DOB: September 23,1930

DOD: (still living)

Birthplace: Albany, Georgia

Ray Charles is a wonderful musician. He was raised in Greenville, Florida; although he was born in Georgia. At age five he began to loose his sight at age five because of Glaucoma that went untreated. His brother had drown a few months before he became all the way blind. Then Ray began seeing things in a watery way. They would turn out blurring and bubbly. At age seven he went completely blind.

Ray attended St. Augustine School For The Deaf and Blind. There he learned to play a variety of instruments but decided to settle with the piano. After he left school he went on to play in Florida bands before moving to Seattle in 1948. Ray formed the McSon Trio, later called the Maxine Trio.

He sang on many Coca-Cola commercials. He has a wonderful talent as a pianist. Ray won many awards in acting and singing. He also received the "Lifetime Grammy" award. He was named "The Father of Soul" by blues musicians. He was named this because he mixed a little blues with country and R&B. He also inspired many young musicians and was an idol of many people. I think that he will go down in history as "The Most Talented and Appreciated Musician of all Time."

To learn more about Ray Charles click on the following web sites:

For an autobiography from Ray Charles himself, click on the link below:

Thanx for visiting my web site. Have a nice day and vote for *N Sync's "God Must have Spent (A little more time on you)" on Mtv's Total Request Live to get them back at number 1!