As a rock and roll, rhythm & blues, soul, blues, jazz, country and pop musician he helped to shape the sound of rhythm & blues.
He brought a soulful sound to everything from country music ("I Can't Stop Loving You") to rock and roll ("Mess Around"), to pop standards to a now-iconic rendition of "America the Beautiful." Frank Sinatra called him "the only genius in the business."
Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia on September 23, 1930. He was the son of Aretha Williams, a share cropper, and Bailey Robinson, a railroad repair man, mechanic and handyman. The two were never married. The family moved to Greenville, Florida, when Ray was an infant. Bailey had three more families, leaving Aretha to raise the family on her own.
Ray Charles was not born blind. He started to lose his sight somewhere at the age of five. He was rendered totally blind by the age of seven. Charles never knew exactly why he lost his sight, though there are sources that suggest his blindness was due to glaucoma, and some other sources suggest that Ray began to lose his sight from an infection caused by soapy water to his eyes which was left untreated. He attended school at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida from 1937-1945 where he developed his musical gift that he is known and remembered for today. His father died when he was ten, followed by his mother five years later.
In school, he was taught only classical music, but he wanted to play what he heard on the radio, jazz and blues. After his mother died, Charles did not return to school. He lived in Jacksonville with a couple who were friends of his mother. For over a year, he played the piano for bands at the Ritz Theatre in LaVilla, earning $4 a night. Charles moved to Orlando, then Tampa, where he played "with a hillbilly band called The Florida Playboys." This is where Charles began his reputation of always wearing sunglasses that were made by designer Billy Stickles.
Charles had always played for other people, but he wanted a band that was his own. He decided to leave Florida for a large city, but Chicago and New York City were too big. He moved to Seattle in 1947 and soon started recording, first for the label Swing Time Records, achieving his first hit with the 1949 "Confession Blues". The song soared to #2 on the R&B charts. He followed his first recording with his only other hit with Swingtime, "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" in 1951. It hit #5 on the R&B charts. He then signed with Ahmet Ertegün at Atlantic Records a year later. When he entered show business, his name was shortened to Ray Charles to avoid confusion with boxer Sugar Ray Robinson.
Breakthrough period with Atlantic Records
Almost immediately after signing with Atlantic, Charles scored his first hit singles with the label with "It Should Have Been Me" and the Ertegün-composed "Mess Around", both making the charts in 1953. But it was Charles' "I Got A Woman" (composed with band mate Renald Richard) that brought the musician to national prominence.
The song reached the top of Billboard's R&B singles chart in 1955 and from there until 1959, Charles would have a series of R&B chart-toppers including "This Little Girl of Mine", "Lonely Avenue", "Mary Ann", "Drown in My Own Tears" and "The Night Time (Is the Right Time)", which were compiled on his Atlantic releases Hallelujah, I Love Her So, Yes Indeed!, and The Genius Sings the Blues. Charles was often cited for using his voice like a saxophone, most notably by the prominent critic Victor Bollo. During this time of transition, he recruited a young girl group from Philadelphia named The Cookies as his background singing group, recording with them in New York and changing their name to the Raelettes in the process.
Crossover success
In 1959, Charles crossed over to top 40 radio with the release of his impromptu blues number, "What'd I Say", which was initially conceived while Charles was in concert. The song would reach number 1 on the R&B list and would become Charles' first top ten single on the pop charts, peaking at number 6. Charles would also record The Genius of Ray Charles, before leaving Atlantic for a more lucrative deal with ABC Records in 1959.
Hit songs such as "Georgia On My Mind" (US #1), "Hit the Road Jack" (US #1) and "Unchain My Heart" (US #9) helped him transition to pop success and his landmark 1962 album, Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music and its sequel Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2, helped to bring country into the mainstream of music. He also had major pop hits in 1963 with "Busted" (US #4) and "Take These Chains From My Heart" (US #8), and also scoring a Top 20 hit four years later, in 1967, with "Here We Go Again" (US #15) (which would later be duetted with Norah Jones in 2004).
Later years
In 1965, Charles was arrested for possession of heroin, a drug to which he had been addicted for nearly 20 years. It was his third arrest for the offence, but he avoided jail time after kicking the habit in a clinic in Los Angeles. He spent a year on parole in 1966, when his single "Crying Time" reached #6 on the charts.
During the late 1960s and into the 1970s, Charles' releases were hit-or-miss, with some big hits and critically acclaimed work. His version of "Georgia On My Mind" was proclaimed the state song of Georgia on April 24, 1979, with Charles performing it on the floor of the state legislature. He also had success with his unique version of "America the Beautiful."
