View source for Ray Charles

{{Use American English|date=February 2024}}
{{Short description|American singer, songwriter and pianist (1930–2004)}}
{{Other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Ray Charles
| image              = Ray Charles classic piano pose.jpg
| caption            = Charles in 1969
| birth_name         = Ray Charles Robinson{{efn|name="name"|According to ''Blues: A Regional Experience'', based on the authors' interpretation of 1935 Florida census information, he was born Horace Charles Robinson in Greenville, Florida. However, most other reliable sources give his birth name as Ray Charles Robinson, and his birthplace as Dougherty County, Georgia. It has been suggested that there has been a misinterpretation and that Horace Charles Robinson was in fact a half-brother.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZNfAQAAQBAJ |title=Blues: A Regional Experience |first1=Bob L. |last1=Eagle |first2=Eric S. |last2=LeBlanc |date=May 2013 |page=361 |publisher=ABC-Clio |isbn=978-0-313-34424-4 |access-date=September 26, 2020 |archive-date=May 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044412/https://books.google.com/books?id=6ZNfAQAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}
| birth_date         = {{Birth date|1930|09|23}}
| birth_place        = [[Albany, Georgia]], U.S.
| death_date         = {{Death date and age|2004|6|10|1930|9|23}}
| death_place        = [[Beverly Hills, California]], U.S.
| resting_place      = [[Inglewood Park Cemetery]]
| spouse             = {{unbulleted list|{{Marriage|Eileen Williams|1951|1952|end=div}}|{{Marriage|Della Beatrice Howard|1955|1977|end=div}}}}
| children           = 12
| occupation         = {{Hlist|Singer|musician|songwriter|composer}}
| years_active       = 1945–2004
| signature          = Ray Charles autograph.svg
| website            = {{URL|raycharles.com}}
| module             = {{Infobox musical artist|embed=yes<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject Musicians -->
| background       = solo_singer
| origin = [[Greenville, Florida]], U.S.
| genre            = {{Flat list|class=nowraplinks|
* [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]]
* [[soul music|soul]]
* [[blues]]
* [[gospel music|gospel]]
* [[country music|country]]
* [[jazz]]
* [[rock and roll]]
}}
| instrument         = {{Flat list|
* Vocals
* piano<!-- only commonly used instruments -->
}}
| works            = [[Ray Charles discography|Discography]]
| label            = {{Flat list|class=nowraplinks|
* [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]]
* [[ABC Records|ABC]]
* [[Tangerine Records (1962)|Tangerine/Crossover]]
* [[Warner Bros. Records|Warner Bros.]]
* [[Swing Time Records|Swing Time]]
* [[Concord Records|Concord]]
* [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]
* [[Rhino Records|Flashback]]
* [[His Master's Voice (British record label)|His Master's Voice]] (UK)}}
| past_member_of = {{Flat list|class=nowraplinks|
* [[The Raelettes]]
* [[USA for Africa]]}}
}}
}}

'''Ray Charles Robinson'''{{efn|name="name"}} (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians of the 20th century and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius". Among friends and fellow musicians, he preferred being called "Brother Ray".<ref name=RollingStone/><ref name="NPR death"/> Charles was blinded during childhood, possibly due to [[glaucoma]], and consequently wore dark glasses.<ref name="Unterberger">{{cite web |first=Richie |last=Unterberger |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-charles-mn0000046861 |title=Ray Charles |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=December 20, 2019 |archive-date=July 19, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230719001024/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ray-charles-mn0000046861 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Charles pioneered the [[soul music]] genre during the 1950s by combining elements of [[blues]], [[jazz]], [[rhythm and blues]], and [[Gospel music|gospel]] into his music during his time with [[Atlantic Records]].<ref name="Unterberger"/><ref name="VH1">{{cite book |editor1-last=Hoye |editor1-first=Jacob |title=100 Greatest Albums |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pRi-4Vmh_9QC&pg=PR10 |year=2003 |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-0-7434-4876-5 |page=210 |access-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-date=May 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044542/https://books.google.com/books?id=pRi-4Vmh_9QC&pg=PR10#v=onepage&q&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="popc">{{cite web |title=Show 15: The Soul Reformation |url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark%3A/67531/metadc19764/m1/#track/1 |publisher=digital.library.unt.edu |access-date=December 15, 2018 |archive-date=October 5, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231005115932/https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19764/m1/#track/1 |url-status=live }}</ref> He contributed to the integration of [[country music]], rhythm and blues, and [[pop music]] during the 1960s with his crossover success on [[ABC Records]], notably with his two ''Modern Sounds'' albums.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24143629/soul_survivor_ray_charles |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100301023612/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/24143629/soul_survivor_ray_charles  |archive-date=March 1, 2010 |title=Soul Survivor Ray Charles |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |date=February 9, 1978 |first=Robert |last=Palmer |pages=10–14 |number=258 |access-date=November 9, 2008 }}</ref><ref name= Tyrangiel>{{cite magazine |last=Tyrangiel |first=Josh |url=http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0,27693,Modern_Sounds_in_Country_and_Western_Music,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218131614/http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/0%2C27693%2CModern_Sounds_in_Country_and_Western_Music%2C00.html  |archive-date=February 18, 2007 |title=Review: ''Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music'' |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=November 13, 2006 |access-date= July 21, 2009 }}</ref> With ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.<ref name=VH1 />

Charles' 1960s hit "[[Georgia on My Mind]]" was the first of his three career No. 1 hits on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whatley |first=Paul |date=14 November 2024 |title=Ray Charles: "Georgia On My Mind" |url=https://dailyrockhistory.com/2024/11/14/ray-charles-georgia-on-my-mind/ |access-date=15 November 2024 |website=Daily Rock History}}</ref> His 1962 album ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music]]'' became his first album to top the [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=November 23, 2020 |title=Ray Charles |url=https://www.grammy.com/artists/ray-charles/10927 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200522115152/https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/ray-charles |archive-date=May 22, 2020 |access-date=March 26, 2025 |publisher=Recording Academy Grammy Awards}}</ref> Charles had multiple singles reach the [[Top 40]] on various ''Billboard'' charts: 61 on the [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US R&B]] singles chart, 33 on the Hot 100 singles chart, and eight on the [[Hot Country Songs|Hot Country]] singles charts.<ref name=":6">{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/ray-charles |title=Ray Charles Chart History |magazine=Billboard |access-date=March 16, 2018 |archive-date=October 22, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022031430/https://www.billboard.com/music/Ray-Charles |url-status=live }}</ref>

Charles cited [[Nat King Cole]] as a primary influence, but was also influenced by [[Art Tatum]], [[Louis Jordan]] and [[Charles Brown (musician)|Charles Brown]].<ref name="Autobio">{{cite book |title=Brother Ray |last1=Charles |first1=Ray |last2=Ritz |first2=David |date=1992 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=0-306-80482-4 |location=New York}}</ref> He had a lifelong friendship and occasional partnership with [[Quincy Jones]]. [[Frank Sinatra]] called Ray Charles "the only true genius in show business", although Charles downplayed this notion.<ref>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn00fred/page/98 |title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits |last=Bronson |first=Fred |publisher=Watson-Guptill |year=1997 |isbn=0-8230-7641-5 |edition=4th |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/billboardbookofn00fred/page/98 98] |author-link=Fred Bronson}}</ref> [[Billy Joel]] said, "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than [[Elvis Presley]]."<ref>"A Tribute to Ray Charles". ''Rolling Stone'', nos. 952–953, July 8–22, 2004.</ref>

For his musical contributions, Charles received the [[Kennedy Center Honors]], the [[National Medal of Arts]], and the [[Polar Music Prize]]. He was one of the inaugural inductees at the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] in 1986. He has won 17 [[Grammy Awards]] (five posthumously),<ref name=":1" /> the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 1987, and ten of his recordings have been inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref name=":1" /> ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked Charles No. 10 on their list of the "[[Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time|100 Greatest Artists of All Time]]",<ref name="RollingStone">{{cite magazine |title=100 Greatest Artists of All Time. No.{{nbsp}}10: Ray Charles |author=Morrison, Van |magazine=Rolling Stone |issue=946 |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/ray-charles-20110420 |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=October 19, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019204246/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-artists-of-all-time-19691231/ray-charles-20110420 }}</ref> and No. 2 on their list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time".<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/ray-charles-20101202 |title=100 Greatest Singers of All Time. No.{{nbsp}}2: Ray Charles |author=Joel, Billy |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=June 13, 2010 |archive-date=October 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022235041/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/ray-charles-20101202  }}</ref> In 2023, in its revised list for the [[Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Singers of All Time|"200 Greatest Singers of All Time"]], Charles was replaced at the No. 2 position by [[Whitney Houston]] while taking the sixth spot.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-singers-all-time-1234642307/|title=200 Greatest Singers of All Time|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=January 1, 2023|access-date=August 12, 2025}}</ref> In 2022, he was inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]], as well as the [[Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Nazareno |first=Mia |date=December 17, 2021 |title=Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy, Jr. & More to Be Inducted at 2022 Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/smokey-robinson-black-music-entertainment-walk-of-fame-2022-1235012202/ |access-date=December 27, 2021 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US |archive-date=January 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129121129/https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/smokey-robinson-black-music-entertainment-walk-of-fame-2022-1235012202/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Early life and education==
[[File:Ray Charles Childhood Home, Greenville.JPG|thumb|upright|Charles' childhood home in [[Greenville, Florida]].]]
Charles was born on September 23, 1930, in [[Albany, Georgia]].{{efn|name="name"}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.raycharles.com/the_man_biography.html|website=raycharles.com |title=Biography |access-date=September 22, 2013 |url-status=deviated |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012222755/http://www.raycharles.com/the_man_biography.html |archive-date=October 12, 2007 }}</ref> He was the son of Bailey Robinson, a laborer, and Aretha (or Reatha) Robinson (née Williams), a laundress, of [[Greenville, Florida]].<ref name=Autobio/>

During Aretha's childhood, her mother died. Her father could not keep her. Bailey, a man her father worked with, took her in. The Robinson family—Bailey, his wife Mary Jane, and his mother—informally adopted her, and Aretha took the surname Robinson. A few years later, Bailey raped her, and Aretha became pregnant. During the ensuing scandal, she left Greenville late in the summer of 1930 to be with family back in Albany. After Charles' birth, she and the infant returned to Greenville. Aretha and Bailey's wife, who had lost a son, then shared in Charles' upbringing. The father had left Greenville and married another woman elsewhere. By his first birthday, Charles had a brother, George.<ref name=Autobio/>

