Ray Charles

Ray Charles last performed at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal in 2003

Ray Charles (* 23. September 1930 as Raymond Charles Robinson in Albany , Georgia ; † 10. June 2004 in Beverly Hills , California ) was an American singer , songwriter and composer . He is also known as the "high priest of soul". His influence shaped the development of rhythm and blues , blues , country and soul . In total, he has sold around 90 million records.

Life

childhood

Ray Charles Robinson grew up at the time of racial segregation, together with his brother George, in poor conditions with his mother Aretha. He learned to play the piano in a backyard near his housing estate. He went blind from glaucoma at the age of seven . Nine months earlier he had seen his brother drown in a washtub . He attended St. Augustine's School for the Deaf and Blind, where he received extensive musical training. His mother, who raised him alone, died in May 1945 when Ray Charles was 14 years old. During this time he left the school for the blind and began to build his career as a freelance artist.

Career

Ray Charles at a sample of the Grammy Awards in February 1990

Bronze sculpture by Ray Charles in the gardens opposite the Montreux Palace Hotel

Ray Charles started out as a musician in Florida and moved to Seattle in 1947 . There he recorded his first records in November 1948 as a member of the Maxin Trio with Gosady D. McKee, guitar, and Milton S. Garred, bass. The first single Confession Blues / I Love You I Love You was released in February 1949 on the small label Down Beat Records in Los Angeles. The title achieved a remarkable debut success with second place on the Rhythm & Blues hit parade . His early recordings belonged to Rhythm & Blues and adapted Charles Brown or Nat King Cole . In the same year the band was renamed the Ray Charles Trio , members besides him (vocals / piano) were now Gosady McKee (guitar), Mitchell "Tiny" Webb (guitar) and Ralph Hamilton (bass). In the meantime, Down Beat Records had been renamed SwingTime Records, where the single How Long Blues / Blues Before Sunrise (# 178) was released in 1949. After a total of six singles, Charles had assembled a larger orchestra, consisting of Teddy Buckner (trumpet), Marshall Royal (alto saxophone), Jack McVea (tenor saxophone), Charles Waller (baritone saxophone), Louis Speiginer (guitar), Billy Hadnott (bass) and Clifton "Rudy" Pitts (drums). Under the name Ray Charles Orchestra, four recordings were made on May 25, 1950, which were divided into two SwingTime singles. He stayed with that label until September 1952 and was signed to the great rhythm and blues label Atlantic Records for a transfer fee of $ 5000 .

It was not until Atlantic Records (1952-1959) that his music became unmistakable in several ways (singing, instrumental style, composition, arrangement), as he emphasized gospel and jazz influences . With the combination of rhythm & blues and gospel, Charles became one of the most important pioneers and musicians of soul, supported by the entrepreneur Ahmet Ertegün and the producer Jerry Wexler . His first success was Mess Around , which goes back to CC Davenport's Cow Cow Blues and whose lyrics are based on the boogie classic Pinetop's Boogie Woogie (1929) by Clarence 'Pinetop' Smith . It was not until May 17, 1953 that It Should Have Been Me was selected from seven tracks in this recording session , and it reached fifth place on the R&B charts. His sixth Atlantic single, I've Got a Woman , recorded on November 18, 1954 in Atlanta, was his first number one hit on the R&B charts. The top placement he managed three more times, with the single What'd I Say released on June 27, 1959, becoming his biggest hit on Atlantic Records. After a total of 28 singles, 13 of which reached the top 10 of the R&B charts, Ray Charles switched to ABC-Paramount on November 1, 1959 .

He also celebrated commercial success with the new label ABC-Paramount under the producer Sid Feller. With Georgia on My Mind (published on August 19, 1960) he picked up a jazz standard and landed with it the second million seller . For the first time he was even able to occupy the top position in the pop charts. The blues-intensive sounds at Atlantic Records had given way to pop arrangements with violins on ABC Records. Hit the Road, Jack was released on August 21, 1961 and also sold over a million copies. His biggest hit came on April 23, 1962 with I Can't Stop Loving You , a country classic that sold over two million times. The girl group The Raelettes , which accompanied his career until the 1970s , continued to serve as the background choir .

The latter title came from the epochal album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music , published in April 1962 and sold in over 500,000 copies . For this also were Born to Lose , You Do not Know Me and Careless Love decoupled. This was followed by hits like Crying Time , Busted and Take These Chains From My Heart . In 1966 he produced Lets Go Get Stoned by Ashford & Simpson . He had another success with his version of America the Beautiful in June 1972.

Ray Charles also had numerous duet partners. He sang with George Jones , Hank Williams Jr. , Johnny Cash , Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard, among others . Even if his chart success waned, the enthusiasm for his intensive live performances was unbroken. The financially most successful black entertainer of his generation is mentioned by numerous musicians as an important source of influence.

