Ray Charles
American singer, pianist and songwriter (1930–2004)
Ray Charles: building a sound across American music
Learning music in Florida
Born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia, he grew up in Florida and began playing piano before the age of five. After losing his sight as a child, he studied at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind. There he learned composition in Braille alongside several instruments, skills that preceded his work in Florida dance bands.
From Seattle to a new musical blend
Charles moved to Seattle in 1947 and initially performed as a singer and pianist in the style of Nat King Cole. His subsequent recordings brought gospel phrasing into conversation with blues and rhythm and blues. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame identifies this combination as central to the emerging sound of soul music.
Recognition beyond one genre
Charles continued to work across jazz, country and popular music rather than remain within a single category. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in its first class in 1986. His official biography presents that breadth of repertoire, and his work across traditions, as a defining feature of a career lasting decades.