In his early years, Charles showed an interest in mechanical objects and often watched his neighbors working on their cars and farm machinery. His musical curiosity was sparked at Wylie Pitman's Red Wing Cafe, at the age of three, when Pitman played [[boogie woogie]] on an old [[upright piano]]; Pitman subsequently taught Charles how to play the piano.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://time.com/archive/6738782/the-genius-of-brother-ray/ |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |title=The Genius of Brother Ray |author=Christopher John Farley |date=June 21, 2004 |access-date=October 25, 2025}}</ref> Charles and his mother were always welcome at the Red Wing Cafe and even lived there when they were in financial distress.<ref name=Autobio/> Pitman also cared for Ray's younger brother George, to take some of the burden off their mother. George accidentally drowned in his mother's laundry tub when he was four years old.<ref name=Autobio/><ref name="SwingMusicBio">{{cite web |last1=Parker |first1=Jeff |title=Ray Charles Biography |url=http://www.swingmusic.net/Ray_Charles_Biography.html |website=Swingmusic.net |access-date=December 16, 2018 |archive-date=June 14, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130614172253/http://www.swingmusic.net/Ray_Charles_Biography.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Charles started to lose his sight at the age of four<ref name="NPR death">{{cite news |title=Ray Charles, American Legend, Dies at 73 |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1947628 |access-date=September 25, 2014 |publisher=NPR.org |date=June 11, 2004 |archive-date=April 10, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210410205940/https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1947628 |url-status=live }}</ref> or five,<ref name="60min">Leung, Rebecca (October 14, 2004). [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-genius-of-ray-charles-14-10-2004/ "The Genius of Ray Charles: ''60 Minutes'' Looks Back at the Life and Loves of a True Original"]  (about a 1986 segment on Charles from ''[[60 Minutes]]'').</ref> and was blind by the age of seven, likely as a result of [[glaucoma]].<ref name="boheme">{{cite web|last=Graham|first=Eamon|year=2004|url=http://www.boheme-magazine.net/july04/charles.html|title=Obituary: Ray Charles (1930–2004)|work=Bohème Magazine|access-date=March 2, 2014|archive-date=March 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307011421/http://www.boheme-magazine.net/july04/charles.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Because of his blindness, Charles donned his famous sunglasses. Destitute, uneducated, and mourning the loss of her younger son, Aretha Robinson used her connections in the local community to find a school that would accept a blind African-American pupil. Despite his initial protest, Charles attended school at the [[Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind]] in [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]] from 1937 to 1945 and learned to play a variety of instruments, including the [[piano]], [[alto saxophone]], [[clarinet]], [[trumpet]], and [[Organ (music)|organ]]. He focused primarily on the piano.<ref name="boheme"/><ref name=Autobio/>

Charles further developed his musical talent at school, taking [[Classical music|classical]] piano lessons and learning the music of composers such as [[Johann Sebastian Bach|Bach]], [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart|Mozart]], [[Ludwig van Beethoven|Beethoven]], [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]], and [[Jean Sibelius|Sibelius]].<ref name= boheme/> His music teacher, Mrs. Lawrence, taught him to [[Sight-reading|read]] and write music [[braille music|using Braille]], a difficult process that requires learning the left hand movements by reading braille with the right hand and learning the right hand movements by reading braille with the left hand, then combining the two parts.

Charles' mother died in the spring of 1945, when he was 14. Her death came as a shock to him; he later said the deaths of his brother and mother were "the two great tragedies" of his life. Charles decided not to return to school after the funeral.<ref name=Autobio/>

==Career==
===1945–1952: Florida, Los Angeles, and Seattle===
After leaving school, Charles moved to [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] to live with Charles Wayne Powell, who had been friends with his late mother. He played the piano for bands at the [[Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville)|Ritz Theatre]] in [[LaVilla, Jacksonville, Florida|LaVilla]] for over a year,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thecoastal.com/culture/music/remembering-ray-charles-northeast-florida-roots |title=Remembering Ray Charles' Northeast Florida Roots - The Coastal |date=June 21, 2019 |access-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-date=July 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726113608/https://thecoastal.com/culture/music/remembering-ray-charles-northeast-florida-roots |url-status=live }}</ref> earning $4 a night (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4|1952}}}}, in {{Inflation-year|US}} value{{inflation-fn|US}}). He joined [[Local union|Local 632]] of the [[American Federation of Musicians]], in the hope that it would help him get work,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA102|page=102|title=Ray Charles|first=Norman|last=Winski|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-0-87067-790-8|access-date=September 26, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044534/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA102#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and was able to use the union hall's piano to practice, since he did not have one at home; he learned piano licks from copying the other players there.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA104|page=104|title=Ray Charles|first=Norman|last=Winski|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-0-87067-790-8|access-date=September 26, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044412/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> He started to build a reputation as a talented musician in Jacksonville, but the jobs did not come fast enough for him to construct a strong identity, so, at age 16, he moved to [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], where he lived in borderline poverty and went without food for days.<ref name=Winski>{{cite book|first=Norman|last=Winski|title=Ray Charles: Singer and Musician|date=1994|publisher=Melrose Square Publishing|location=Los Angeles|isbn=0-87067-790-X|pages=[https://archive.org/details/raycharles0000wins/page/102 102–107]|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharles0000wins/page/102}}</ref> Charles eventually started to write arrangements for a pop music band, and in the summer of 1947, he unsuccessfully auditioned to play piano for [[Lucky Millinder]] and his sixteen-piece band.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead">{{cite book|last=Lydon|first=Michael|year=1998|title=Ray Charles: Man and Music|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharlesmanmus00lydo|url-access=registration|publisher=Riverhead Books|isbn=1-57322-132-5}}</ref>

In 1947, Charles moved to [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], where he held two jobs, including one as a pianist for Charles Brantley's Honey Dippers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/charlie-brantley-and-his-original-honey-dippers.php|title=Charlie Brantley and His Original Honey Dippers|publisher=Tampabaymusichistory.com|access-date=January 16, 2017|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008090312/http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/charlie-brantley-and-his-original-honey-dippers.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

In his early career, Charles modeled himself on [[Nat King Cole]]. His first four recordings—"Wondering and Wondering", "Walking and Talking", "Why Did You Go?" and "I Found My Baby There"—were allegedly done in Tampa, although some discographies claim he recorded them in Miami in 1951 or else Los Angeles in 1952.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/>

Charles had always played piano for other people, but he was keen to have his own band. He decided to leave Florida for a large city, and, considering Chicago and New York City too big, followed his friend Gossie McKee to [[Seattle]], Washington, in March 1948, knowing that the biggest radio hits came from northern cities.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/><ref name="boheme2">{{cite news|title=Charles, Ray (1930–2004)|publisher=HistoryLink.org|url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5707|access-date=May 12, 2007|archive-date=October 31, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031074822/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5707|url-status=live}}</ref> There he met and befriended, under the tutelage of [[Robert Blackwell]], the 15-year-old [[Quincy Jones]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon0bio-1|title=Quincy Jones Biography|publisher=Achievement.org|access-date=December 22, 2014  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926221424/http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon0bio-1|archive-date=September 26, 2012}}</ref>

With Charles on piano, McKee on guitar, and Milton Garred on bass, ''The McSon Trio'' (named for '''''Mc'''''Kee and Robin'''''son''''') started playing the 1–5 A.M. shift at the Rocking Chair.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ray Charles: "I was Born with Music Inside Me"|first=Carin T.|last=Ford|publisher=Enslow Publishers, Inc.|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7660-2701-5|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharlesiwasbo00ford/page/8}}</ref> Publicity photos of this trio are some of the earliest known photographs of Charles. In April 1949, he and his band recorded "[[Confession Blues]]", which became his first national hit, soaring to the second spot on the Billboard R&B chart.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/> While still working at the Rocking Chair, Charles also arranged songs for other artists, including [[Cole Porter]]'s "Ghost of a Chance" and [[Dizzy Gillespie]]'s "Emanon".<ref name=Winski/> After the success of his first two singles, Charles moved to Los Angeles in 1950 and spent the next few years touring with the blues musician [[Lowell Fulson]] as Fulson's musical director.<ref name="NPR death"/>

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 [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] but thriving black community of [[Overtown (Miami)|Overtown]]. Stone later helped [[Jerry Wexler]] find Charles in [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Jacob|last=Katel|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-11-22/news/henry-stone-legendary-soul|title=Henry Stone: Legendary Soul|work=Miami New Times|date=November 22, 2012|access-date=February 14, 2013|archive-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110143845/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-11-22/news/henry-stone-legendary-soul/}}</ref>

After signing with [[Swing Time Records]], Charles recorded two more R&B hits under the name Ray Charles: "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951), which reached No. 5, and "Kissa Me Baby" (1952), which reached No. 8. Swing Time folded the following year, and [[Ahmet Ertegun]] signed Charles to [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]].<ref name=boheme/>

In addition to being a musician, Charles was also a record producer, producing [[Guitar Slim]]'s No. 1 hit, "[[The Things That I Used to Do]]".

===1952–1959: Atlantic Records===
[[File:Aankomst Ray Charles (kop) op Schiphol, Bestanddeelnr 921-7410.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Charles in 1968]]
In June 1952, Atlantic bought Charles' contract for $2,500 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|2500|1952}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}).<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-story-of-atlantic-records-20010426 |title=The Story of Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun in His Own Words |last=Fricke |first=David |date=April 26, 2001 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 3, 2018 |archive-date=April 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404073740/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-story-of-atlantic-records-20010426 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=[[Rockin' in Time]]|last=Szatmary|first=David P.|publisher=Pearson|year=2014|page=177}}</ref> His first recording session for Atlantic ("The Midnight Hour"/"Roll with My Baby") took place in September 1952, although his last Swing Time release ("Misery in My Heart"/"The Snow Is Falling") would not appear until February 1953.

In 1953, "[[Mess Around]]" became his first small hit for Atlantic; during the next year, he had hits with "[[It Should've Been Me (Memphis Curtis song)|It Should've Been Me]]" and "Don't You Know".<ref name=":0"/> He also recorded the songs "Midnight Hour" and "Sinner's Prayer" around this time.

Late in 1954, Charles recorded "[[I've Got a Woman]]". The lyrics were written by bandleader Renald Richard. Charles claimed the composition. They later admitted that the song went back to the Southern Tones' "It Must Be Jesus" (1954). It became one of his most notable hits, reaching No. 2 on the R&B chart.<ref name=":0"/> "I've Got a Woman" combined [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[jazz]], and [[blues]] elements. In 1955, he had hits with "[[This Little Girl of Mine]]" and "[[A Fool for You]]". In upcoming years, hits included "[[Drown in My Own Tears]]" and "[[Hallelujah I Love Her So]]".