Marriages and children

Charles was married twice: from 1951 to 1952 to Eileen Williams and from 1955 to 1977 to Della Beatrice Howard, with whom he had three children. He also had some relationships, even outside of his marriages, which resulted in nine more children. His long-term friend until his death was Norma Pinella. His children, sorted by age:

Evelyn Robinson (* 1950, daughter of Louise Mitchell), Ray Charles Robinson, Jr. (* 1955, son of Della Robinson), David Robinson (* 1958, son of Della Robinson), Charles Wayne Hendricks (* 1959, son of Margie Hendrix , who was one of the Raelettes ), Reverend Robert Robinson (* 1960, son of Della Robinson), Raenee Robinson (* 1961, daughter of Mae Mosely Lyles), Sheila Robinson aka Sheila Raye Charles (* 1963, daughter of Sandra Jean Betts ), Reatha Butler, Alexandria Bertrand (daughter of Chantelle Bertrand), Jean Bettincent Kotchounian (born 1977, son of Arlette Kotchounian. He was the photographer on the album Would You Believe ), Robyn Moffett (born 1978, daughter of Gloria Moffett) and Ryan Corey Robinson den Bok (* 1987, son of Mary Anne den Bok).

drug consumption

In the 1950s, Charles began using drugs while touring. In addition to alcohol and marijuana , he also used heroin . As a result, he came into the sights of the drug search. After being arrested for drug use in the 1950s and 1961, he was sentenced to five years probation in 1964. Then he went on a drug addiction treatment. He has lived without drugs since the late 1970s.

death

Ray Charles died on June 10, 2004 at the age of 73 of liver cancer surrounded by loved ones in Beverly Hills . He was buried on June 18, 2004 in Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood near Los Angeles. BB King , Glen Campbell , Stevie Wonder and Wynton Marsalis played in his honor at the funeral.

Awards

Ray Charles has received numerous music awards, including numerous Grammy Awards . He received the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance five times, making him the artist who received the award most often, and another four times he received the Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance .

He is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is a member of the Blues Hall of Fame , Songwriters Hall of Fame , Grammy Hall of Fame , Jazz Hall of Fame , Georgia Music Hall of Fame, and Florida Artists Hall of Fame . In 1993 he received the National Medal of Arts from the US Congress. In 1998 he received the coveted Polar Music Prize together with Ravi Shankar . After his death, the 2005 Grammy Award show was dedicated to him. The Spirit of Christmas was inducted into The Wire's 100 Records That Set The World On Fire (While No One Was Listening) . Rolling Stone magazine voted him number 2 of the 100 best singers and 10 of the 100 greatest musicians of all time .

Ray Charles in film, music and television

Charles had guest appearances in the films Blues Brothers and Agent 00 - With the License to Dead Laugh , in the children's show Sesame Street , as well as in the US sitcoms Who's the Boss? , The Nanny , The Model and the Snoop and the Bill Cosby Show , he also sang in the sixth and seventh seasons of the sitcom Man Must Not Be in the opening credits of his version of Georgia On My Mind , in which he can also be seen alongside the main cast in the former was. In 1965, he played the leading role in the film Halt die Schlüssel HOT , a feature film which, based on a framework story, Charles's friendship with a blind boy, showed excerpts from his concerts.

Charles' first half of life was filmed in 2004 under the title Ray . The film by director Taylor Hackford (screenplay: James L. White ) tells parts of the life story of Ray Charles - starting with his trip to Seattle to the appointment of Georgia On My Mind to the state title of Georgia and the lifting of exile and with flashbacks to his childhood . Leading actor Jamie Foxx received an Oscar for best actor for his portrayal of Ray Charles . Alexis Spraic made a two-hour documentary in 2010 in which David Duchovny presented Ray Charles' America .

