"I was born with music inside me. That's the only explanation I know of"i - Ray Charles Ray Charles - The man who transcended childhood tragedy, took the incendiary spirit of gospel and inserted it into the secular lexicon to shatter musical and racial barriers - elegantly towers above the modern music landscape like the Eiffel Tower on a bright Parisian day. Without his pioneering, genre-bending efforts, the recording world would be a very different place. There very well may not have been the "Queen of Soul," Aretha Franklin, or the Big "O," Otis Redding. No Stevie Wonder, or Al Green for that matter either. What about crossover pop icons like Van Morrison, Rod Stewart, Steve Winwood, Joe Cocker or Norah Jones? Forget about it! It would be hard to imagine any of these artists doing what they do if it not for the way paved by Brother Ray. Not only did Charles win enough distinguished recording and humanitarian awards to fill a large museum wing, he was also a trailblazer in business and recording. For over forty years he successfully ran his own recording studio, plus several record labels and music publishing companies. Arguably, Charles did more to transform the recording industry and shatter musical barriers than any other figure - more than Ellington, more than Sinatra, more than Elvis, even more than the Beatles. Plainly put, Charles is a legends-legend. Triumph Over Tragedy Blinded by glaucoma at age seven, Charles quickly revealed himself as a child-musical prodigy. Not only a wunderkind piano player and an expressive vocalist, Ray quickly learned to play a myriad of instruments from clarinet to drums. Bolstering his natural talents was a keen intellect, and with it, he quickly learned to read, write and arrange music in Braille. After spending most of his youth in Florida, Charles swapped the sunshine state for the rain-soaked streets of Seattle, WA. By the late '40s he had formed the Maxim Trio, an act that mined the light-jazz/pop territory inhabited by his early idols, Nat "King" Cole and Charles Brown. After scoring his first notable R&B hit with "Confession Blues," Charles dismantled the Maxim Trio, and began to plant the embryonic seeds of soul music. The Soul Music Revolutionary "When I Started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it." - Ray Charles Electrifying audiences with his unbridled energy, piano prowess and deeply soulful spark, Charles was swooped up by fledgling R&B record label Atlantic in 1952. Nurtured by the musically astute minds of Atlantic, Charles began delivering a slew of singles and albums that would change the face of music forever. By merging a newfound rougher, more expressive vocal approach with a controversial and combustible combination of gospel-inspired energy, devil's words and sexually charged screams, Charles was no longer an imitator he was an innovator. Some called his music heretical, but Ray just called it "soul"… The charts were still a tame place in the mid-1950s and Ray's brash, urgent and occasionally dark pleadings dramatically separated him from nearly all of his chart-dwelling brethren. By 1955 he had hit his stride as he cranked out R&B hit after hit for Atlantic. Among the bounty were stunners like dark-night-of-the-soul ballads "Drown in My Own Tears" and "Lonely Avenue," party all-night anthems "(Night Time) Is the Right Time" and "Let the Good Times Roll" and jubilant love declarations like "Hallelujah I Love Her So" and "I Got a Woman." By now nothing could stop Ray. His star was not rising - it was exploding! "Unnh…Uh…Tell Me What'd I Say" That simple infectious phrase, fleshed out by orgasmic moaning, churchy electric piano, a seductive Latin rhythm and sultry back-up singing (from his very-own Raelettes) coalesced to make "What'd I Say" a bona-fide rock and roll smash. The song was pure undiluted Ray and almost by its lonesome invented the "crossover" chart hit. Charles had sledgehammered convention and in the process busted the boundaries of rock and roll wide open. Simple, propulsive and almost unbelievably funky, "What'd I Say," is one of pop's most immortal singles. Overflowing with sweaty sexual innuendo, and roll-in-the-aisles gospel ecstasy, the song more than any other blurred the dividing lines of church and pop. Charles was no longer a mere R&B innovator, he was simply "The Genius"; a man with a talent so gigantic he could crossover to rock and roll without betraying his R&B roots. "What'd I Say" was Charles' first Top 10 Pop single, and with its success, Atlantic Records became recognized as one of music's most important independent labels. The Genius Spreads His Wings and Flies Now a true superstar, Charles did not take the easy road and tame himself for the larger music buying audience. Instead, he brazenly dared the audience to come to him - and they did! Seeking "full artistic freedom" he left Atlantic for the financial and creative leverage afforded through his new label ABC Records. As part of his new contract, he negotiated to become the first artist to own his own master recordings, an unheard of feat. Meanwhile, the '60s were dawning and Charles' musical evolution continued. Buoyed by his new ABC contract, Charles got out the gate in a hurry, unleashing the pop smashes "Unchain My Heart," and "Hit the Road Jack." Defying convention, he was enjoying enormous success on the pop charts without watering down his uncompromisingly soulful sound. In 1962, he shocked the world with his album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Could it be? Had Ray Charles "gone country"? Indeed he had, and in doing so, he reinforced his stature as the ultimate crossover musician; one who was able to take any song in any style and make it his own. Featuring the enormous hit singles "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "You Don't Know Me," Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music became a record-breaking sales phenomenon. Again Charles had gambled, and again he had won. Astonishingly, the album stayed atop the charts for nearly three months in 1962. Charles was a now a force far beyond labels and pigeonholes. Ray's ambitions stretched far past recording hits as he forayed into the music mogul arena. In 1962 he formed Ray Charles Enterprises, an umbrella company that included Tangerine Records, Tangerine Music and Race Music Company. A year later, his dream recording studio/headquarters RPM Records was opened in Central Los Angeles. With his own state-of-the-art studio now in place, Charles was free to record any whim at any time, with any lineup. Whether recording just himself on piano flanked by a small backup group, with a jazz combo or by supplanted by a 40-plus-piece big band and full back up choir, Ray now had the rare freedom and flexibility to do so. A Legacy of Soul Charles continued through the next four decades as one of the world's preeminent ambassador of soul, making music his way, brimming with the ingredients that originally made him a superstar - music that was urgent, unpredictable, poignant, heartfelt, and thrilling. Working with artists ranging from lifelong friend Quincy Jones to kindred eclectic Willie Nelson to soulstress Chaka Khan, Ray was able to bring out the best everyone. Indeed it was his rare musical gift and personality that enabled all around him to elevate their games to his level. Just another sign of genius! Now in the 21st Century, Ray's recorded legacy continues to snap, crackle and pop with the same verve and vitality that helped earn him his stay on top for over fifty years. His final album Genius Loves Company was a fitting finale to his career, recorded with an A-list of ardent admirers, Charles sung alongside artists like Van Morrison, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, Elton John, James Taylor and old friends like B.B. King, Willie Nelson and Johnny Mathis. As a pioneer who boldly shattered the barriers of black and white pop it was an apropos finale. Naturally, the Genius had the last say, and the posthumous release became a top-selling platinum smash. "The fact of the matter is you don't give up what's natural. Anything I've fantasized about, I've done."iii He said 1989, and with one glance of his sterling recording legacy, and a warehouse-full of awards, (including 12 Grammys, and countless prestigious honors), who could argue? As long as there will be people, there will be music, and as long as there is music, Ray Charles' voice will continue to soar. - David N. Howard Author of Sonic Alchemy: Visionary Music Producers and the Their Maverick Recordings i "Brother Ray" by Ray Charles and David Ritz, Da Capo Press 1993 ii San Jose Mercury News, 1994. iii Los Angeles Times, 1989