Knowra Ray Charles Ray Charles Ray Charles (1930–2004) was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and bandleader. He fused gospel, blues, jazz, and country into a distinctive sound that helped shape soul music.
Soul music : A popular music genre combining gospel, rhythm and blues, and other Black American musical traditions. Charles’s synthesis of gospel and rhythm and blues helped establish soul’s sound.
What'd I Say : A 1959 Ray Charles song built around electric piano, repeated vocal phrases, and call-and-response. Its gospel-derived exchanges and sensual delivery made Charles’s style unmistakable.
Quincy Jones : An American composer, arranger, producer, and bandleader whose career spanned jazz, film, and popular music. Jones toured with Charles early in his career and later cited him as a major influence.
Albany, Georgia : A city in southwestern Georgia, United States, where Ray Charles was born. Charles was born there in 1930 before growing up in Florida.
Grammy Awards : Annual awards recognizing achievement in the recorded music industry. Charles received multiple Grammys, including awards for his country interpretations and later work.
Gospel music : Christian music rooted in African American worship, marked by expressive vocals, rhythmic intensity, and communal performance. He adapted gospel’s vocal fervor and call-and-response into secular songs.
Georgia on My Mind : A 1930 song by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, widely known through Ray Charles’s 1960 recording. Charles’s orchestral interpretation became a signature hit and Georgia’s official state song.
Ahmet Ertegun : A Turkish-American music executive who co-founded Atlantic Records and shaped its roster and sound. Ertegun and Atlantic Records helped bring Charles’s recordings to a national audience.
Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind : A public school in St. Augustine, Florida, serving students who are deaf, blind, or visually impaired. Charles attended the school, where he studied music and learned to read Braille.
Georgia (U.S. state) : A state in the southeastern United States. In 1979, Georgia made Charles’s recording of “Georgia on My Mind” its official state song.
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