Discography

Studio albums

Ray Charles Trio - Lake Lake Rider

Ray Charles - I Can't Stop Loving You

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1962	At the club	DE25 (4 weeks) DE	-	-	-	-
	Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music	-	-	-	UK6 (21 weeks) UK	US25th gold (58 weeks)US
1963	The Ray Charles Story	DE24 (8 weeks) DE	-	-	-	-
	Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul	-	-	-	-	US2 (36 weeks) US
1964	Sweet & Sour Tears	-	-	-	-	US9 (23 weeks) US
	Have a smile with me	-	-	-	-	US36 (16 weeks) US
1965	Country & Western Meets Rhythm & Blues	-	-	-	-	US116 (7 weeks) US
1966	Crying time	-	-	-	-	US15 (36 weeks) US
	Ray's Moods	-	-	-	-	US52 (17 weeks) US
1967	A Man & His Soul	-	-	-	-	US77 gold (62 weeks)US
	Ray Charles Invites You to Listen	-	-	-	-	US76 (34 weeks) US
1968	A Portrait of Ray	-	-	-	-	US51 (24 weeks) US
1969	King of Soul	DE33 (4 weeks) DE	-	-	-	-
	Doing His Thing	-	-	-	-	US172 (3 weeks) US
	I'm all yours baby!	-	-	-	-	US167 (11 weeks) US
1970	My kind of jazz	-	-	-	-	US155 (2 weeks) US
	Love country style	-	-	-	-	US192 (4 weeks) US
1971	Volcanic Action of My Soul	-	-	-	-	US52 (16 weeks) US
1972	A message from the people	-	-	-	-	US52 (22 weeks) US
	Through the eyes of love	-	-	-	-	US186 (8 weeks) US
1977	Renaissance	-	-	-	-	US175 (3 weeks) US
1977	True to Life	-	-	-	-	US78 (20 weeks) US
1981	The Legend Lives ...	DE24 (6 weeks) DE	-	-	-	-
1984	Friendship	-	-	-	-	US75 (20 weeks) US
1993	My World	-	-	-	-	US145 (8 weeks) US
2004	Genius Loves Company	DE10 gold (33 weeks)DE	AT1 gold (34 weeks)AT	CH4th gold (37 weeks)CH	UK18th gold (19 weeks)UK	US1 × 3 Triple platinum (61 weeks)US
	Ray Charles Celebrates A Gospel Christmas With The Voices Of Jubilation!	-	-	-	-	US121 (2 weeks) US
2005	Genius & Friends	DE84 (1 week) DE	AT38 (3 weeks) AT	CH37 (4 weeks) CH	-	US36 (7 weeks) US
2006	Ray Sings, Basie Swings	-	-	-	UK63 (1 week) UK	US23 (11 weeks) US

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More studio albums

• 1957: Ray Charles
• 1957: The Great Ray Charles
• 1958: Soul Brothers (with Milt Jackson )
• 1958: Yes, Indeed!
• 1959: The Genius of Ray Charles
• 1959: What'd I Say
• 1960: Genius + Soul = Jazz
• 1960: Ray Charles in person
• 1960: Ray Charles Sextet
• 1960: The Genius Hits The Road
• 1961: Dedicated to You
• 1961: Do the Twist With Ray Charles!
• 1961: Ray Charles and Betty Carter
• 1961: Soul Meeting (with Milt Jackson )
• 1961: The Genius After Hours
• 1961: The Genius Sings the Blues
• 1962: Hallelujah I Love Her So!
• 1962: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2 (US:gold)
• 1962: Spotlight on Ray Charles
• 1962: The Original Ray Charles
• 1972: Presents the Raelettes
• 1973: My Kind of Jazz, Number 2
• 1974: Come Live With Me
• 1975: My Kind of Jazz, Pt. 3
• 1975: World of Ray Charles, Vol. 2
• 1976: Porgy & Bess
• 1978: Love & Peace
• 1979: Ain't It So
• 1980: Brother Ray is at it Again
• 1983: Wish You Were Here Tonight
• 1984: Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?
• 1985: The Spirit of Christmas
• 1986: From the Pages of My Mind
• 1988: Just Between Us
• 1990: Would You Believe?
• 1996: Strong Love Affair
• 2002: Thanks for Bringing Love Around Again
• 2006: Two on One (with Nat King Cole)

Live albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1965	Live in concert	-	-	-	-	US80 (18 weeks) US
1973	Ray Charles Live	-	-	-	-	US182 (5 weeks) US

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More live albums

• 1958: Ray Charles at Newport
• 1973: Genius in Concert LA
• 1975: Live in Japan
• 2002: Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival
• 2005: In Concert: I Can't Stop Loving You (US:platinum)
• 2005: Live at the Olympia 2000
• 2007: The Genius, Live!

Compilations

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1963	Greatest hits	DE19 (4 weeks) DE	-	-	UK16 (5 weeks) UK	US84 (5 weeks) US
1968	Greatest Hits Vol. 2	-	-	-	UK24 (8 weeks) UK	-
1971	A 25th Anniversary In Show Business Salute To Ray Charles	-	-	-	-	US152 (10 weeks) US
1980	Heart to Heart - 20 top hits	-	-	-	UK29 (5 weeks) UK	-
1990	Collection	-	-	-	UK36 (3 weeks) UK	-
1993	The Living Legend	-	-	-	UK48 (3 weeks) UK	-
2001	The Definitive Ray Charles	-	-	CH85 (1 week) CH	UK13 silver (15 weeks)UK	-	Rhino (Warner Music) chart entry in CH only in 2004
2007	Hit the Road Jack	-	-	-	-	US181 (1 week) US	Chart entry in US only in 2013
2009	Genius: The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection	-	-	-	-	US35 (6 weeks) US
2013	Ray Charles Forever	-	-	-	-	US24 (9 weeks) US

