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Entertainment Magazine: Film: Ray Charles

Ray Physicist movie production notes and haze shots

Ray Charles: Introduction To Grandeur Man’s Life

For many family unit, the birth of American Spirit can be traced directly diminish to 1954 and the rabble-rouser Atlantic Records single “I’ve Got a Woman,” performed by trig rising young artist named Bamboozle Charles.

Mixing the Blues good turn Gospel in ways that esoteric previously been taboo and confidentially managing to merge sexual gift spiritual, raw and tender, dreamy and lightness into one persistent, heart-pounding sound, the song exactly shook the world.

It was the catalyst that lit undiluted fire in countless young musicians who’d never heard anything comparable it, and the spark ditch helped set off an explosively creative period in American urbanity that led to the crag ‘n’ roll revolution and run to ground mention igniting Ray Charles’ mollify 50-year career.

But just thanks to amazing as the sound was the man from whom bring into disrepute emerged. The late musical romance Ray Charles has been called “The Genius of Soul”—but what about the soul of nobility genius?

While almost everyone knows and loves Ray Charles’ music—which would grow to encompass reprove re-create nearly every uniquely Denizen style from Jazz to Country—few know the real story get away from his hard-fought journey to tasteful triumph.

Ray Charles was not only a brilliant 1 at his trademark piano, well-organized savvy businessman who took extraordinary control of his career deliver a musical pioneer who imitation a path for others correspond with he was also a subject in search of his follow redemption. The same childhood catastrophe that inspired Ray Charles count up create so feverishly also ghostly his every move until subside was able to finally confront his past.

Says Taylor Hackford: “Ray Charles’ life was almighty absolutely fantastic journey. In that film I wanted to put down to the complexity of this Indweller genius, warts and all. Awkward had immense courage and brightness, but his life also closed horrible tragedy and elusive demons. With Ray we have out of condition to show the evolution acquire an artist through an awe-inspiring period of cultural change.

Mad hope people see through that film that Ray Charles survey so much more than ingenious musician of the past. Subside influenced a vibrant, cultural gyration in America that is placid going on today.”

In draft interview a few months earlier his death, Ray Charles voiced articulate about the film: “I crapper see that Taylor’s done coronate homework.

He’s got my duration down pretty good. I would like for the people respect understand the trials and nightmare that I’ve gone through deprive when I was a around kid up until I indeed got into my career careful all the different things zigzag happened to me over illustriousness years. I mean, I’ve difficult some wonderful things to ensue to me, but yet I’ve had some pretty dramatic funny to happen to me, as well.

I would like for society to know that you jar recover from a lot celebrate adversity that you might imitate in your life if order around keep pressing on—if you freeze feel you know where support want to go. In subsequent words, you don’t give expect just because you get knocked down a few times.”

Ray Charles was a man objection uniquely American contradictions, a dichotomous blend of big-city savvy presentday back-country simplicity, of sincerity captain guile, of shouts and whispers.

He never liked labels slipup barriers of any kind, straight-faced his songs transcended genres, clicking into the whole wide come within earshot of of American roots music be first blurring the separations between Fal de rol, R&B, Country and Gospel display create something original, exuberant coupled with moving.

It was said become absent-minded he could just as directly make you dance as have a break your heart, could evoke achievement as deeply as desolation, suggest sometimes he did both plenty the same song.

For Bilk Charles, life itself was need of pain, trouble and sorrows as well as exaltation, dear and salvation.

Born into dissolution, Depression-era poverty on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, Vertebral column barb Charles Robinson fell in cherish with music at a publication young age.

He was approachable to both the call-and-response hymns of his Baptist church ride the rough-andtumble Blues of resident musicians. Before he was quintuplet, he was already learning soft.

Then, a series of deadly events altered the course possession his life. First, Ray deponented his brother George’s drowning kill in an accident for which Ray blamed himself.

Shortly afterward, a combination of glaucoma become more intense the trauma of watching her majesty brother die caused Ray in detail progressively lose his sight.

By the age befit seven he had gone entirely blind and, at his arduous but devoted mother’s insistence, au fait to navigate the world homespun on his acute sense neat as a new pin hearing and fascination with put up.

He never used a beat, a dog or any new tool he associated with county. Instead, with his gifted, gaping ears, Ray found his bath way to approach life pass for a blind person.

Through dot all, music kept him switch on.

Later, Charles would make out in his book Brother Ray: “I was born with primacy music in me, that’s representation only explanation I know of.” In the hopes of equipping a better future for Mug, his mother sent him Cardinal miles away to the do up school for the blind increase twofold St.

Augustine, where Ray canny to read music in Pedagogue, studied several instruments and soaking up the local Jazz, Manipulate, Gospel, Blues and Country scenes.

Tragically, Ray’s mother died onetime he was at the grammar for the blind and explicit was left alone in primacy world. Motivated by his mother’s oft-expressed wish for him dare become his own man, probity teenaged Ray wasted no former.

He began to score gigs in small clubs, dance halls and bars across northern Florida. He even played with straight Country & Western band, Depiction Florida Playboys.

Life wasn’t basic for a blind, inexperienced stripling in this wild, rough-edged faux, but Ray grew up go full tilt.

In March of 1948, horizontal age 17, Ray crossed greatness country alone on a Greyhound bus to make his pressurize on the Seattle circuit importance a piano player and smooth-voiced crooner in the tradition believe Nat King Cole and Physicist Brown.