Charles also recorded jazz, such as ''[[The Great Ray Charles]]'' (1957). He worked with vibraphonist [[Milt Jackson]], releasing ''[[Soul Brothers]]'' in 1958 and ''[[Soul Meeting]]'' in 1961. By 1958, he was not only headlining major black venues such as the [[The Apollo Theater|Apollo Theater]] in New York, but also larger venues such as [[Carnegie Hall]] and the [[The Newport Jazz Festival|Newport Jazz Festival]], where his first live album was recorded in 1958. He hired a female singing group, [[the Cookies]], and renamed them [[the Raelettes]]. In 1958, Charles and the Raelettes performed for the famed [[Cavalcade of Jazz]] concert produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.|Leon Hefflin Sr.]] held at the [[Shrine Auditorium]] on August 3. The other headliners were [[Little Willie John]], [[Sam Cooke]], [[Ernie Freeman]], and [[Bo Rhambo]]. [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] was also there to crown the winner of the Miss Cavalcade of Jazz beauty contest. The event featured the top four prominent disc jockeys of Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dreamboogietrium00gura|title=Dream boogie: the triumph of Sam Cooke|last=Guralnick, Peter.|date=2005|publisher=Little, Brown|isbn=0-316-37794-5|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=57393650}}</ref><ref>"Applause! In the Theatre" Review by Hazel L. Lamarre Los Angeles Sentinel July 24, 1958</ref>

Charles reached the pinnacle of his success at Atlantic with the release of "What'd I Say", which combined gospel, jazz, blues and Latin music. Charles said he wrote it spontaneously while he was performing in clubs with his band. Despite some radio stations banning the song because of its sexually suggestive lyrics, the song became Charles' first top-ten pop record. It reached No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Pop chart and No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in 1959.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0"/> Later that year, he released his first country song (a cover of [[Hank Snow]]'s "[[I'm Moving On (Hank Snow song)|I'm Movin' On]]") and recorded three more albums for the label: a jazz record (''The Genius After Hours'', 1961); a blues record (''The Genius Sings the Blues'', 1961); and a big band record (''The Genius of Ray Charles'', 1959) which was his first Top 40 album, peaking at No. 17.

===1959–1967: Crossover success===
{{See also|What'd I Say|Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music}}
Charles' contract with Atlantic expired in 1959, and several big labels offered him record deals. Choosing not to renegotiate his contract with Atlantic, he signed with [[ABC Records|ABC-Paramount]] in November 1959.<ref name=linernotes>[http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2007/08/12/ray-charles-%E2%80%9Ci-can%E2%80%99t-stop-loving-you%E2%80%9D Ray Charles, "I Can't Stop Loving You"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409091730/https://www.kalamu.com/bol/2007/08/12/ray-charles-%e2%80%9ci-can%e2%80%99t-stop-loving-you%e2%80%9d/ |date=April 9, 2023 }}. Kalamu.com. Retrieved August 13, 2008.</ref> He obtained a more liberal contract than other artists had at the time, with ABC offering him a $50,000 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|50,000|1959}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) annual advance, higher royalties than before, and eventual ownership of his [[master tape]]s—a very valuable and lucrative deal at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/ray_charles_soul_pioneer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012152244/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/ray_charles_soul_pioneer|archive-date=October 12, 2007|title=RS Biography: Ray Charles 1930-2004|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=August 14, 2008 }}</ref> During his Atlantic years, Charles had been hailed for his inventive compositions, but by the time of the release of the largely instrumental jazz album ''[[Genius + Soul = Jazz]]'' (1960) for ABC's subsidiary label [[Impulse! Records|Impulse!]], he had given up on writing in favor of becoming a [[cover band|cover artist]], giving his own eclectic arrangements of existing songs.<ref name="times">{{cite news |first1=Jon |last1=Pareles |first2=Bernard |last2=Weinraub |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04EEDA1530F932A25755C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon= |title=Ray Charles, Bluesy Essence of Soul, Is Dead at 73 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 11, 2004 |access-date=December 12, 2008 |archive-date=May 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044407/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/11/arts/ray-charles-bluesy-essence-of-soul-is-dead-at-73.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

With "[[Georgia on My Mind]]", his first hit single for ABC-Paramount in 1960, Charles received national acclaim and four [[Grammy Award]]s, including two for "Georgia on My Mind" ([[Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male|Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Male]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song|Best Performance by a Pop Single Artist]]). Written by [[Stuart Gorrell]] and [[Hoagy Carmichael]] in 1930, the song was Charles' first work with [[Sid Feller]], who produced, arranged and conducted the recording.<ref name="times"/><ref>[//www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595889/georgia_on_my_mind The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: 44) "Georgia on My Mind"]. Rolling Stone.com; retrieved August 14, 2008.</ref> Charles' rendition of the tune helped elevate it to the status of an American classic, and his version also became the state song of Georgia in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2011 |title=29 Black Music Milestones: Ray Charles' 'Georgia' Becomes State Song |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/29-black-music-milestones-ray-charles-georgia-becomes-state-song-473071/ |access-date=March 31, 2022 |website=billboard.com |language=en-US |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331181350/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/29-black-music-milestones-ray-charles-georgia-becomes-state-song-473071/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gioia |first=Ted |title=The jazz standards: a guide to the repertoire |date=2021 |isbn=978-0-19-008717-3 |edition=Second |oclc=1238128525}}</ref>

[[File:Ray Charles 260971neu000.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Charles in 1971]]

Charles earned another Grammy for the follow-up track "[[Hit the Road Jack]]", written by R&B singer [[Percy Mayfield]].

In 1961, Charles had expanded his small road ensemble to a [[big band]], partly as a response to increasing royalties and touring fees, becoming one of the few black artists to cross over into mainstream pop with such a level of creative control.<ref name="times"/><ref name=cooper20>Cooper (1998), pp. 20–22.</ref> Concerts in Antibes and later Zurich, Lyon and Paris led to Charles becoming the No. 1 bestselling jazz artist in France for many years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://raycharlesvideomuseum.blogspot.com/2011/10/ray-charles-live-in-paris-1961.html|title=Birth Of A Big Band: Ray Charles' October 1961 Concerts In Paris |date=October 9, 2011 |publisher=Ray Charles Video Museum|access-date=February 8, 2025}}</ref>  This success, however, came to a momentary halt during a concert tour in November 1961, when a police search of Charles' hotel room in Indianapolis, Indiana, led to the discovery of heroin in the medicine cabinet. The case was eventually dropped, as the search lacked a proper [[Warrant (law)|warrant]] by the police, and Charles soon returned to music.<ref name=cooper20/>

In the early 1960s, on the way from Louisiana to [[Oklahoma City]], Charles faced a near-death experience when the pilot of his plane lost visibility, as snow and his failure to use the defroster caused the windshield of the plane to become completely covered in ice. The pilot made a few circles in the air before he was finally able to see through a small part of the windshield and land the plane. Charles placed a spiritual interpretation on the experience, claiming that "something or someone which instruments cannot detect" was responsible for creating the small opening in the ice on the windshield which enabled the pilot to eventually land the plane safely.<ref name=Autobio/>

The 1962 album ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv3-83.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=May 24, 2022|archive-date=August 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809112847/https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv3-83.php|url-status=live}}</ref> and its sequel, ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two|Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2]]'', helped to bring [[country music]] into the musical mainstream. Charles' version of the [[Don Gibson]] song "[[I Can't Stop Loving You]]" topped the Pop chart for five weeks, stayed at No. 1 on the R&B chart for ten weeks, and gave him his only No. 1 record in the UK. In 1962, he founded his record label, [[Tangerine Records (1962)|Tangerine]], which ABC-Paramount promoted and distributed.<ref name=Autobio/>{{rp|248}}<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/>{{rp|213–16}} He had major pop hits in 1963 with "[[Busted (Harlan Howard song)|Busted]]" (US No. 4) and "[[Take These Chains from My Heart]]" (US No. 8).<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ray Charles Chart History|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/ray-charles/chart-history|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 16, 2018|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812130531/https://www.billboard.com/music/ray-charles/chart-history|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1964, [[Margie Hendrix]] was kicked out of the Raelettes after a big argument.

In 1964, Charles' career was halted once more after he was arrested for a third time for possession of heroin.<ref name=":8" /> He agreed to go to a rehabilitative facility to avoid jail time and eventually kicked his habit at a clinic in Los Angeles. After spending a year on parole, Charles reappeared in the charts in 1966 with a series of hits composed with [[Ashford & Simpson]] and [[Jo Armstead]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/the-brill-building-broadway-and-beyond-r-b-and-soul-singer-songwriter-joshie-armstead-2495380930.html|title=The Brill Building, Broadway, and Beyond: R&B and Soul Singer-songwriter Joshie Armstead|last=Wikane|first=Christian John|date=September 11, 2017|website=PopMatters|language=en|access-date=April 2, 2020|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407185601/https://www.popmatters.com/the-brill-building-broadway-and-beyond-r-b-and-soul-singer-songwriter-joshie-armstead-2495380930.html|url-status=live}}</ref> including the dance number "[[I Don't Need No Doctor]]" and "[[Let's Go Get Stoned]]", which became his first No. 1 R&B hit in several years. His cover version of "[[Crying Time]]", originally recorded by country singer [[Buck Owens]], reached No. 6 on the pop chart and helped Charles win a Grammy Award the following March. In 1967, he had a top-twenty hit with another ballad, "[[Here We Go Again (Ray Charles song)|Here We Go Again]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pianofiles.com/browse/artist/ray+charles|title=Ray Charles Profile |publisher=PianoFiles.com |access-date=April 11, 2015  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504021948/http://www.pianofiles.com/browse/artist/ray+charles|archive-date=May 4, 2014}}</ref>

===1967–1983: Commercial decline===
[[File:Nixon meeting with Ray Charles in the oval office - NARA - 194452.tif|thumb|right|250px|alt=Color photo of Nixon and Ray Charles|Charles meeting with President Richard Nixon, 1972 (photo by [[Oliver F. Atkins]])]]

Charles' renewed chart success, however, proved to be short lived, and by the 1970s his music was rarely played on radio stations. The rise of [[psychedelic rock]] and harder forms of rock and R&B music had reduced Charles' radio appeal, as did his choosing to record pop standards and covers of contemporary rock and soul hits, since his earnings from owning his master tapes had taken away the motivation to write new material. Charles nonetheless continued to have an active recording career. Most of his recordings between 1968 and 1973 evoked strong reactions: either adored or panned by fans and critics alike.<ref name="boheme"/> His recordings during this period, especially 1972's ''[[A Message from the People]]'', moved toward the [[progressive soul]] sound popular at the time.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Swenson|editor-first=John|year=1999|title=The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide|publisher=[[Random House]]|isbn=978-0-679-76873-9|page=138}}</ref> ''A Message from the People'' included his unique gospel-influenced version of "[[America the Beautiful]]" and a number of protest songs about poverty and civil rights. Charles was often criticized for his version of "America the Beautiful" because it was very drastically changed from the song's original version. On July 14, 1973, [[Margie Hendrix]], the mother of Ray's son Charles Wayne Hendrix, died at 38 years old, which led to Ray having to care for the child. The official cause of her death is unknown.

