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."
If It Wasn't For Bad Luck
Ray Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Jimmy Lewis (indented)
[both together]
[Uh-Uh]
Wait a minute, Jimmy, look here
I'm listenin'
As I was wakin' up this mornin'
Oh Lord, you know I felt pretty good, Yes I did
I began to stretch and yawn
What for Ray?
Just to see if I could
I can dig it
All at once I got a funny feelin'
That something around here was goin on wrong
Hmm
So you know what I did Jimmy?
What?
I got up and I began to look all around for my baby
Was that it?
That was it, you know the woman had packed up and gone
Oh lord
That's why I say if everybody went to heaven
Hey-ey-ey, I believe I'd miss the call
But you see if it wasn't for bad luck,
Trying to tell you son if it wasn't for bad luck, now now
Oh, oh, I wouldn't have no luck at all
Would you believe I wouldn't have no luck at all
Looka here Ray, you think your luck is bad?
Listen ta what happen to me
Alright
Now listen now
Got a tip on a horse someone gave me, hey hey
Yeah
Pawned my last suit to make the bet
No you didn't
Yes I did
Put every dime I had on him, ah
What?
Listen, you know he ain't showed up yet
Oh! Tell ya I got so disgusted now
Yeah
Said I'll go back home and sleep some more
Now that seem like the right thing to do
But by the time I got back to my room
Are you listenin' Ray?
Yeah yeah, I'm payin' attention
You know the landlord had padlocked my door
Why that dirty . . .
Tell ya a slow horse and a fast woman
Hey hey hey lord they sure did let me fall
That's why I say ah
If it wasn't for bad luck sugar now
Hey if it wasn't for bad luck y'all
Oh! I wouldn't have no luck at all
Oh Ray, listen, I wouldn't have no luck at all
Huh-Yep. But wait a minute, you ain't heard nothin' yet
Let me tell you what happened
Tell me about it
I decided I'd go out walkin'
Say what?
Um-hm. And you know even that failed
Now how can a walk fail, Ray?
Because some man snatched a woman's pocketbook way across town
Say what?
Yeah, and uh guess who they put in jail?
Do tell, do tell
Jimmy, I just can't understand it
I know what you mean
I know there's got to be some kind of explanation
There's got to be, there's got to be
Lord, lord, lord, lord I ain't done nothing wrong
So tell me why I'm doing two years probation
Man I don't know, I got the same trouble
They got me having to walk a chump line
Say what?
Oh, with my, with my back up against a wall
That's tough, Ray
That's why if it wasn't for bad luck sugar
Oh I tell everybody if it wasn't for bad luck now now
I believe, I believe I would have no luck at all
I just would have no luck at all
Looka here Ray, let me tell you something
Hm?
Now you know, you know about this here
Yeah
You know I was sittin' home one evening,
Well I didn't have a thing to do
Yeah, that's happened to me sometimes
So I thought I'd go out dancin', you know
Yeah, yeah
And do a little of that boogaloo
I, I kinda like that myself
Finally, I got myself a partner, now
Yeah
But old Ray, wouldn't you know
Mm-hm, somthing musta happened bad
Some man said, "You got my woman, boy"
Uh oh
And he stood about seven foot four
Oops! Oops!
As they walked away I stood there
Feeling kinda sad and kinda small
That's why I say If it wasn't for bad luck sugar
[whoa, if it wasn't for bad luck, y'all now
hey, hey, hey, we'd have no luck at all]
Hey now!
Yeah, I say we would have no luck at all
Jimmy, I want you to tell me about that
seven foot four What did you do!
Well Ray, anytime a man is seven foot four and you
messin' with his woman, it's time for you to go
Oh yeah?
Lord have mercy
I, I, I, I can understand it,
it made you feel like you want to holler a little bit
Made me feel like I want to Aahhhhhhh-ow!
Yeah man, when I run into that situation,
makes me want to cry a little bit like this Ooh-hoo!
In "If It Wasn't for Bad Luck", Ray Charles and Jimmy Lewis bemoan their string of bad luck one morning when Ray discovers that his lover has left him and Jimmy learns that the horse he bet on has not shown up for the race. They share their stories and come to the conclusion that they wouldn't have any luck at all if it wasn't for bad luck. Their shared experience of misfortune shows that sometimes, life can be unpredictable and throw curveballs at us when we least expect it. The lyrics are sung in a conversational style, making the song feel personal and relatable to anyone who has experienced a bout of bad luck.
The lyrics of "If It Wasn't for Bad Luck" remind us that bad luck can happen to anyone, regardless of their status or background. Ray's recognition that he would miss the call to heaven if everybody went there speaks to his self-awareness and humor in dealing with life's problems. Jimmy’s story about being jailed for a crime he did not commit and having to walk a chump line is particularly poignant, as it reminds us that sometimes, innocent people are caught up in unfortunate circumstances.