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More compilations

• 2001: Dejavu Retro Gold Collection (2 CD)
• 2004: Anthology (US:gold)
• 2005: Pure Genius – The Complete Atlantic Recordings (1952–59) Living Blues Award Best Historical Recording
• 2005: Collections
• 2006: A Celebration - 150 Minutes of Ray Charles
• 2006: Ray Charles Selected Favorites, Vol. 1
• 2006: Ray Charles Selected Favorites, Vol. 2
• 2006: Ray Charles: The Classic Years, Vol. 1
• 2006: Ray Charles: The Classic Years, Vol. 2
• 2006: Ray Charles - The Essentials
• 2006: Unreleased: Swing Time 1949–1951
• 2006: The Very Best of Ray Charles (US:platinum)
• 2007: Georgia on My Mind
• 2007: I've got a Woman
• 2007: Ray Charles at His Best (UK:silver; US:gold)
• 2007: The Definitive Soul Collection
• 2007: The Essence of Ray Charles
• 2007: The Soul of a Man
• 2010: Rare Genius - The Undiscovered Masters
• 2011: Singular Genius - The Complete ABC Singles
• 2012: Ray Charles: The Complete ABC Recordings 1959–1961
• 2014: King Of Cool - The Genius Of Ray Charles (3 CDs)
• 2014: In The 1950s
• 2017: US Singles 1952–1962

Soundtracks

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
2004	Ray	DE12 gold (20 weeks)DE	AT3 (22 weeks) AT	CH2 platinum (35 weeks)CH	UK36 gold (9 weeks)UK	US9 platinum (39 weeks)US
2005	Ray: More Music From	-	-	-	-	US46 (8 weeks) US

More soundtracks

• 1965: Cincinnati Kid

Singles

Maxin Trio - Confession Blues , Ray Charles' first single

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	UK	US
1957	Swanee River Rock (Talkin '' bout That River)	-	-	-	US42 (15 weeks) US
1958	Rockhouse (Part 2)	-	-	-	US79 (2 weeks) US
1959	(Night Time Is) The Right Time	-	-	-	US95 (1 week) US
	What'd I say	-	-	-	US6 (15 weeks) US
	I'm moving on	-	-	-	US40 (10 weeks) US
1960	Let the Good Times Roll	-	-	-	US78 (3 weeks) US
	Don't Let the Sun Catch You Cryin '	-	-	-	US95 (2 weeks) US
	Sticks and stones	-	-	-	US40 (8 weeks) US
	Georgia on My Mind The Genius Hits the Road	-	-	UK24 (8 weeks) UK	US1 (13 weeks) US
	Ruby Dedicated to You	-	-	-	US28 (9 weeks) US
	Hard Hearted Hannah Dedicated to You	-	-	-	US55 (4 weeks) US
	Come Rain or Come Shine	-	-	-	US83 (4 weeks) US
1961	Them That Got	-	-	-	US58 (6 weeks) US
	One Mint Julep Genius + Soul = Jazz	-	-	-	US8 (13 weeks) US
	I've Got News for You Genius + Soul = Jazz	-	-	-	US66 (5 weeks) US
	I'm Gonna Move to the Outskirts of Town Genius + Soul = Jazz	-	-	-	US84 (2 weeks) US
	Hit the Road Jack	-	-	UK6 (12 weeks) UK	US1 (13 weeks) US
	Unchain my heart	-	-	-	US9 (12 weeks) US
	But on the Other Hand Baby	-	-	-	US90 (2 weeks) US
1962	Baby, It's Cold Outside Ray Charles & Betty Carter	-	-	-	US91 (2 weeks) US	with Betty Carter
	At the club	-	-	-	US44 (7 weeks) US
	Hide 'nor hair	-	-	-	US20 (7 weeks) US
	I Can't Stop Loving You Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music	DE8 (16 weeks) DE	-	UK1 (17 weeks) UK	US1 gold (18 weeks)US
	Born to Lose Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music	-	-	-	US41 (9 weeks) US
	You Don't Know Me Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music	-	-	UK9 (13 weeks) UK	US2 (11 weeks) US
	Careless Love Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music	-	-	-	US60 (4 weeks) US
	You Are My Sunshine Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Volume Two	-	-	-	US7 (12 weeks) US
	Your Cheatin 'Heart Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Volume Two	-	-	UK13 (8 weeks) UK	US29 (9 weeks) US
1963	Don't Set Me Free	-	-	UK37 (3 weeks) UK	US20 (8 weeks) US
	The Brightest Smile in Town	-	-	-	US92 (2 weeks) US
	Take These Chains from My Heart Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Volume Two	DE32 (8 weeks) DE	-	UK5 (20 weeks) UK	US8 (11 weeks) US
	No one	-	-	UK35 (7 weeks) UK	US21 (8 weeks) US
	Without Love (There Is Nothing)	-	-	-	US29 (7 weeks) US
	Busted Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul	-	-	UK21 (10 weeks) UK	US4 (12 weeks) US
	That Lucky Old Sun Ingredients in a Recipe for Soul	-	-	-	US20 (9 weeks) US
1964	Baby, Don't You Cry Sweet and Sour Tears	-	-	-	US39 (7 weeks) US
	My Heart Cries for You	-	-	-	US38 (7 weeks) US
	My baby don't dig me	-	-	-	US51 (6 weeks) US
	No One to Cry To Sweet and Sour Tears	-	-	UK38 (3 weeks) UK	US55 (6 weeks) US
	A Tear Fell Sweet and Sour Tears	-	-	-	US50 (5 weeks) US
	Smack Dab in the Middle Have a Smile with Me	-	-	-	US52 (7 weeks) US
	Makin 'Whoopee Live In Concert	-	-	UK42 (4 weeks) UK	US46 (8 weeks) US
1965	Cry Sweet and Sour Tears	-	-	-	US58 (7 weeks) US
	I Got a Woman Live In Concert	-	-	-	US79 (3 weeks) US
	I'm a fool to care	-	-	-	US84 (4 weeks) US
	Crying Time Crying Time	-	-	UK50 (1 week) UK	US6 (15 weeks) US
1966	You're Just About To Lose Your Clown Crying Time	-	-	-	US91 (2 weeks) US
	Together Again Country and Western Meets Rhythm and Blues	-	-	UK48 (1 week) UK	US19 (8 weeks) US
	Let's Go Get Stoned Crying Time	-	-	-	US31 (9 weeks) US
	I Chose to Sing the Blues A Man and His Soul	-	-	-	US32 (7 weeks) US
	Please Say You're Fooling Ray’s Moods	-	-	-	US64 (6 weeks) US
	I Don't Need No Doctor A Man and His Soul	-	-	-	US72 (4 weeks) US
1967	I want to talk about you	-	-	-	US98 (1 week) US
	Here We Go Again Ray Charles Invites You to Listen	-	-	UK38 (3 weeks) UK	US15th gold (12 weeks)US
	In the heat of the night	-	AT15 (4 weeks) AT	-	US33 (7 weeks) US
	Yesterday Ray Charles Invites You to Listen	-	-	UK44 (4 weeks) UK	US25 (7 weeks) US
1968	That's a lie	-	-	-	US64 (8 weeks) US
	Eleanor Rigby A Portrait of Ray	-	-	UK36 (9 weeks) UK	US35 (10 weeks) US
	Understanding A Portrait of Ray	-	-	-	US46 (12 weeks) US
	Sweet Young Thing like You	-	-	-	US83 (12 weeks) US
	Listen, They're Playing My Song	-	-	-	US92 (2 weeks) US
	If It Wasn't for Bad Luck Doing His Thing	-	-	-	US77 (6 weeks) US	with Jimmy Lewis
1969	Let me love you	-	-	-	US94 (2 weeks) US
1970	Laughin and clown	-	-	-	US98 (2 weeks) US
	If You Were Mine Love Country Style	-	-	-	US41 (18 weeks) US
1971	Don't Change on Me Love Country Style	-	-	-	US36 (11 weeks) US
	Booty Butt My Kind of Jazz	-	-	-	US36 (12 weeks) US	Ray Charles Orchestra
	Feel So Bad Volcanic Action of My Soul	-	-	-	US68 (8 weeks) US
	What Am I Living For Volcanic Action of My Soul	-	-	-	US54 (7 weeks) US
1972	Look What They've Done to My Song, Ma A Message from the People	-	-	-	US65 (6 weeks) US
1973	I Can Make It Thru the Days Through the Eyes of Love	-	-	-	US81 (4 weeks) US
	Come Live with Me Come Live with Me	-	-	-	US82 (6 weeks) US
1975	Living for the City Renaissance	-	-	-	US91 (3 weeks) US