In 1974, Charles left ABC Records and recorded several albums on his own label, Crossover Records. A 1975 recording of Stevie Wonder's hit "[[Living for the City]]" later helped Charles win another Grammy. In 1977, he reunited with Ahmet Ertegun and re-signed to Atlantic Records, for which he recorded the album ''[[True to Life (Ray Charles album)|True to Life]]'', remaining with his old label until 1980. However, the label had now begun to focus on rock acts, and some of their prominent soul artists, such as [[Aretha Franklin]], were starting to be neglected. In November 1977 he appeared as the host of the NBC television show ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77e.phtml|title=Ray Charles|publisher=SnlTranscripts.jt.org|date=November 12, 1977|access-date=September 10, 2010|archive-date=April 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406222235/https://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77e.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 1979, his version of "Georgia on My Mind" was proclaimed the [[List of U.S. state songs|state song]] of Georgia, and an emotional Charles performed the song on the floor of the state legislature. In 1980 Charles performed in the musical film ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]''.<ref name="boheme"/> Although he had notably supported the [[Civil rights movement|American Civil Rights Movement]] and [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] in the 1960s, Charles was criticized for performing at the [[Sun City, North West|Sun City]] resort in South Africa in 1981 during an international boycott protesting that country's [[apartheid]] policy. He later defended his choice of performing there, insisting that the audience of black and white fans would integrate while he was there.<ref name="boheme"/>

===1983–2004: Later years===
In 1983, Charles signed a contract with [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. He recorded a string of country albums and had hit singles in duets with singers such as [[George Jones]], [[Chet Atkins]], [[B. J. Thomas]], [[Mickey Gilley]], [[Hank Williams Jr.]], [[Dee Dee Bridgewater]] ("Precious Thing") and his longtime friend [[Willie Nelson]], with whom he recorded "[[Seven Spanish Angels]]".

In 1985, Charles participated in the musical recording and video "[[We Are the World]]", a charity single recorded by the supergroup United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa.[[File:Ray Charles FIJM 2003.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Charles at the 2003 [[Montreal International Jazz Festival]], one of his last public performances]]

In 1990 he participated for the first time in the [[Sanremo Music Festival]] with song ''[[Good Love Gone Bad]]'', written by [[Toto Cutugno]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cznHGPwwt9Q|title=Ray Charles - Good love gone bad (Gli amori - Toto Cutugno)|website=[[YouTube]]|date=November 7, 2022 |access-date=July 25, 2023|archive-date=July 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725153645/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cznHGPwwt9Q|url-status=live}}</ref>

Before the release of his first album for Warner, ''Would You Believe'', Charles made a return to the R&B charts with a cover of the [[The Brothers Johnson|Brothers Johnson]]'s "[[I'll Be Good to You]]", a duet with his lifelong friend Quincy Jones and the singer [[Chaka Khan]], which hit No. 1 on the R&B chart in 1990 and won Charles and Khan a Grammy for their duet. Prior to this, Charles returned to the pop charts with "[[Baby Grand]]", a duet with singer-songwriter [[Billy Joel]]. In 1989, he recorded a cover of the [[Southern All Stars]]' "Itoshi no Ellie" for a Japanese TV advertisement for the [[Suntory]] brand, releasing it in Japan as "Ellie My Love", where it reached No.{{nbsp}}3 on its [[Oricon]] chart.<ref name="oricon89">{{cite web|url=http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~ms-db/oricon/oricon_single_89.htm |title=List of Best-Selling International Singles in Japan of 1989 |publisher=Oricon. Wbs.ne.jp |access-date=March 1, 2018  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103044017/http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~ms-db/oricon/oricon_single_89.htm |archive-date=January 3, 2007}}</ref> In the same year he was a special guest at the [[Verona Arena]] during the tour promoting ''[[Oro Incenso & Birra]]'' of the Italian singer [[Zucchero Fornaciari]].

In 2001–02, Charles appeared in commercials for the [[New Jersey Lottery]] to promote its campaign "For every dream, there's a jackpot."

In 2003, he headlined the [[White House Correspondents' Association#White House Correspondents' dinner|White House Correspondents' Association Dinner]] in Washington, D.C., attended by President [[George W. Bush]], [[Laura Bush]], [[Colin Powell]] and [[Condoleezza Rice]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?176331-3/2003-white-house-correspondents-dinner-entertainment|title=2003 White House Correspondents' Dinner Entertainment|publisher=C-span.org|access-date=March 4, 2017|archive-date=September 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908141349/https://www.c-span.org/video/?176331-3/2003-white-house-correspondents-dinner-entertainment|url-status=live}}</ref>

Also in 2003, Charles presented [[Van Morrison]] with Morrison's award upon being inducted in the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]], and the two sang Morrison's song "[[Crazy Love (Van Morrison song)|Crazy Love]]" (the performance appears on Morrison's 2007 album ''[[The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3]]''). In 2003, Charles performed "Georgia on My Mind" and "America the Beautiful" at a televised annual banquet of electronic media journalists held in Washington, D.C. His final public appearance was on April 30, 2004, at the dedication of his music studio as a historic landmark in Los Angeles.<ref name="boheme" />

==Legacy==
===Influence on music industry===
[[File:Rcs in west adams heights.png|thumb|right|The sign for Ray Charles Square in [[West Adams Heights, Los Angeles]].]]
Charles possessed one of the most recognizable voices in American music. In the words of musicologist [[Henry Pleasants (music critic)|Henry Pleasants]]:

{{blockquote|Sinatra, and Bing Crosby before him, had been masters of words. Ray Charles is a master of sounds. His records disclose an extraordinary assortment of slurs, glides, turns, shrieks, wails, breaks, shouts, screams and hollers, all wonderfully controlled, disciplined by inspired musicianship, and harnessed to ingenious subtleties of harmony, dynamics and rhythm... It is either the singing of a man whose vocabulary is inadequate to express what is in his heart and mind or of one whose feelings are too intense for satisfactory verbal or conventionally melodic articulation. He can't tell it to you. He can't even sing it to you. He has to cry out to you, or shout to you, in tones eloquent of despair—or exaltation. The voice alone, with little assistance from the text or the notated music, conveys the message.<ref>{{cite book|first= Henry|last= Pleasants|author-link= Henry Pleasants (music critic)|date= 1974|title= The Great American Popular Singers|publisher= Simon and Schuster|location= New York City|isbn= 978-0-671-21681-8|url= https://archive.org/details/greatamericanpop00pleas}}</ref>}}

Pleasants continues, "Ray Charles is usually described as a baritone, and his speaking voice would suggest as much, as would the difficulty he experiences in reaching and sustaining the baritone's high E and F in a popular ballad. But the voice undergoes some sort of transfiguration under stress, and in music of gospel or blues character he can and does sing for measures on end in the high tenor range of A, B flat, B, C and even C sharp and D, sometimes in full voice, sometimes in an ecstatic head voice, sometimes in falsetto. In falsetto he continues up to E and F above high C. On one extraordinary record, 'I'm Going Down to the River'...he hits an incredible B flat...giving him an overall range, including the falsetto extension, of at least three octaves."

His style and success in the genres of rhythm and blues and jazz had an influence on a number of highly successful artists, including, as Jon Pareles has noted, [[Elvis Presley]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Stevie Wonder]], [[Van Morrison]], and [[Billy Joel]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/arts/music/ray-charles-who-reshaped-american-music-dies-at-73.html|title=Ray Charles, Who Reshaped American Music, Dies at 73|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 10, 2004|access-date=September 23, 2018|archive-date=September 17, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230917012919/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/10/arts/music/ray-charles-who-reshaped-american-music-dies-at-73.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Other singers who have acknowledged Charles' influence on their own styles include [[James Booker]],<ref name="russell">{{cite book| first= Tony| last= Russell| date= 1997| title= The Blues: From Robert Johnson to Robert Cray| publisher=Carlton Books | location= Dubai| page= 94| isbn= 1-85868-255-X}}</ref> [[Steve Winwood]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Buckley |first=Michael |url=https://www.stevewinwood.com/news/6062 |title=A Chat With Steve Winwood: June 10, 2005 |publisher=The Annapolis Capital |access-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606052238/https://www.stevewinwood.com/news/6062 |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Richard Manuel]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Viney |first=Peter |url=http://theband.hiof.no/articles/viney_ray_charles_band.html |title=Influences on The Band: Ray Charles |publisher=theband.hiof.no |access-date=September 23, 2018 |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525151804/http://theband.hiof.no/articles/viney_ray_charles_band.html |url-status=live }}</ref> and [[Gregg Allman]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Lynskey|first=John|url=https://www.greggallman.com/music/back-to-macon/|title=Gregg Allman Live: Back to Macon|date=December 5, 2016|publisher=greggallman.com|access-date=September 23, 2018|archive-date=September 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230915101925/https://greggallman.com/music/back-to-macon/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Joe Levy, a music editor for ''Rolling Stone'', "The hit records he made for Atlantic in the mid-1950s mapped out everything that would happen to rock 'n' roll and soul music in the years that followed."<ref name="times" /> Charles was also an inspiration to [[Pink Floyd]] member [[Roger Waters]], who told the Turkish newspaper ''[[Hürriyet]]'': "I was about 15. In the middle of the night with friends, we were listening to jazz. It was "[[Georgia on My Mind]]", Ray Charles' version. Then I thought 'One day, if I make some people feel only one-twentieth of what I am feeling now, it will be quite enough for me.{{'"}}<ref>{{cite news|last=Oskay|first=Cinar|url=http://kelebekgaleri.hurriyet.com.tr/galeridetay/71812/2368/23/roger-waters-cinar-oskay-roportaji|title=Roger Waters, Cinar Oskay roportaji: 'Muziginizin hatirlanmasi sizin icin onemli mi?'|language=tr|newspaper=[[Hürriyet]]|access-date=August 4, 2013|archive-date=November 6, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181106143709/http://kelebekgaleri.hurriyet.com.tr/galeridetay/71812/2368/23/roger-waters-cinar-oskay-roportaji|url-status=live}}</ref>

''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]'', a biopic portraying his life and career between the mid-1930s and 1979, was released in October 2004, starring [[Jamie Foxx]] as Charles. Foxx won the [[77th Academy Awards|2005]] [[Academy Award for Best Actor]] for the role.