Line by Line Meaning
Wait a minute, Jimmy, look here
Ray interrupts Jimmy to share a story
As I was wakin' up this mornin'
Ray is setting up the story he's about to share
Oh Lord, you know I felt pretty good, Yes I did
Ray was feeling good when he woke up
I began to stretch and yawn
Ray was physically waking himself up
Just to see if I could
Ray was testing his own physical capability
All at once I got a funny feelin'
Ray is sensing something that feels off
That something around here was goin on wrong
Ray feels that something is wrong
So you know what I did Jimmy?
Ray is asking Jimmy if he knows what happened next
I got up and I began to look all around for my baby
Ray's feeling of something being wrong was related to his relationship
That was it, you know the woman had packed up and gone
Ray's hunch was right, his woman had left him
That's why I say if everybody went to heaven
Ray is setting up a hypothetical scenario
Hey-ey-ey, I believe I'd miss the call
Ray believes he would even miss out on going to heaven
But you see if it wasn't for bad luck,
Ray is giving a reason for his misfortunes
Trying to tell you son if it wasn't for bad luck, now now
Ray is emphasizing how important bad luck is to his life
Oh, oh, I wouldn't have no luck at all
Ray believes that if not for bad luck, he would have no luck
Would you believe I wouldn't have no luck at all
Ray repeats that he truly believes he would have no luck if not for bad luck
Alright
Jimmy gives permission to tell his own story
Got a tip on a horse someone gave me, hey hey
Jimmy got a tip on a horse race
Pawned my last suit to make the bet
Jimmy bet everything he had on the horse race
Yes I did
Jimmy confirms that he pawned his suit to make the bet
Put every dime I had on him, ah
Jimmy went all in on the bet
Listen, you know he ain't showed up yet
The horse Jimmy bet on did not win the race
Oh! Tell ya I got so disgusted now
Jimmy was extremely disappointed
Said I'll go back home and sleep some more
Jimmy's plan was to go home and sleep off his disappointment
But by the time I got back to my room
Jimmy's disappointment continued to build
You know the landlord had padlocked my door
Jimmy couldn't get into his own apartment
Tell ya a slow horse and a fast woman
Jimmy's luck started going south with the horse race and kept going with his woman's betrayal
Hey hey hey lord they sure did let me fall
Jimmy is feeling like life has let him down
Huh-Yep.
Ray acknowledges Jimmy's story
Let me tell you what happened
Jimmy wants to share more about his experiences
Say what?
Ray is confused by Jimmy's suggestion to go out walking
Um-hm. And you know even that failed
Jimmy's attempt to go for a walk did not work out
Because some man snatched a woman's pocketbook way across town
A random incident caused Jimmy's outing to be unsuccessful
Yeah, and uh guess who they put in jail?
Jimmy was falsely accused of the crime
Jimmy, I just can't understand it
Ray can't believe Jimmy's run of bad luck
Lord, lord, lord, lord I ain't done nothing wrong
Jimmy is protesting his innocence
So tell me why I'm doing two years probation
Despite his claim of innocence, Jimmy was sentenced to probation
That's tough, Ray
Jimmy acknowledges that his situation is difficult
Jimmy, I want you to tell me about that seven foot four What did you do!
Ray is curious to hear a resolution to Jimmy's story with the large man
Well Ray, anytime a man is seven foot four and you messin' with his woman, it's time for you to go
Jimmy knows he was in the wrong and explains the resolution to Ray
Oh yeah?
Ray doesn't necessarily believe Jimmy's story
I, I, I, I can understand it, it made you feel like you want to holler a little bit
Ray sympathizes with Jimmy and his frustration
Yeah man, when I run into that situation, makes me want to cry a little bit
Ray relates to Jimmy's emotions
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Peermusic Publishing, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd
Written by: JAMES LEWIS, RAY CHARLES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
shyman99
Remarkable appearance by a legend. Was touched by the audience's response & Ed showing his appreciation the best way he could.
Je Sincere
Never seen Ed Sullivan openly display that much appreciation for a performer, very touching how Ed accompanies Ray Charles onstage and gives it up for him.
Cliff willeford
Never be another Ray Charles He was the man
Dan Joseph
Please post Ray Charles doing "What'd I Say." That is the best rhythm and blues performance EVER on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Лариса Терентьева
Какое наслаждение! Великолепно! Спасибо!!!
🧚FinallyBrainUnderstood🧚
Maybe bad luck but Mr. Charles sure is loved💛
Kevin Goins
Sing your song, Brother Ray!
Babydaddy
Please post more of Ray Charles
Ray Carter
How to phrase a song. Genius.
Jimmy Catalina
Fast women and slow horses. Story of my life.