In November 1977 Charles appeared as the host of NBC's Saturday Night Live. In the 1980s a number of other events increased Charles' recognition among young audiences. He made a cameo appearance in the popular 1980 film The Blues Brothers. In 1985, "The Right Time" was featured in the episode "Happy Anniversary" of The Cosby Show on NBC. The next year in 1986, he sang America The Beautiful at Wrestlemania 2. In a Pepsi Cola commercial of the early 1990s, Charles popularized the catchphrase "You Got the Right One, Baby!" plus he helped in the song "We Are the World" a touching song for USA for Africa.
Despite his support of Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s and his support for the American Civil Rights Movement, Charles courted controversy when he toured South Africa in 1981, during an international boycott of the country because of its apartheid policy.
Charles recorded a cover version of the Japanese band Southern All Stars' song "Itoshi no Ellie" as "Ellie My Love" for a Suntory TV advertisement, reaching #3 on Japan's Oricon chart. Eventually, it sold more than 400,000 copies, and became that year's best-selling single performed by a Western artist for the Japanese music market.
Besides winning 17 Grammy Awards in his career (include five posthumous ones), Charles was also honored in many other ways. In 1979, he was one of the first honorees of the Georgia State Music Hall of Fame being recognized for being a musician born in the state. Ray's version of "Georgia On My Mind" was made into the official state song for Georgia. In 1981, he was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was one of the first inductees to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame at its inaugural ceremony in 1986. He received the Kennedy Center Honors in 1986. In 1987, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 1991, he was inducted to the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. In 1998 he was awarded the Polar Music Prize together with Ravi Shankar in Stockholm, Sweden. In 2004 he was inducted to the Jazz Hall of Fame, and inducted to the National Black Sports & Entertainment Hall of Fame. Also in 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #10 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
The Grammy Awards of 2005 were dedicated to Charles.
On December 7, 2007, Ray Charles Plaza was opened in Albany, Georgia, with a revolving, lighted bronze sculpture of Charles seated at a piano.
On December 26, 2007, Ray Charles was inducted into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame.
Ray Charles Post Office Building
In 2005, the U.S. postal facility located at 4960 W. Washington Blvd., in Los Angeles, California, was designated the Ray Charles Post Office Building.
On August 24, 2005, the United States Congress honored Charles by dedicating and renaming the former West Adams Station post office in Los Angeles the "Ray Charles Station".
Charles has also appeared at two Presidential inaugurations in his lifetime. In 1985, he performed for Ronald Reagan's second inauguration, and in 1993 performed for Bill Clinton's first inauguration.
In the late '80s and early '90s, Charles made appearances on The Super Dave Osbourne Show, where he performed and appeared in a few vignettes where he was somehow driving a car, often as Super Dave's chauffeur. At the height of his newfound fame in the early nineties, Charles did guest vocals for quite a few projects. He also appeared (with Chaka Khan) on long time friend Quincy Jones' hit "I'll Be Good to You" in 1990, from Jones' album Back on the Block.
Following Jim Henson's death in 1990, Ray Charles appeared in the one-hour CBS tribute, The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson. He gave a short speech about the deceased, stating that Henson "took a simple song and a piece of felt and turned it into a moment of great power". Charles was referring to the song "It's Not Easy Being Green", which Charles later performed with the rest of the Muppet cast in a tribute to Henson's legacy.
During the sixth season of Designing Women, Ray Charles vocally performed "Georgia On My Mind", rather than the song being rendered by other musicians without lyrics as in the previous five seasons
During his life he received eight honorary doctorates, the last from Dillard University in New Orleans in 2003. Later that same year, he performed his 10,000th career concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.
Charles finalized "Genius Loves Company" a duets album in 2004, which posthumously became the best selling album of his career. Norah Jones, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Michael McDonald, Bonnie Raitt, Gladys Knight, Johnny Mathis and James Taylor are just a few of the notable artists involved with the project.
Charles was awarded the prestigious "President's Merit Award" from the Grammy(r) organization and was named a City of Los Angeles "Cultural Treasure" by LA Mayor James Hahn during "African American Heritage Month" in a ceremony that he attended. He also received the NAACP Image Awards' "Hall of Fame Award."
Charles died in July 2004 in California. Three months later, his biopic "Ray" opened in theaters. The performance of Jamie Foxx as Ray gave him an Oscar for best lead performance in a feature film.
Recently, a series of slot machines were designed in Charles' name for the visually handicapped and the legendary performer was also named a "living legend" by the Library of Congress.
Charles once told an interviewer from USA Today, "Music to me is just like breathing. I have to have it. It's part of me."