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Single discography (with date of publication, label catalog in brackets)

Down Beat Records:

• Confession Blues / I Love You, I Love You (I Will Never Let You Go) , Maxin Trio, February 1949 (DB171)
• Blues Before Sunrise / How Long Blues , Maxin Trio, 1949 (DB178)
• A Sentimental Blues / You'll Never Miss the Water (Until the Well Runs Dry) , Maxin Trio, 1949 (DB179)
• Alone in the City / Can Anyone Ask For More? Maxin Trio, 1949 (DB211)
• The Ego Song (Sweet As Can Be) (All The Girls In Town) / Late In The Evening Blues , September 1950 (DB228)
• Someday / I'll Do Anything But Work , September 1950 (DB229)

SwingTime Records:

• Let's Have A Ball / Rockin 'Chair Blues , Maxin Trio, November 1949 (ST212)
• Sitting On Top of the World (Now She's Gone) / I've Had My Fun (Going Down Slow) , 1949 (ST215)
• Ain't That Fine / Don't Put All Your Dreams In One Basket , 1950 (ST216)
• See See Rider / What Have I Done , May 1950 (ST217)
• She's On The Ball / Honey Honey , August 1950 (ST218)
• Someday / I'll Do Anything But Work , 1950 (ST229)
• I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now / All To Myself , January 1951 (ST249)
• Lonely Boy / Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand , January 1951 (ST250)
• I'm Glad For Your Sake / Kissa Me Baby (All Night Long) , March 1952 (ST274)
• Baby Won't You Please Come Home / Hey Now , July 1952 (ST297)
• Baby Let Me Hear You Call My Name / Guitar Blues , July 1952 (ST300)
• Misery In My Heart / The Snow Is Falling (Snowfall) , February 1953 (ST326)