===Awards and honors===
{| class="wikitable"
!Year
!Award/Honor
!Category/Recognition
!Notable Works or Details
|-
|'''1960'''
|[[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award]]
|Best Rhythm & Blues Performance
|Song: "Let the Good Times Roll"
|-
|'''1960'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Male Vocal Performance, Pop
|Song:  "Georgia on My Mind"
|-
|'''1960'''
|Grammy  Award
|Best  Performance by a Pop Single Artist
|Song: "Georgia on My Mind"
|-
|'''1961'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Male Vocal Performance,  R&B
|Song:  "Hit the Road Jack"
|-
|'''1961'''
|Playboy  Award
|Best  Male Vocalist, Jazz and Pop
|Recognition  from Playboy magazine
|-
|'''1962'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Male Solo Vocal Performance
|Song:  "I Can't Stop Loving You"
|-
|'''1962'''
|Grammy  Award
|Best  Rhythm & Blues Recording
|Song: "I Can't Stop Loving You"
|-
|'''1962'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
|Song:  "I Can't Stop Loving You"
|-
|'''1963'''
|Grammy  Award
|Best  Rhythm & Blues Recording
|Song: "Busted"
|-
|'''1963'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Vocal Performance, Male
|Song:  "Busted"
|-
|'''1965'''
|Playboy  Award
|Best  Male Vocalist, Jazz
|Recognition  from Playboy magazine
|-
|'''1967'''
|Grammy Award
|Best R&B Solo Vocal  Performance, Male or Female
|Song:  "Crying Time"
|-
|'''1971'''
|Playboy  Award
|Best  Pop and R&B Vocalist
|Recognition  from Playboy magazine
|-
|'''1973'''
|Academy of Country Music (ACM)  Awards
|Duo of the Year (with Willie  Nelson)
|Collaboration on "Seven  Spanish Angels"
|-
|'''1975'''
|[[Academy  of Achievement]]'s Golden Plate Award
|For  distinguished career in music
|Celebrated  for career achievements
|-
|'''1976'''
|[[Country Music Association Awards|Country Music Association (CMA)  Awards]]
|Album of the Year (with Willie  Nelson)
|Ray Charles & Willie Nelson: Best of Friends
|-
|'''1981'''
|[[Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
|[[Hollywood Walk of Fame|Star on Walk of Fame]]
|Recognized  for his contributions to entertainment
|-
|'''1986'''
|Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
|Inductee (Inaugural Class)
|One of the first musicians  inducted
|-
|'''1986'''
|Medal of Commander
|The Order of Arts and Letters
|Commander of Fine Arts and Letters<ref>{{Cite web |title=1980s |url=https://raycharles.com/legacy/1980s/#:~:text=The%20French%20Government%20honored%20Ray%20Charles%20when%20he%20was%20made%20a%20%E2%80%9CCommander%20of%20Fine%20Arts%20and%20Letters,%E2%80%9D%20the%20second%20time%20the%20Republic%20of%20France%20has%20selected%20Charles%20for%20a%20distinguished%20honor. |access-date=2024-11-03 |website=Ray Charles |language=en-US}}</ref>
|-
|'''1986'''
|Kennedy Center Honors
|Lifetime Achievement in Arts
|Celebrated  as a cultural icon and pioneer in music
|-
|'''1987'''
|President's  Merit Award
|Recognition  by the Recording Academy
|Honored  for contributions to music
|-
|'''1988'''
|[[Grammy Lifetime Achievement  Award]]
|Lifetime Achievement
|Celebrated for career  achievements
|-
|'''1990'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Jazz Vocal Performance,  Male
|Song:  "I'll Be Good to You" (with Chaka Khan)
|-
|'''1990'''
|Honorary  Doctorate - University of South Florida
|Doctor  of Fine Arts
|Recognized  for his influence on arts and culture
|-
|'''1991'''
|Rhythm & Blues Foundation  Pioneer Award
|Inductee
|Recognized for contributions to  R&B music
|-
|'''1991'''
|George  and Ira Gershwin Award
|Lifetime  Musical Achievement Award at UCLA Spring Sing
|Honored  for his lasting musical legacy
|-
|'''1993'''
|National Medal of Arts
|Presented by President [[Bill Clinton]]
|Highest U.S. award for artistic  achievement
|-
|'''1993'''
|Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
|Lifetime  Achievement
|Recognition  of his lifetime contributions
|-
|'''1998'''
|Polar Music Prize
|Awarded with [[Ravi Shankar]]
|Sweden's most prestigious award,  presented by the King & Queen
|-
|'''2001'''
|Candle  Award from Morehouse College
|Lifetime  Achievement in Arts and Entertainment
|Recognized  for his contributions to arts and education
|-
|'''2001'''
|Honorary Doctorate - Morehouse  College
|Doctor of Humane Letters
|$2 million donation to fund  music education
|-
|'''2003'''
|Honorary  Doctorate - Dillard University
|Doctor  of Humane Letters
|Endowed  a professorship in African-American culinary history
|-
|'''2004'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Gospel Performance
|Song:  "Heaven Help Us All" (with Gladys Knight)
|-
|'''2004'''
|Grammy Award
|Best  Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists
|Song: "Here We Go Again" (with Norah Jones)
|-
|'''2004'''
|Grammy Award
|Record of the Year
|Song:  "Here We Go Again" (with Norah Jones)
|-
|'''2004'''
|Grammy Award
|Album  of the Year
|Album: Genius Loves Company
|-
|'''2004'''
|Grammy Award
|Best Pop Vocal Album
|Album: Genius Loves Company
|-
|'''2004'''
|Google Doodle Tribute
|Commemorated  on his 74th birthday
|
|-
|'''2004'''
|National Black Sports &  Entertainment Hall of Fame
|Inductee
|Honored for achievements in  entertainment
|-
|'''2005'''
|Grammy  Awards Dedication
|Grammy  Awards dedicated to Charles
|Tribute  after his passing
|-
|'''2010'''
|Ray Charles Performing Arts  Center
|Facility named at Morehouse  College
|$20 million facility established  for arts education
|-
|'''2013'''
|USPS  Forever Stamp
|Part  of the Musical Icons series
|Recognized  as an American music icon
|-
|'''2013'''
|Rolling Stone
|No. 10 on "100 Greatest Artists of  All Time"
|Recognized among music legends
|-
|'''2013'''
|Rolling  Stone
|No. 2 on "100 Greatest Singers of All Time"
|Praised  for vocal prowess and influence
|-
|'''2015'''
|Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of  Fame
|Inductee
|Honored for his influence on  R&B music
|-
|'''2016'''
|"A Tribute to Ray Charles: In Performance at the White House"[https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/remarks-pbss-tribute-ray-charles-performance-the-white-house] [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ray-charles-returns-white-house-180958135/]
|Statement on "America the Beautiful" and performance by [[Usher (musician)|Usher]] "Georgia on My Mind"
|A Smithsonian Salute broadcast on [[PBS]]. Obama praised his rendition as deeply patriotic
|-
|'''2022'''
|[[Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum|Country Music Hall of Fame]]
|Inductee (Posthumous)
|Third African-American inducted,  honored for country influence
|}
[[File:Ray Charles star on Hollywood Blvd IMG 6636 photo 2023.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Star honoring Charles on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]], at 6777 Hollywood Boulevard]]

[[File:Nagoya Walk of Fame.jpg|upright|thumb|Star honoring Charles on the Nayoya Walk of Fame in Japan]]

In 1975, Ray Charles was inducted into the [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]] and presented with the Golden Plate Award and the Academy of Achievement gold medal.<ref>{{cite web|title=Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement|website=Achievement.org|publisher=[[American Academy of Achievement]]|url=https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/|access-date=September 21, 2020|archive-date=December 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161215023909/https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title= Photo: Two Academy members, William J. Clinton, 42nd President of the United States, and Ray Charles at the 2003 Banquet of the Golden Plate Award gala ceremonies.|publisher= [[Academy of Achievement|American Academy of Achievement]]|url= https://achievement.org/summit/2003/|access-date= September 21, 2020|archive-date= November 3, 2021|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20211103061128/https://achievement.org/summit/2003/|url-status= live}}</ref>

In 1979, Charles was one of the first musicians born in the state to be inducted into the [[Georgia Music Hall of Fame]].<ref name="gamusichall1979">{{cite news|title=List of Inductees |date=1979–2007 |publisher=Georgia Music Hall of Fame|url=http://www.gamusichall.com/inducteelist.html|access-date=November 25, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061015013823/http://www.gamusichall.com/inducteelist.html |archive-date=October 15, 2006}}</ref> His version of "Georgia on My Mind" was also made the official state song of the state of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]].<ref name="State Song">{{cite news|title=State Song|year=1979|publisher=Georgia Secretary of State|url=http://sos.georgia.gov/archives/state_symbols/state_song.html|access-date=September 22, 2010|archive-date=October 2, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101002050640/http://www.sos.georgia.gov/archives/state_symbols/state_song.html}}</ref>

In 1981, he was given a star on the [[Hollywood Walk of Fame]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Ray Charles |publisher=Hollywood Walk of Fame |url=https://walkoffame.com/ray-charles/ |access-date=November 25, 2006 |archive-date=February 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140204012452/http://www.walkoffame.com/ray-charles |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1986, he was one of the first inductees to the [[Rock & Roll Hall of Fame]] at its inaugural ceremony.<ref>{{cite news |title=Inductees |publisher=Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum |url=http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=76|access-date=November 25, 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061123064050/http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=76 |archive-date=November 23, 2006}}</ref> He also received the [[Kennedy Center Honors]] in 1986.<ref>{{cite news|title=List of Kennedy Center Honorees|year=1986|publisher=Kennedy Center|url=http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history/home.html|access-date=November 25, 2006|archive-date=September 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120918212215/http://www.kennedy-center.org/programs/specialevents/honors/history/home.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Charles won 17 [[Grammy Award]]s from his 37 nominations.<ref name=":1" /> In 1987, he was awarded the [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]].<ref name=":1" />

In 1991, he was inducted to the [[Rhythm & Blues Foundation]] and was presented with the [[UCLA Spring Sing The George and Ira Gershwin Award|George and Ira Gershwin Award]] for Lifetime Musical Achievement during the 1991 [[UCLA Spring Sing]].<ref name="UCLA" />

In 1990, he was given an honorary doctorate of fine arts by the [[University of South Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ALADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22|title=Jet|date=May 28, 1990|page=22|publisher=Johnson Publishing Company|access-date=October 25, 2018|via=Google Books|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044546/https://books.google.com/books?id=ALADAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA22#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 1993, he was awarded the [[National Medal of Arts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html#93|title=Lifetime Honors—National Medal of Arts |publisher=Nea.gov |access-date=September 10, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721054307/http://www.nea.gov/honors/medals/medalists_year.html#93 |archive-date=July 21, 2011 }}</ref> In 1998 he was awarded the [[Polar Music Prize]], together with [[Ravi Shankar]], in [[Stockholm]], Sweden. In 2004 he was inducted to the National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame.<ref>{{cite news|title=Hall of Fame|year=2004|publisher=National Black Sports & Entertainment|url=http://www.harlemdiscover.com/halloffame|access-date=November 25, 2006  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070309231808/http://www.harlemdiscover.com/halloffame/|archive-date=March 9, 2007}}</ref> The [[Grammy Awards of 2005]] were dedicated to Charles.