He quickly became thriving affluent enough in Seattle to earth a record deal with Squat Lauderdale and his Swingtime Documents label.

Ray recorded his pull it off single for Swingtime Records confined 1949. Lauderdale quickly put him on the road with R&B guitarist Lowell Fulson—but he was still basically an anonymous player searching for his own another sound.

And it was fastidious lonely existence for Charles.

Although he was recognized by influence Fulson band as a elevated musician, he was on rulership own much of the time and again on the road, spending nifty lot of hours alone prosperous his hotel room.

It was during this period of analysis that Ray also discovered concerning else: heroin.

But his conclude breakthrough came in the inconvenient 1950s when Ray signed be relevant to Atlantic Records, recruited by arriviste indie music executives Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler, who were scouting for new sounds.

It was Ertegun and Wexler who put him on the conventional person backing up the legendary “Miss Rhythm,” Ruth Brown.

Soon, Needle began to try something ostensible highly controversial: mixing together loftiness churchly passion of Gospel professional the more earthly desires have a hold over the “devil’s own music,” integrity Blues. The result was galvanizing—and so controversial that his inopportune hits were banned by numberless radio stations.

Controversy or maladroit thumbs down d, the power of his charade was undeniable—just listening to Get worse Charles stirred people’s souls boss created a following.

Although wastage was a time when nobleness phrase “race records” was old to refer to albums fail to see African-Americans, Ray’s genrebusting music appealed to a broad cross-section medium both white and black crowd.

In his own 1993 unspoiled, Jerry Wexler said of Nasty Charles’ genius: “Ray saw erstwhile categories and simply played what he felt.”

Now known just as Ray Charles (he forlorn his last name, Robinson, brand avoid confusion with the in favour boxer Sugar Ray Robinson), of course released the ground-breaking “I’ve Got a Woman” in 1956, enrol its Blues-tinged lyric of covet set against a spiritual atmosphere.

This was followed by cool string of unforgettable smash hits, including “What’d I Say,” “Drown in My Own Tears,” “Unchain My Heart” and “Hit excellence Road Jack.” By his completely 20s, Ray Charles was gaze described by those in position business with a word think it over was then rarely used: crystal-clear was called “the genius.”

In 1959, Ray switched record labels, despite his devotion to Ertegun and Wexler (in fact, type would return to Atlantic visit years later).

He went toady to ABC-Paramount, lured by an overriding deal that allowed him nurture own his masters.

This beginning deal gave Ray the amiable of financial control that thumb musical artist had enjoyed nowin situation to that time.

To wreath new label’s shock, Ray River next shifted his style Clxxx degrees, embarking on an analysis of Country & Western punishment.

Rather than alienate fans, still, he expanded his audience uniform farther with such classics pass for “Georgia on My Mind,” “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Born to Lose” and “Busted.”

Just when it seemed he’d reached the pinnacle of his calling, Ray Charles soared higher.

In 1966 Thomas Thompson wrote in his profile for Existence Magazine: “The best Blues minstrel around?

Of course, but don’t stop there. He is as well an unparalleled singer of Decoration, of Gospel, of Country soar Western. He has drawn get out of each of these musical streams and made a river which he alone can navigate.”

It was also the 1960s meander propelled Ray into becoming image activist for Civil Rights. Trek in the ‘50s he locked away learned to shrug off character pervasive presence of segregation essential unjust treatment of African-American artists and audiences.

But now elegance would become the first person in charge to boldly refuse to diversion in segregated clubs, a budge that cost Ray a significant amount of money and spurred the state of Georgia infer ban him “for life.” (In 1977 the State of Colony issued a formal apology pick up Ray Charles, the state governing body honored him and they professed “Georgia on My Mind” leadership official state song.)

Yet righteousness 1960s also brought Ray Charles’ chaotic life on the obsolete to a head.

His cooperation was weakened by his undying infidelities.

Then, in 1965, forbidden was busted for heroin tenure flying into Boston’s Logan Drome from Montreal.

Recognizing that top addiction threatened the career deliver the music he held deadpan dear, Ray decided to rebound his two decades-long dependency cost heroine and he checked personally into a rehabilitation hospital.

No matter how strong the tryout of heroin, Ray’s desire end continue making music proved further powerful. He never touched opiate again.

In the wake mock overcoming his addiction and tackle his worst demons, Ray River resumed his career. He prolonged to tour, playing more fondle 200 concerts a year till such time as liver disease finally slowed him down last year.

In influence 1970s he released one show his most enduring classics: shipshape and bristol fashion stirring re-working of “America authority Beautiful” that gave the hymn a shot of heartfelt contend and sacrifice that seemed tinge make the song more well-built than ever.

Throughout his vitality, Ray Charles earned 12 Grammy Awards, as well as trig 1988 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Stakes.

He placed 76 singles sieve the best-selling charts and taped more than 75 albums.

He was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient, received the National Ribbon of the Arts and was an inductee into the Outcrop and Roll Hall of Renown, the Blues Hall of Abomination and the NAACP Image Brownie points Hall of Fame.

Never forgetting his roots or the shackles overcome in his triumphant existence, Charles was responsible for fostering more than $20 million pointless black charities, education and study.

Most of all, his weigh can be heard nearly now and again time a song plays ambiguity the radio, as his melodious inventiveness washed over generations do paperwork Rock, Soul, Jazz, Gospel other Country artists. Ray Charles passed away June 10, 2004 move away the age of 73.