Atlantic Records:

• The Midnight Hour / Roll With My Baby , September 1952 (# 976)
• The Sun's Gonna Shine Again / Jumpin 'In The Mornin' , January 1953 (# 984)
• Mess Around / Funny, But I Still Love You , July 1953 (# 999)
• Feelin 'Sad / Heartbreaker , September 1953 (# 1008)
• It Should've Been Me / Sinner's Prayer , March 1954 (# 1021)
• Losing Hand / Don't You Know , August 1954 (# 1037)
• I've Got a Woman / Come Back, Baby , December 1954 (# 1050)
• A Fool For You / This Little Girl Of Mine , June 1955 (# 1063)
• Blackjack / Greenbacks , October 1955 (# 1076)
• Mary Ann / Drown In My Own Tears , January 1956 (# 1085)
• Hallelujah I Love Her So / What Would I Do Without You , May 1956 (# 1096)
• Lonely Avenue / Leave My Woman Alone , August 1956 (# 1108)
• I want to know / ain't that love? January 1957 (# 1124)
• It's All Right / Get On The Right Track, Baby , June 1957 (# 1143)
• Swanee River Rock / I Want A Little Girl , August 1957 (# 1154)
• Talkin 'Bout You / What Kind of Man Are You , January 1958 (# 1172)
• Yes Indeed / I Had A Dream , April 1958 (# 1180)
• You Be My Baby / My Bonnie , August 1958 (# 1196)
• Rockhouse (Part 1) / Rockhouse (Part 2), October 1958 (# 2006)
• Tell All The World About You / (Night Time Is) The Right Time , November 1958 (# 2010)
• That's Enough / Tell Me How Do You Feel , April 1959 (# 2022)
• What'd I Say (Part 1) / What'd I Say (Part 2), June 1959 (# 2031)
• I'm Movin 'On / I Believe To My Soul , October 1959 (# 2043)
• Let The Good Times Roll / Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying , December 1959 (# 2047)
• Just For A Thrill / Heartbreaker , February 1960 (# 2055)
• Sweet Sixteen Bars / Tell The Truth , July 1960 (# 2068)
• Doodlin ' (Part 1) / Doodlin' (Part 2), September 1960 (# 5005)
• Tell Me You'll Wait For Me / Come Rain Or Come Shine , November 1960 (# 2084)

ABC records :

• My Baby (I Love Her Yes I Do) / Who You Gonna Love , January 1960 (# 10081)
• Sticks And Stones / Worried Life Blues , May 1960 (# 10118)
• Georgia On My Mind / Carry Me Back To Old Virginny , August 1960 (# 10135)
• Them That Got / I Wonder , August 1960 (# 10141)
• Ruby / Hard Hearted Hannah , November 1960 (# 10164)

Impulse Records :

• One Mint Julep / Let's Go , February 1961 (# 200)
• I've Got News For You / I'm Gonna Move To The Outskirts Of Town , June 1961 (# 202)
• A Bit of Soul / Early In The Morning , February 1961 (Atlantic # 2094)
• Am I Blue / It Should Have Been Me , May 1961 (Atlantic # 2106)
• Hard Times (No One Knows Better Than I) / Ray's Blues (I Wonder Who) , September 1961 (Atlantic # 2118)

ABC Records :