In 2001, [[Morehouse College]] honored Charles with the Candle Award for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and Entertainment,<ref name="honorees morehouse">{{cite web|url=https://cfr.morehouse.edu/document.doc?id=156|title=Morehouse College Bennie and Candle Recipients 1989–2013|date=2013|publisher=Morehouse College|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317143705/https://cfr.morehouse.edu/document.doc?id=156|archive-date=March 17, 2017|access-date=March 16, 2017}}</ref> and later that same year granted him an honorary doctor of humane letters.<ref name="RC-Morehouse">{{cite web|url=http://www.raycharles.com/RC/RC-Morehouse.html|title=Ray Charles Performing Arts Center|year=2015|publisher=Raycharles.com|access-date=March 16, 2017|archive-date=December 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216073809/http://www.raycharles.com/RC/RC-Morehouse.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Charles donated $2 million to Morehouse "to fund, educate and inspire the next generation of musical pioneers".<ref name="RC-Morehouse" />

In 2003, Charles was awarded an honorary degree by [[Dillard University]], and upon his death he endowed a professorship of African-American culinary history at the school, the first such chair in the nation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E0D91F3AF930A15751C0A9639C8B63&sec=&spon= |title=A Gift to Black Cuisine, from Ray Charles |first=Mimi |last=Read |work=The New York Times |date=February 23, 2005 |access-date=October 11, 2010 |archive-date=May 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044329/https://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/23/dining/a-gift-to-black-cuisine-from-ray-charles.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

On September 22, 2004, Ray Charles was honored with a [[Google Doodle]] on what would have been his 74th birthday.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ray Charles' 74th Birthday|url=https://doodles.google/doodle/ray-charles-74th-birthday/|access-date=January 2, 2023|website=Google|language=en|archive-date=January 3, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103054426/https://www.google.com/doodles/ray-charles-74th-birthday|url-status=live}}</ref> It was one of the first Doodles for one's birthday.

In 2010, a $20 million, {{convert|76,000|sqft|abbr=on}} facility named the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Music Academic Building, opened at Morehouse.<ref name="ribbon">{{cite press release|url=http://www.morehouse.edu/communications/archives/002313.html|title=Morehouse Cuts the Ribbon on the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center and Music Academic Building|last=Seymour|first=Add Jr.|date=September 29, 2010|access-date=March 16, 2017|publisher=Morehouse College|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317143513/https://www.morehouse.edu/communications/archives/002313.html|archive-date=March 17, 2017}}</ref>

The [[United States Postal Service]] issued a forever stamp honoring Charles, as part of its Musical Icons series, on September 23, 2013.<ref>[http://www.usstampgallery.com/view.php?id=fca5bb93c833ad71742675dcdc2af79bd3169ce0 Ray Charles] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406021826/http://www.usstampgallery.com/view.php?id=fca5bb93c833ad71742675dcdc2af79bd3169ce0 |date=April 6, 2023 }} US Stamp Gallery</ref>

In 2015, Charles was inducted into the [[Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wdet.org/posts/2015/06/24/80845-rb-music-hall-of-fame-comes-to-detroit/|title=R&B Music Hall of Fame Comes to Detroit|website=Wdet.org|access-date=November 6, 2018|archive-date=January 28, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128145235/https://wdet.org/posts/2015/06/24/80845-rb-music-hall-of-fame-comes-to-detroit/}}</ref>

In 2016, U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] wrote via his press secretary, "Ray Charles's version of '[[America the Beautiful]]' will always be in my view the most patriotic piece of music ever performed."<ref>Quoted in David Remnick (2016), [http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/04/aretha-franklins-american-soul "Soul Survivor: The Revival and Hidden Treasure of Aretha Franklin"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230923201513/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/04/04/aretha-franklins-american-soul |date=September 23, 2023 }}. ''The New Yorker''. April 4, 2016. Retrieved on April 4, 2016.</ref>

In 2022, Charles was posthumously inducted into the [[Country Music Hall of Fame]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/judds-ray-charles-inducted-country-hall-fame-84428449|title=The Judds, Ray Charles join the Country Music Hall of Fame|author=Kristin M. Hall, AP Entertainment Writer|publisher=ABC News|date=May 1, 2022|access-date=May 1, 2022|archive-date=May 1, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220501190826/https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/judds-ray-charles-inducted-country-hall-fame-84428449|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/2022/music/news/judds-inducted-country-hall-fame-ceremony-medallion-wynonna-naomi-1235255555/|title=Judds Inducted Into Country Hall of Fame in Tearful Ceremony a Day After Naomi's Death|first=Chris|last=Williams|publisher=Variety|date=May 1, 2022|access-date=May 1, 2022|archive-date=May 2, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220502012521/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/judds-inducted-country-hall-fame-ceremony-medallion-wynonna-naomi-1235255555/|url-status=live}}</ref> the third [[African-American]] to be inducted after [[Charley Pride]] (2000) and [[Deford Bailey]] (2005). He was also the 13th person to be inducted into both the Country and Rock Halls of Fame.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/ray-charles-the-judds-to-join-country-music-hall-of-fame/ |title=Ray Charles, The Judds to join Country Music Hall of Fame |work=The Seattle Times |last=Hall |first=Kristin M. |agency=Associated Press |date=August 16, 2021 |access-date=August 23, 2021 |archive-date=August 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816211739/https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/ray-charles-the-judds-to-join-country-music-hall-of-fame/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Contribution to civil rights movement===
On March 15, 1961, shortly after the release of the hit song "Georgia on My Mind" (1960), the [[Albany, Georgia]]-born musician was scheduled to perform at a dance at Bell Auditorium in [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]], but cancelled the show after learning from students of [[Paine College]] that the larger auditorium dance floor was restricted to whites, while blacks would be obliged to sit in the Music Hall balcony. Charles left town immediately after letting the public know why he would not be performing, but the promoter went on to sue Charles for breach of contract, and Charles was fined $757 in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on June 14, 1962. The following year, Charles did perform at a desegregated Bell Auditorium concert together with his backup singers, [[the Raelettes]], on October 23, 1963, as depicted in the 2004 film, ''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]''.<ref>{{cite web|work=augustaciviccenter.com|url=http://augustaciviccenter.com/auditorium.html|title=William B. Bell Auditorium|access-date=June 8, 2012|archive-date=August 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812005801/http://augustaciviccenter.com/auditorium.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=The Augusta Chronicle|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2004/07/01/rho_420829.shtml|date=July 1, 2004|author=Rhodes, Don|title=Ray Charles gave country music his own touch|access-date=May 4, 2013|archive-date=February 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223012606/http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2004/07/01/rho_420829.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=about.com |title=How did racism affect Ray Charles? |first1=Robert |last1=Fontenot |url=http://oldies.about.com/od/rbandblues/f/rayracism.htm |access-date=June 9, 2012 |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402055654/http://oldies.about.com/od/rbandblues/f/rayracism.htm  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=AtlantaMagazine.com|url=http://www.atlantamagazine.com/flashback/Story.aspx?id=1372656 |title=32 Years Ago This Month: Ray Charles Serenades the Legislature|access-date=January 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311013724/http://www.atlantamagazine.com/flashback/story.aspx?ID=1372656 |archive-date=March 11, 2013 | last1=Burns | first1=Rebecca }}</ref> On December 7, 2007, Ray Charles Plaza was opened in Albany, Georgia, with a revolving, lighted bronze sculpture of Charles seated at a [[piano]].<ref name="UCLA">{{cite web |title=Calendar & Events: Spring Sing: Gershwin Award |publisher=UCLA |url=http://www.uclalumni.net/CalendarEvents/springsing/Gershwin/winners.cfm |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=August 17, 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817021611/http://www.uclalumni.net/calendarevents/springsing/Gershwin/winners.cfm  }}</ref>

===The Ray Charles Foundation===
[[File:RayCharlesStatue.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Statue by Andy Davis in Ray Charles Plaza in Albany, Georgia]]Founded in 1986, the Ray Charles Foundation maintains the mission statement of financially supporting institutions and organizations in the research of hearing disorders.<ref name="Ray Charles Foundation:Mission Statement">{{cite web|title=Mission Statement|url=http://www.theraycharlesfoundation.org/RCF_FoundationMissionStatement.html |publisher=Theraycharlesfoundation.org |access-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222191513/http://theraycharlesfoundation.org/RCF_FoundationMissionStatement.html|archive-date=February 22, 2015 }}</ref> Originally known as The Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders, it was renamed in 2006 and has provided financial donations to numerous institutions involved in hearing loss research and education.<ref name="Benedict College receives $500,000 gift from the Ray Charles Foundation">{{cite web|title=Benedict College receives $500,000 gift?|url=http://www.benedict.edu/cms/?q=node/1150 |publisher=Benedict.edu |access-date=December 21, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141016235443/http://www.benedict.edu/cms/?q=node%2F1150|archive-date=October 16, 2014 }}</ref> The purpose of the foundation has been "to administer funds for scientific, educational and charitable purposes; to encourage, promote and educate, through grants to institutions and organizations, as to the causes and cures for diseases and disabilities of the hearing impaired and to assist organizations and institutions in their social educational and academic advancement of programs for the youth, and carry on other charitable and educational activities associated with these goals as allowed by law."<ref name="Ray Charles Foundation">{{cite web |title=About the Foundation |url=http://www.theraycharlesfoundation.org/RCF_AboutTheFoundation.html|publisher=Theraycharlesfoundation.org|access-date=December 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150222105537/http://theraycharlesfoundation.org/RCF_AboutTheFoundation.html|archive-date=February 22, 2015 }}</ref>

