in the movie that info just flew over my head I always thought Ray's struggle was not just being black in a segregated society but his struggle with his blindness.
It's a sad fact that it was rife in those circles back in the Chitlin circles back then & it wasn't a case Of If, But When... Charlie Parker was another who ruined his life because alcohol & drugs & died way before it's time... So many many have died through some food drug abuse & alot of them took everything at once to try & get up in the morning to work & to try & rest & night... We're not just talking about illegal drugs but prescription drugs... Take Elvis/Prince & Michael Jackson as 3 examples of their body eventually crashing and dying because of the prescription drugs they took to get through any given day... It happens every single day in life but we only become aware of it when it happens to someone famous but it's a part of everyday life if your a working musician/business person or just someone ill because they're working in poor employment & working 12 to 14 hours a day, because we live in a 24/7 society now & hence more people outwith the entertainment industry are collapsing & dying as the human body isn't built for that kind of punishment but that's life now... Now with Ray & many black artists drugs was just part of their down time & dealing with as you stated " all of the other problems from being African American " in those days & it was also used to try & deal with the the harsh & hard touring schedules... Whether it's on the streets of all over the world or in any music industry drugs has & is a constant destroying part of every day life... Within the media industry we admittedly lost so many more great musical acts that for instance actors because of the constant touring/recording & then trying to have a social life & unfortunately if you choose the music industry it catch up to you eventually... This was not purely related to any genre of music but all as bad in the days up until the music industry died off on the late 90s, if you wanted to make it & stay at the top or still within the industry to make a living you had to tour for up to 2 years at a time & still record new material in the studio & hope it wasa hit.. Take my words from omeone who moved in the music industry & i managed to get out without being in debt for years because of dodgy contracts by managers that wouldn't hesitate to clean you out of every penny you had... I'll give you a quick breakdown of how the finicial side of the music industry work... Let's say you wrote & Number 1 Hit that was a Hit all over the world & sold millions of copy's... Before you got near your money the Government Taxed 90% Percent out of every £1 that you made, then the Record Compsny/Manager & any band members wanted their cut out of the 10% that was left & if you had been signed in Advance by a Record Company to fund you they wanted that money back also as soon as the hits came in & if they didn't you end up.on the poverty line & declaring bankruptcy to try & stop you going to jail for back dated unpaid tax costs... So that usually left the artist with 1% put of all of the money they made, hence why bands instantly played Live Shows all over the world as that was classed as extra income that they couldn't tax on you again because they've already taxed you... again this is why acts play live when they have a hit song or album so that they can't be taxed twice within the same year... This is why the music Industry is infamous for being the most brutal Industry to make it & stay in, well ahead of Hollywood & any others as you were constantly taxed each time a song was released & at times for airplay... All we can do is thank all of the for leaving us their great music & pass on their legacy to each new generation so that true music never dies...
Ray Charles was a Black man that God’s Grace and Mercy continued to cover him during his walk in the darkness and he was aloud to experience life as if he walked in the light. Goat is the only way to describe his talent music and singing one of our best RIP Mr Ray Charles 🙏 we love you Sir 🥰
@@DubBeatsYep, 16 years old. Hard to hear that but it’s true. I guess Ray was dealing with so much torment in his life. That was another thing that was his escape. Good thing his mom and brother broke him out of it later on (In spirit of course)😉🕊
Been a great fan of his music since 1960 after my mom bought a floor model RCA Stereo phonograph w/ Am -Fm radio. I was seven and grew up listening to Ray Charles , Jackie Wilson, The Beatles and The Platters....great music one and all.
As a beginner piano player and listening to Ray Charles music I was telling myself I need to slow down and hear the notes as they make music feeling the emotions that come about.. I wanted to hear one of the greatest piano players and history of Ray Charles.. thank you sir you have been a great inspiration in my journey do play the piano ❤
Thank you for posting this documentary. I got to know a bit more about Ray Charles. After his addiction he seemed to just come out of his shell and be the true person he was always supposed to me. That goes for all of us.
Musical legends are here fir a short time never to be replaced, the garbage singers are a dime a dozen , didn’t matter if or when they die cause there are so many y I line to hurt our ears,
Wish there was a full cover of that one off Georgia he was digging into in the beginning there...he's got Ray down good, and was an amazing arranger and pianist in his own right.
Saw Billy probably in ‘67 as Ray’s bandleader for the usual first instrumental segment. He was amazing, playing organ, singing, and dancing. Seventeen years old. An example of the kinds of things he did was on “The Concert for Bangladesh” and the song “That’s the Way God Planned It.”
En esa época estaban los tocadiscos en el mundo 😊 o echabas una moneda en una máquina y sonaba una de estas canciones. Verlos igual hubiera sido genial
Except at @35:36, Don Gibson's voice (original writer and first recording of "I Can't Stop Loving You") NEVER sounded the way Billy Joel makes him out to be.
I love Billy Joel , But Damn, at the 1:24 mark Ray sings a high pitched song with the rae-lettes chiming in, and it's so far just barely impossible to make out the words, and Billy Joel's voice over comments doesn't help, Can anyone tell me what song Ray is singing at the 1:24 mark of this documentary it sounds like a fabulous song, but if I can't make out 5-6 words from the song, then I can't do a google search and find it... Someone, please tell me the words . I hear Ray say in a high pitch "I feel" and then the ladies chime in, but I can't make out their words...