• Hit The Road, Jack / The Danger Zone , August 1961 (# 10244)
• Unchain My Heart ( Bobby Sharp ) / But On The Other Hand , Baby, November 1961 (# 10266)
• Baby, It's Cold Outside / We'll Be Together Again , January 1962 (# 10298)
• At the Club / Hide Nor Hair , March 1962 (# 10314)
• I Can't Stop Loving You / Born To Lose , April 1962 (# 10330)
• You Don't Know Me / Careless Love , July 1962 (# 10345)
• You Are My Sunshine / Your Cheating Heart , November 1962 (# 10375)
• Carrying That Load / Feelin 'Sad , January 1963 (Atlantic # 2174)
• Don't Set Me Free / The Brightest Smile In Town , February 1963 (# 10405)
• Take These Chains from My Heart / No Letter Today , March 1963 (# 10435)
• No One / Without Love (There Is Nothing) , May 1963 (# 10453)
• Busted / Making Believe , August 1963 (# 10481)
• That Lucky Old Sun / Ol 'Man River , November 1963 (# 10509)
• Talkin 'Bout You / In A Little Spanish Town , June 1964 (Atlantic # 2239)
• Baby, Don't You Cry / My Heart Cries For You , February 1964 (# 10530)
• My Baby Don't Dig Me / Something's Wrong , May 1964 (# 10557)
• No One To Cry To / A Tear Fell , June 1964 (# 10571)
• Smack Dab In The Middle / I Wake Up Crying , September 1964 (# 10588)
• Makin 'Whoopee (vocal) / Makin' Whoopee (piano) - live , November 1964 (# 10609)
• Cry / Teardrops from My Eyes , January 1965 (# 10615)
• I've Got a Woman (Part 1) / I've Got A Woman (Part 2) - live, March 1965 (# 10649)
• Without A Song (Part 1) / Without A Song (Part 2), April 1965 (# 10663)
• I'm A Fool to Care / Love's Gonna Live Here , June 1965 (# 10700)
• The Cincinnati Kid / That's All I Am To You , September 1965 (# 10720)
• Crying Time / When My Dream Boat Comes Home , October 1965 (# 10739)
• Together Again / You're Just About To Lose Your Clown , March 1966 (# 10785)
• Let's Go Get Stoned / The Train , May 1966 (# 10808)
• I Chose to Sing the Blues / Hopelessly , August 1966 (# 10840)
• Please Say You're Fooling / I Don't Need No Doctor , October 1966 (# 10865)
• I Want To Talk About You / Something Inside Me , February 1967 (# 10901)
• Here We Go Again / Somebody Ought to Write a Book About It , April 1967 (# 10938)
• In The Heat Of The Night / Something's Got to Change , August 1967 (# 10970)
• Yesterday / Never Had Enough of Nothing Yet , October 1967 (# 11009)
• Come Rain Or Come Shine / Tell Me You'll Wait For Me , December 1967 (Atlantic # 2470)
• Go On Home / That's A Lie , January 1968 (# 11045)
• Understanding / Eleanor Rigby , May 1968 (# 11090)
• Sweet Young Thing Like You / Listen, They're Playing My Song , August 1968 (# 11133)
• If It Wasn't For Bad Luck / When I Stop Dreaming , November 1968 (# 11170)
• I'll Be Your Servant / I Didn't Know What Time it Was , February 1969 (# 11193)
• Let Me Love You / I'm Satisfied , April 1969 (# 11213)
• We Can Make It / I Can't Stop Loving You, Baby , August 1969 (# 11239)
• Claudie Mae / Someone to Watch Over Me , November 1969 (# 11251)
• Laughin 'And Clownin' / That Thing Called Love , January 1970 (# 11259)
• If You Were Mine / Till I Can't Take it Anymore , August 1970 (# 11271)
• Don't Change On Me / Sweet Memories , February 1971 (# 11291)
• Booty Butt / Sidewinder , March 1971 (# 1015)
• Feel So Bad / Your Love Is So Doggone Good , July 1971 (# 11308)
• What Am I Living For / Tired Of My Tears , November 1971 (# 11317)
• Look What They've Done To My Song, Ma / America The Beautiful , June 1972 (# 11329)
• Hey Mister / There'll Be No Peace Without All Men As One , November 1972 (# 11337)
• Every Saturday Night / Take Me Home, Country Roads , January 1973 (# 11344)
• I Can Make It Thru the Days (But Oh Those Lonely Nights) / Ring of Fire , April 1973 (# 11351)

Crossover Records (Atlantic) :

• Come Live With Me / Everybody Sing , October 1973 (# 973)
• Louise / Somebody , March 1974 (# 974)
• America the Beautiful / Sunshine , February 1976 (# 985)
• Oh, Lawd, I'm On My Way / Oh Bess, Where's My Bess , October 1976 (RCA # 10800)
• I Can See Clearly Now / Anonymous Love , November 1977 (# 3443)
• Game Number Nine / A Peace That We Never Before Could Enjoy , March 1978 (# 3473)
• Riding Thumb / You Forgot Your Memory , October 1978 (# 3527)
• Christmas Time / There'll Be No Peace Without All Men As One , November 1978 (# 3549)
• Some Enchanted Evening / You 20th Century Fox , August 1979 (# 3611)
• Just Because / Love Me Or Set Me Free , November 1979 (# 3634)
• Compared To What / Now That We've Found Each Other , August 1980 (# 3762)
• Beers To You / Cotton-Eyed Clint , October 1980 (Warner Brothers # 49608)

Columbia Records :

• Born to Love Me / String Bean , November 1982 (# 3429)
• 3/4 Time / You Feel Good All Over , March 1983 (# 3810)
• Ain't Your Memory Got No Pride At All / I Don't Want No Strangers Sleepin 'In My Bed , August 1983 (# 4083)
• We Didn't See A Thing / I Wish You Were Here Tonight , November 1983 (# 4297)
• Do I Ever Cross Your Mind / They Call It Love , March 1984 (# 4420)
• Woman Sensuous Woman / I Was On Georgia Time , June 1984 (# 4500)
• Rock And Roll Shoes / Then I'll Be Over You , July 1984 (# 4531)
• Seven Spanish Angels / Who Cares , November 1984 (# 4751)
• It Ain't Gonna Worry My Mind / Crazy Old Soldier , April 1985 (# 4860)
• Two Old Cats Like Us / Little Hotel Room , August 1985 (# 5575)
• The Pages of My Mind / Slip Away , June 1986 (# 6172)
• Dixie Moon / A Little Bit of Heaven , October 1986 (# 6370)
• Baby Grand / Big Man On Mulberry Street , March 1987 (# 6994)
• I'll Be Good To You (Part 1) / I'll Be Good To You (Part 2), October 1989 (# 22697)
• A Song for You / I Can't Get Enough , March 1993 (Warner Brothers # 18611)