Recipients of donations include [[Benedict College]], [[Morehouse College]], and other universities.<ref name="Morehouse gets $3 million gift from Ray Charles Foundation">{{cite news |title=Morehouse Gets $3 Million Gift from Ray Charles Foundation |newspaper=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |url=https://www.ajc.com/news/morehouse-gets-million-gift-from-ray-charles-foundation/FhyAhoAU09wDLnC9BUADFJ/ |publisher=Ajc.com |access-date=June 8, 2021 |last1=Jeffries |first1=Fran |archive-date=June 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608225847/https://www.ajc.com/news/morehouse-gets-million-gift-from-ray-charles-foundation/FhyAhoAU09wDLnC9BUADFJ/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The foundation has taken action against donation recipients who do not use funds in accordance with its mission statement, such as the [[Albany State University]], which was made to return a $3 million donation after not using the funds for over a decade.<ref name="Daily News">{{cite web |title=Ray Charles Foundation wants $3 million gift back from Albany State University - NY Daily News |url=https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/ray-charles-foundation-3-million-gift-back-albany-state-university-article-1.1022939 |website=New York Daily News |access-date=December 16, 2018 |date=February 15, 2012 |archive-date=April 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408015540/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/ray-charles-foundation-3-million-gift-back-albany-state-university-article-1.1022939 |url-status=live }}</ref> The foundation houses its executive offices at the historic RPM International Building, originally the home of Ray Charles Enterprises and now also home to the Ray Charles Memorial Library on the first floor, which was founded on September 23, 2010 (what would have been his 80th birthday). The library was founded to "provide an avenue for young children to experience music and art in a way that will inspire their creativity and imagination", and is not open to the public without reservation, as the main goal is to educate mass groups of underprivileged youth and provide art and history to those without access to such documents.<ref name="Ray Charles Memorial Library">{{cite web|title=About the Library|url=http://www.theraycharlesfoundation.org/RCF_AboutTheLibrary |publisher=Theraycharlesfoundation.org |access-date=December 21, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006093827/http://www.theraycharlesfoundation.org/RCF_AboutTheLibrary |archive-date=October 6, 2014 }}</ref>

==Personal life==
Charles stated in his 1978 autobiography, ''Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story'', that he became hooked on women after losing his virginity at 12 years old to a woman about 20. "Cigarettes and smack [heroin] are the two truly addictive habits I've known. You might add women," he said. "My obsession centers on women—did then [when young] and does now. I can't leave them alone," he added.<ref name=":7">{{Cite magazine|date=November 30, 1978|title=Ray Charles' Own Book Reveals He|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fr8DAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles&pg=PA24|magazine=Jet|volume=55|issue=11|pages=22–24, 60–62|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045405/https://books.google.com/books?id=fr8DAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles&pg=PA24#v=snippet&q=ray%20charles&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Relationships and children===
Charles was married twice. His first marriage lasted less than a year, his second 22 years. Throughout his life, Charles had many relationships with women, and he fathered a dozen children.

Charles was married to his first wife, Eileen Williams, from July 31, 1951 until sometime in 1952.

He met his second wife, Della Beatrice Howard Robinson (called "Bea" by Charles), in Texas in 1954. They married the following year, on April 5, 1955. Their first child, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., was born in 1955. Charles was not in town for the birth because he was playing a show in Texas. The couple had two more sons, David and Robert. They raised their children in [[View Park–Windsor Hills, California|View Park, California]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Robinson|first=Louie|date=October 1974|title=The Enduring Genius of Ray Charles|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JN4DAAAAMBAJ&q=view+park&pg=PA125|journal=Ebony|page=125|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045413/https://books.google.com/books?id=JN4DAAAAMBAJ&q=view+park&pg=PA125#v=snippet&q=view%20park&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Charles felt that his heroin addiction took a toll on Della during their marriage.<ref name="Autobio" /> Due to his drug addiction, extramarital affairs on tours and volatile behavior, the marriage deteriorated and she filed for divorce in 1977.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.newswirl.com/della-beatrice-howard-robinson/|title=Della Beatrice Howard Robinson|date=December 30, 2017|website=NewSwirl|language=en-US|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=June 26, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220626085007/https://www.newswirl.com/della-beatrice-howard-robinson/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Charles had a six-year-long affair with [[Margie Hendrix]], one of the original Raelettes, and in 1959 they had a son, Charles Wayne. His affair with Mae Mosley Lyles resulted in a daughter, Renee, born in 1961. In 1963, Charles had another daughter, Sheila Raye Charles, by Sandra Jean Betts. Sheila Raye, like her father, was a singer-songwriter; she died of breast cancer on June 15, 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lasentinel.net/ray-charles-daughter-sheila-raye-charles-succumbs-to-breast-cancer.html|title=Ray Charles' Daughter Sheila Raye Charles Succumbs to Breast Cancer|date=June 22, 2017|access-date=March 4, 2023|archive-date=March 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230304185349/https://lasentinel.net/ray-charles-daughter-sheila-raye-charles-succumbs-to-breast-cancer.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1977, Charles had a child with his Parisian lover, Arlette Kotchounian, whom he had met ten years earlier.<ref name=":3">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5v1pSAHAEa0C&pg=PP1|title=Ray Charles: Birth of Soul|last=Evans|first=Mike|date=2009|publisher=Omnibus|isbn=978-0-85712-051-9|location=London|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045331/https://books.google.com/books?id=5v1pSAHAEa0C&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Charles' longtime girlfriend and partner at the time of his death was Norma Pinella.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSGhEUq5bp0C&q=norma+pinella+ray+charles&pg=PA176|title=Icons of Black America: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries [3 volumes]: Breaking Barriers and Crossing Boundaries [Three Volumes]|last=Whitaker|first=Matthew|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=176|year=2011|isbn=978-0-313-37643-6|language=en|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045558/https://books.google.com/books?id=RSGhEUq5bp0C&q=norma+pinella+ray+charles&pg=PA176|url-status=live}}</ref>

Charles fathered a total of 12 children with 10 different women:<ref name=":5">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EqFUCAAAQBAJ&q=Louise+Mitchell+ray+charles+1950&pg=PP15|title=Ray Charles|last=Pennington|first=Karlton|publisher=Lulu Press, Inc|year=2013|isbn=978-1-304-15125-4|language=en}}{{Dead link|date=December 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>
* Evelyn Robinson, born in 1949 (daughter with Louise Flowers)
* Ray Charles Robinson Jr., born May 25, 1955 (son with wife Della Bea Robinson)
* David Robinson, born in 1958 (son with wife Della Bea Robinson)
* Charles Wayne Hendricks, born on October 1, 1959 (son with Margie Hendricks, one of the Raelettes)<ref name=":3" />
* Robert Robinson, born in 1960 (son with wife Della Bea Robinson)
* Renee Robinson, born in 1961 (daughter with Mae Mosely Lyles)
* Sheila Robinson, born in 1963 (daughter with Sandra Jean Betts)
* Reatha Butler, born in 1966
* Alexandra Bertrand, born in 1968 (daughter with Mary-Chantal Bertrand)
* Vincent Kotchounian, born in 1977 (son with Arlette Kotchounian)
* Robyn Moffett, born in 1978 (daughter with Gloria Moffett)
* Ryan Corey Robinson den Bok, born in 1987 (son with Mary Anne den Bok)<ref name=":4" />

Charles held a family luncheon for his 12 children in 2002, 10 of whom attended. He told them he was terminally ill and that $500,000 had been placed in trusts for each of them, to be paid out over the next five years.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web|title=Ray Charles' children battle over his legacy|url=https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-raycharles20apr20-story.html|first=Michael A.|last=Hiltzik|date=April 20, 2008|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US|access-date=June 2, 2020|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407110621/https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-raycharles20apr20-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Drug abuse and legal problems===
At 18, Charles first tried [[marijuana]] when he played in McSon Trio and was eager to try it as he thought it helped musicians create music and tap into their [[creativity]]. He later became addicted to [[heroin]] for seventeen years.<ref name=":7" /> Charles was first arrested in 1955, when he and his bandmates were caught backstage with loose marijuana and drug paraphernalia, including a burnt spoon, syringe, and needle. The arrest did not deter his drug use, which only escalated as he became more successful and made more money.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead" />

In 1958, Charles was arrested on a [[Harlem]] street corner for possession of narcotics and equipment for administering heroin.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=December 4, 1958|title=Singer Ray Charles Jailed on Dope Charge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0EDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1958&pg=PA57|magazine=Jet|volume=15|issue=5|page=57|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045332/https://books.google.com/books?id=f0EDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1958&pg=PA57#v=snippet&q=ray%20charles%20arrested%20jet%201958&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

Charles was arrested on a [[narcotics]] charge on November 14, 1961, while waiting in an Indiana hotel room before a performance. The detectives seized heroin, marijuana, and other items.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=November 30, 1961|title=Ray Charles Nabbed On Dope Charge, Wants To 'Take Cure'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KLMDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1961&pg=PA58|journal=Jet|pages=58–59|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045343/https://books.google.com/books?id=KLMDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1961&pg=PA58#v=snippet&q=ray%20charles%20arrested%20jet%201961&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Charles, then 31, said he had been a drug addict since the age of 16. The case was dismissed because of the manner in which the evidence was obtained,<ref name="pc16">{{cite web|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19765/m1|title=Show 16 – The Soul Reformation|website=unt.edu|publisher=[[University of North Texas]]|access-date=September 18, 2010|archive-date=January 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112103904/http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19765/m1/|url-status=live}}</ref> but Charles' situation did not improve until a few years later.

