Ray Charles

Ray Charles (born September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia and died June 10, 2004 in Beverly Hills, California) was an American singer, composer, arranger, and pianist.

A major figure in African American music, he explored numerous musical genres throughout his career spanning more than fifty years: jazz, gospel, blues, and rhythm and blues. He is frequently considered one of the pioneers of soul music alongside Sam Cooke and Solomon Burke.

Blind since the age of 7, Ray Charles received classical musical training in his youth. He then turned to blues and achieved success in the early 1960s with hits such as Georgia on My Mind and Hit the Road Jack. He earned the nickname "Genius". Struggling with drug addiction, he performed less frequently over the following two decades before experiencing another surge in international success until his death. In 2010, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him second among the greatest singers of all time, behind Aretha Franklin.

Ray Charles sold tens of millions of albums and profoundly influenced twentieth-century music, particularly pop, rock, rap, and R&B. Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Van Morrison, Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye, and Kanye West have all cited his music as influential.

Jamie Foxx portrayed him in the 2004 biographical film Ray, which won numerous awards including the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2005.