Guest Posts

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)				Remarks
		DE	AT	UK	US
1987	Baby Grand The Bridge	-	-	-	US75 (7 weeks) US	Billy Joel feat. Ray Charles
1989	I'll Be Good to You Back on the Block	DE28 (13 weeks) DE	-	UK21 (7 weeks) UK	US18 (16 weeks) US	Quincy Jones feat. Ray Charles & Chaka Khan
2005	Here We Go Again	-	AT52 (6 weeks) AT	-	-	Norah Jones feat. Ray Charles

Awards for music sales

Golden record  Japan 2005: for the album Genius Loves Company  Canada 1985: for the album Friendship 2000: for the album Ray Charles Anthology  Netherlands 2005: for the album Genius Loves Company  Poland 2005: for the album Genius Loves Company  United States 2005: for the video album Ray Charles in Concert

Platinum record  Japan 1990: for the album Best of Ray Charles  Canada 2005: for the video album Ray Charles in Concert  Poland 2016: for the album Empik Jazz Club  United States 2005: for the video album Ray Charles Live - In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony

2 × platinum record  Canada 2005: for the album Genius Loves Company 3 × platinum record  Japan 1989: for the single Ellie My Love

Country / Region	silver	gold	platinum	Sales	swell
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources)
Germany (BVMI)	-	2 × gold2	-	200,000	musikindustrie.de
Japan (RIAJ)	-	gold1	4 × platinum4th	1,000,000	riaj.or.jp
Canada (MC)	-	2 × gold2	3 × platinum3	310,000	musiccanada.com
Netherlands (NVPI)	-	gold1	-	40,000	nvpi.nl
Austria (IFPI)	-	gold1	-	15,000	ifpi.at
Poland (ZPAV)	-	gold1	platinum1	30,000	bestsellery.zpav.pl
Switzerland (IFPI)	-	gold1	platinum1	60,000	hitparade.ch
United States (RIAA)	-	8 × gold8th	6 × platinum6th	9,150,000	riaa.com
United Kingdom (BPI)	2 × silver2	2 × gold2	-	320,000	bpi.co.uk
All in all	2 × silver2	19 × gold19th	15 × platinum15th

Works

• American Superstars - The Best Of Ray Charles . Edl (noble) 1993.
• Ray Charles at Newport . Atlantic (Warner Music) 1998.

literature

• Ray Charles. Yes Indeed! Photographs by Joe Adams . Genesis Publications, Guildford 2010, ISBN 978-1-905662-08-1 .
• Ray Charles, David Ritz: Ray Charles. What I say. The high priest of soul . Hannibal Verlag, Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-85445-098-2 .
• Sharon Bell Mathis: Ray Charles . Lee & Low Books, New York 2001, ISBN 1-58430-018-3 .
• Ray Charles, David Ritz: Ray-The Autobiography . Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 2005, ISBN 3-453-50014-8 .
• Mike Evans: Ray Charles - The Birth of Soul . Bosworth Music, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-86543-294-0 .

Web links

Commons : Ray Charles  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Ray Charles at Discogs (English)
• Entry in the Washington encyclopedia HistoryLink (English)
• Literature by and about Ray Charles in the catalog of the German National Library
• Ray Charles at the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Official website (English)
• Biography, discography and news at JazzEcho

Individual evidence

1. ^ Adam White, Billboard interview with Ahmet Ertegun; in: Fifty Years of Atlantic Records Supplement to Billboard , January 17, 1998 issue, p. A-12
2. ^ Joseph Murrells: Million Selling Records. 1985, p. 160.
3. ^ Marriages of Ray Charles. In: About.com. Retrieved February 14, 2008 . 
4. ↑ The Genius Of Ray Charles, 60 Minutes Looks Back At The Life And Loves Of A True Original . CBS News
5. ^ Marriages of Ray Charles . About.com (English); Retrieved July 22, 2013.
6. ↑ Michael Lydon: Ray Charles: Man and Music . Riverhead Books, New York 1998.
7. ^ Many Pay Respects to Ray Charles . CBS News.
8. ↑ Klaus Nerger: The grave of Ray Charles. In: knerger.de. Retrieved July 14, 2018 . 
9. ↑ 100 Greatest Singers at rollingstone.com
10. ↑ 100 Greatest Artists of All Time at rollingstone.com
11. ↑ Sesame Street: Why, why, why? Zeit online , November 10, 2009; Retrieved April 29, 2015
12. ↑ Ralf Döbele: "Designing Women": Sony develops a possible reboot. In: Fernsehserien.de . August 15, 2018, accessed July 12, 2020 . 
13. ↑ Keep the keys hot . Film service
14. ↑ Ray Charles' America in the Internet Movie Database (English)
15. ↑ ^{a b c d e f} Chart sources: DE AT UK US US before 1958