On [[Halloween]] 1964, Charles was arrested for possession of heroin at [[Boston]]'s [[Logan Airport]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=https://www.superlawyers.com/massachusetts/article/saving-ray-charles/fe67801d-057d-4b2a-8f71-eb083e313f91.html|title=Saving Ray Charles - Super Lawyers Massachusetts|last=Bordowitz|first=Hank|date=August 24, 2015|website=Super Lawyers|language=en|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=June 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628004638/https://www.superlawyers.com/massachusetts/article/saving-ray-charles/fe67801d-057d-4b2a-8f71-eb083e313f91.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He decided to quit heroin and entered St. Francis Hospital in [[Lynwood, California]], where he endured four days of [[cold turkey]] withdrawal. Following his self-imposed stay, he pleaded guilty to four narcotic charges. Prosecutors called for two years in prison and a hefty fine, but the judge listened to Charles' psychiatrist, Dr. Hacker's account of Charles' determination to get off drugs and he was sent to [[McLean Hospital]] in [[Belmont, Massachusetts]].<ref name="McLean">{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-01-06-0201060272-story.html|title=More than Just a Celebrity Psych Ward|last1=Turner|first1=M.A.|date=January 6, 2002|newspaper=Hartford Courant|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=August 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820013749/https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-01-06-0201060272-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The judge offered to postpone the verdict for a year if Charles agreed to undergo regular examinations by government-appointed physicians. When Charles returned to court, he received a five-year [[suspended sentence]], four years of probation, and a fine of $10,000.<ref name=":2" />

Charles responded to the saga of his drug use and reform with the songs "[[I Don't Need No Doctor]]" and "[[Let's Go Get Stoned]]" and the release of ''[[Crying Time (album)|Crying Time]]'', his first album since kicking his heroin addiction in 1966.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blackdoctor.org/272450/ray-charles-drug-addiction__trashed/ |title=Ray Charles: Lessons From His Life & Death |website=BlackDoctor.org |access-date=March 16, 2017 |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403023009/https://blackdoctor.org/272450/ray-charles-drug-addiction__trashed/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/ray-charles-about-ray-charles/554/|title= About Ray Charles|website= PBS.org|date= May 17, 2006|access-date= March 16, 2017|archive-date= June 9, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230609155005/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/ray-charles-about-ray-charles/554/|url-status= live}}</ref>

===Chess hobby===
Charles enjoyed playing chess. As part of his therapy when he quit heroin, he met with psychiatrist {{ill|Friedrich Hacker|de}}, who taught him how to play chess.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=chj91X0dWzUC&q=heroin+ray+charles+1966&pg=PA44|title=Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever|last1=Schinder|first1=Scott|last2=Schwartz|first2=Andy|publisher=ABC-CLIO|year=2007|isbn=978-0-313-33845-8|page=44|language=en|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045407/https://books.google.com/books?id=chj91X0dWzUC&q=heroin+ray+charles+1966&pg=PA44|url-status=live}}</ref> He used a special board with raised squares and holes for the pieces. When questioned if people try to cheat against a blind man, he joked in reply, "You can't cheat in Chess... I'm gonna see that!"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=81063&kpage=1#reply22|title=The chess games of Ray Charles|publisher=Chessgames.com|access-date=December 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007021455/http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessplayer?pid=81063&kpage=1#reply22 |archive-date=October 7, 2014}}</ref> In a 1991 concert, he referred to [[Willie Nelson]] as "my chess partner".<ref>{{cite AV media|people=Charles, Ray |date=2005 |title=[[Genius & Friends]] |medium=CD |publisher=[[Atlantic Records]]|location=Burbank, California|time=Track 13 2:22}}</ref> In 2002, he played and lost to the American [[Grandmaster (chess)|grandmaster]] and former U.S. champion [[Larry Evans (chess grandmaster)|Larry Evans]]. When Evans complimented him for spotting a tactical trap he had set, Charles replied "Come on man, I play bad, but not ''that'' bad!"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6814|title=Chess News – GM Larry Melvyn Evans (1932–2010)|date=November 17, 2010|publisher=ChessBase.com|access-date=December 30, 2011|archive-date=November 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109160545/http://chessbase.com/newsdetail.asp?newsid=6814|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Death==
In 2003, Charles had successful hip replacement surgery and was planning to go back on tour, until he began having other ailments. He died on June 10, 2004, at age 73, of complications resulting from [[liver failure]] at his home in [[Beverly Hills, California]].<ref name="NPR death"/><ref>{{cite web|last=D'Angelo|first=Joe|author2=Alyssa Rashbaum|work=mtv.com|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1488316/ray-charles-dead-at-73.jhtml|title=Ray Charles Dead at 73|date=June 10, 2004|access-date=January 1, 2012|archive-date=October 12, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012031313/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1488316/ray-charles-dead-at-73.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> His funeral was held at the [[First African Methodist Episcopal Church of Los Angeles]] eight days later, with numerous musical figures in attendance.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-jun-19-et-ray19-story.html|title=Farewell Befits a Legend|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|first=Geoff|last=Boucher|date=June 19, 2004}}</ref> [[B. B. King]], [[Glen Campbell]], [[Stevie Wonder]] and [[Wynton Marsalis]] each played a tribute at the funeral.<ref name="CBSdeath" /> He was interred in the [[Inglewood Park Cemetery]].

His final album, ''[[Genius Loves Company]]'', released two months after his death, consists of duets with admirers and contemporaries: B.B. King, [[Van Morrison]], [[Willie Nelson]], [[James Taylor]], [[Gladys Knight]], [[Michael McDonald (musician)|Michael McDonald]], [[Natalie Cole]], [[Elton John]], [[Bonnie Raitt]], [[Diana Krall]], [[Norah Jones]] and [[Johnny Mathis]]. The album won eight [[Grammy Awards]], including Best Pop Vocal Album, Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals (for "Here We Go Again", with Norah Jones), and Best Gospel Performance (for "Heaven Help Us All", with Gladys Knight); he also received nods for his duets with Elton John and B.B. King. The album included a version of [[Harold Arlen]] and [[E. Y. Harburg]]'s "[[Over the Rainbow]]", sung as a duet with Johnny Mathis, which was played at Charles' memorial service.<ref name="CBSdeath">{{cite news|title=Many Pay Respects to Ray Charles|work=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/many-pay-respects-to-ray-charles/|access-date=November 25, 2006|date=June 10, 2004|archive-date=August 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130829055524/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/06/10/entertainment/main622401.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Discography==
{{main|Ray Charles discography}}
Charles' discography is highly complex and extensive. [[AllMusic]] has listed approximately 60 original albums and more than 200 compilation albums, while music essayist [[Robert Christgau]] noted the existence of more. At least 20 record labels have released near-identical compilations of Charles' pre-[[Atlantic Records]] tracks, while many of the [[mastering (audio)|masters]] that Charles began to own after 1960 were not digitally reissued, leading the Atlantic sister label [[Rhino Entertainment]] to focus on rereleasing his mid-to-late 1950s music. Christgau has called Charles' discography a "monumental mess" and that "any map of his oeuvre must be personal and provisional".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|date=July 8, 2004|title=The Genius at Work: Ray Charles, A Critical Discography|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=July 24, 2021|via=robertchristgau.com|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/music/charles-rs.php|archive-date=June 13, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613164806/https://robertchristgau.com/xg/music/charles-rs.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1961
| ''[[Swingin' Along]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1965
| ''[[Ballad in Blue]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 1966
| ''[[The Big T.N.T. Show]]''
| Himself
| Documentary film
|-
| 1980
| ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]''
| Ray
| Cameo appearance
|-
| 1989
| ''[[Limit Up]]''
| Julius
|
|-
| 1990
| ''Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones''
| Himself
| Documentary
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Love Affair (1994 film)|Love Affair]]''
| Himself
| Cameo appearance
|-
| 1996
| ''[[Spy Hard]]''
| Bus Driver
| Cameo appearance
|-
| 1998
| ''New Yorkers 2''
| Himself
| Cameo appearance
|-
| 2000
| ''[[The Extreme Adventures of Super Dave]]''
| Himself
|
|-
| 2000
| ''[[Blue's Big Musical Movie]]''
| G-Clef (voice)
| First voice and final film role before his death in 2004
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]''
| Himself
| Uncredited<br />Archival footage
|-
| 2014
| ''[[Nelson Mandela|Face of Unity]]''
| Himself
| [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3612316/plotsummary IMDB plot summary]<br /> includes tributes to Nelson Mandela <br /> from President Barack Obama, Samuel L. Jackson, <br /> Ray Charles, Morgan Freeman.
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!Role
!Notes
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''
| Himself (host)
| Season 3, Episode 5
|-
| 1977
| ''[[Sesame Street]]''
| Himself
| 3 episodes
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Who's the Boss]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "Hit the Road, Chad"
|-
| 1987
| ''[[St. Elsewhere]]''
| Arthur Tibbits
| Episode: "Jose, Can You See?"
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "A Trip to the Moon"
|-
| 1987–1990
| ''[[Super Dave (TV series)|Super Dave]]''
| Himself
| 4 episodes
|-
| 1994
| ''Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice''
|
| Television movie
|-
| 1994
| ''[[Wings (NBC TV series)|Wings]]''
| Himself
| Episode: "A Decent Proposal"
|-
| 1997–1998
| ''[[The Nanny]]''
| Sammy
| 4 episodes
|}

==See also==
* [[Album era]]
* [[Progressive soul]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.drukadvice.com/della-beatrice-howard-robinson-net-worth/ Ray Charles Wife] wiki
{{wikiquote|Ray Charles}}
{{commons category|Ray Charles}}
* {{Official website|http://www.raycharles.com}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110407034146/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1464285/Ray-Charles.html ''Daily Telegraph'' obituary]
* [http://www.visionaryproject.com/charlesray/ Oral history video excerpts] at the National Visionary Leadership Project
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100411224745/http://www.countrymusichalloffame.org/past/view/i-can-t-stop-loving-you-ray-charles-and-country-music Country Music Hall of Fame]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110430234221/http://staugustine.com/stories/022503/new_1351077.shtml Appearance at WFOY Radio building]
* {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012222747/http://www.raycharles.com/the_man_autobiography.html |date=October 12, 2007 |title=Ray Charles autobiography: The Early Years 1930–1960 }}
* {{C-SPAN|1005662}}
* {{Find a Grave|8896492}}
* {{IMDb name|0153124}}
* {{Rockhall}}
* {{Rollingstone artist}}

{{Ray Charles|state=collapsed}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Ray Charles
|list =
{{Black Reel Award for Outstanding Original Score}}
{{Grammy Award for Album of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Record of the Year}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance}}
{{Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album}}
{{Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award}}
{{Kennedy Center Honorees 1980s}}
{{NAACP Image Award – Hall of Fame Award}}
{{National Medal of Arts recipients 1990s}}
{{Polar Music Prize}}
{{1986 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}
{{2020s Country Music Hall of Fame}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Charles, Ray}}
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