Crazy Old Soldier
Ray Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Women come knock on my door
I've lived to the limit
Maybe a little bit more
There are so many stories
About how I got out of control
Some say its a woman
Some say its my troubled soul
I'm like a crazy old soldier
Fighting a war on my own
Just me and the wiskey
And the bottles are ten thousand strong
You'd think I'd give up as many times I've been hit
But like a crazy old soldier
I just don't know when to quit
Barrooms and bedrooms
Are just faces and places and names
Once for the pleasure
And Lord knows once for the pain
I've tried to forget her
And all the things that we've done
But as long as there are memories
I'll never hang up my gun
I'm like a crazy old soldier
Fighting a war on my own
Just me and the wiskey
And the bottles are ten thousand strong
You'd think I'd give up as many times as I've been hit
But like a crazy old soilder
I just don't know when to quit
The lyrics to Ray Charles's "Crazy Old Soldier" paint a vivid portrait of a man who has lived life to the fullest, but also to his limits. He has experienced fame and fortune and women have come knocking on his door, but he has also struggled with addiction and past relationships. He acknowledges that there are many stories about how he got out of control, attributing it to some saying it was a woman while others say it was his troubled soul.
Despite the hardships he's faced, the man in the song draws parallels to himself and a soldier - a crazy old soldier. He's fighting a war on his own with just himself, whiskey, and the seemingly endless number of bottles he drinks from. The metaphor of the soldier implies that he's a lone warrior, constantly battling against his inner demons and external struggles such as relationships, addiction, and the pressures of fame.
The lyrics also highlight the fact that the man has faced hardships related to relationships. Barrooms and bedrooms are just faces, places, and names, and he's been to both for both pleasure and pain. He's tried to forget someone and all the things they've done, but as long as there are memories, he'll never hang up his gun. This implies that he's still holding on to something from his past that he can't seem to let go of.
Overall, "Crazy Old Soldier" is a poignant portrayal of a man who's been through a lot in life and has continued to fight and persevere despite his struggles. The lyrics highlight the man's grit and determination to keep going, no matter what.
Line by Line Meaning
I've had fame and fortune
I have achieved great success and wealth in my life.
Women come knock on my door
Women are attracted to my fame and fortune and seek my company.
I've lived to the limit
I have lived life to the fullest, indulging in all sorts of pleasures and experiences.
Maybe a little bit more
Perhaps I have even exceeded what most people would consider the limit of a satisfying life.
There are so many stories
There are numerous anecdotes and rumors about my wild and wayward behavior.
About how I got out of control
People speculate about what led to my reckless and irresponsible conduct.
Some say its a woman
Some people attribute my lack of control to my relationships with women.
Some say its my troubled soul
Others believe that my inner turmoil and emotional distress are responsible for my erratic behavior.
I'm like a crazy old soldier
I resemble a crazed veteran who is fighting a personal battle with his own demons.
Fighting a war on my own
I am struggling against myself and my own destructive tendencies, without any external assistance or support.
Just me and the whiskey
Alcohol is my only companion and solace in my lonely and troubled existence.
And the bottles are ten thousand strong
I have consumed an enormous quantity of alcohol over the years, and it has become a formidable adversary in my life.
You'd think I'd give up as many times I've been hit
Given the setbacks and failures I have experienced, one might expect me to give up and surrender.
But like a crazy old soldier
However, I persist in my struggle, as if I were an insane veteran who refuses to acknowledge defeat.
Barrooms and bedrooms
Taverns and love affairs
Are just faces and places and names
These are merely vague and interchangeable memories with no intrinsic worth or significance in my life.
Once for the pleasure
I enjoyed these experiences for the immediate gratification and enjoyment they provided.
And Lord knows once for the pain
But they also caused me great sorrow and regret, which still haunts me to this day.
I've tried to forget her
I have attempted to erase the memory of a particular woman from my mind and heart.
And all the things that we've done
And all the events and emotions associated with that relationship.
But as long as there are memories
However, as long as I am capable of recollection and feeling,
I'll never hang up my gun
I will never relinquish my determination to fight against my own demons and weaknesses in life.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TROY HAROLD SEALS, PAUL HARDY KENNERLEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Elaine Lane
This song is way underrated. To me it's absolute perfection
highnrising
Definitely one of Johnny's best '80s performances--and Ray is always great. I don't know why Columbia Records has buried this. They've never put it on a Johnny Cash hits disc or on any of the box sets they've done.
Cornelia Denninger
And I don't know why Columbia Records dropped the great John R CASH in 1986. He was such an incredible talent and still is great today. Happy Birthday GREAT MAN. CD
jerryboies
One of my favorite songs of all time.
Patrick Sanchez
All time favorite!!!! Love all music but when I hear this it takes me to a whole other level.... wife and kids trip out but love it once they heard the music
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Don Benevento
Two geniuses at work.
VICTOR BALIT
Cash became enormously better in the 80s, a more accomplished singer and often adopting (like here) the outlaw-style initiated by Waylon & Willie.
mrvizcarrondo
Ray delivery is so spiritual "Bar room and Bed Room are spaces places and names"
alecksmedina1980 and devinmedina2008
why does this song make me wanna run everyone out of this room, open up a bottle of firewater, and drink all by myself