November 10, 2004 ALL 12 GRAMMY® AWARDS FOR MUSIC LEGEND AND PIONEER, RAY CHARLES, ASSEMBLED FOR FIRST TIME Historic Figure: Entertainment Giant Celebrated on New Retrospective Website For the first in over 30 years, all 12 Grammy® Awards belonging to the late music legend Ray Charles, known the world over as "The Genius of Soul," have been brought back together. They will be part of a permanent museum exhibit planned in tribute to Charles' career, which will open on his 75th birthday next September in Los Angeles at his famed recording studios. Charles, who unexpectedly died June 10 at age 73 years-old, won his first Grammy® in 1960, in the Rhythm and Blues category, for "Busted." An elaborate new website, celebrating Charles' life and career, has also been launched, www.raymovie.com/raycharles. Through the decades, the awards became lost or damaged, so, in conjunction with NARAS (The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), the Ray Charles Estate was able to replace the prized possessions, the pinnacle of musical achievement. "Finally, they're coming home," said a smiling Joe Adams, Charles' manager for the past 45 years. Between 1960 and 1993, Charles won a total of 12 awards plus an additional Grammy® for "Lifetime Achievement." Charles also was awarded the prestigious "President's Merit Award" from the Grammy® organization by its president, Neil Portnow, just prior to the 2004 Grammy® Awards show. Other well-known Charles' songs to garner Grammy® nods include "Crying Time," "I Can't Stop Loving You," "Hit The Road Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." In May, 2003, Charles celebrated his 10,000th career concert at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. The entertainer's last public appearance was alongside Clint Eastwood on April 30, when the city of Los Angeles designated the singer's studios an historic landmark. Prior to his death, Charles finalized a duets album, "Genius Loves Company," for the Concord label, his first new album since 2001, which has gone on to become his first-ever platinum seller. Featured are Norah Jones, BB King, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis and James Taylor. "The duets project has been a tremendous experience," he said, at the outset of recording in 2003. In March, Quincy Jones, Charles' lifelong friend, presented him with the NAACP Image Awards' "Hall of Fame Award." During a career that spanned some 58 years, Charles starred on over 250 albums, many of them top sellers in a variety of musical genres.