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."
Lift Every Voice And Sing
Ray Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
Let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered;
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
True to our God, true to our native land.
The song Lift Every Voice And Sing by Ray Charles celebrates history, hope, and perseverance in the face of adversity. The lyrics encourage listeners to continue to sing and make noise until every corner of the earth and heaven resounds with the harmonies of freedom. Listeners are encouraged to rejoice with great enthusiasm and hope in the present, while also honoring the struggles of the past. Facing the rising sun of a new day, the song calls for continued perseverance and commitment towards victory.
The song speaks to a history of oppression and struggle, including the harsh treatment of enslaved individuals and their descendants. Listeners are reminded of the bitter journey that has been taken and the consistent struggle that has marked the path of progress. In spite of the pain and the tears of the past, the song encourages a spirit of resilience and hope while standing on the ground formerly stained with blood.
Overall, the song is a call to action and a rallying cry for those who are fighting for freedom, hope, and change. It stands as a call for unity, perseverance, and hope for a better tomorrow, always remembering the sacrifices of those in the past.
Line by Line Meaning
Lift every voice and sing, till earth and Heaven ring,
Let each and every one of us raise our voices and sing together until our message is heard on earth and in heaven.
Ring with the harmonies of liberty;
Our singing should express the harmonious feeling of freedom.
Let our rejoicing rise, high as the listening skies,
Let us express our joy so it reaches the highest point, up to the listening skies.
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.
Our joy should be so loud that it echoes like the rolling waves of the sea.
Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,
Our song should be full of the unwavering belief that the lessons learned from our dark past will guide us towards a better future.
Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
Our song should also be full of the hope that our present situation has provided us with.
Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,
We stand ready to face the challenges ahead of us and embrace the new beginning that comes with each new day.
Let us march on till victory is won.
With determination, we will continue to move forward until we achieve our goals and win our battles.
Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod,
Our journey has not been easy, and we have been punished severely along the way.
Felt in the days when hope unborn had died;
We have experienced times when our hope for a better future appeared to be lost.
Yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet,
Even though we are tired, we continue to march on with a steady pace.
Come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
Have we finally arrived at the place that our ancestors yearned for?
We have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
Our progress has been achieved through much pain and sorrow.
We have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered;
Our journey has been marked by the blood of those who have fallen and sacrificed for our cause.
Out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last,
We have emerged from our dark and difficult past and now stand in a new place.
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
We have finally arrived at a place where hope shines brightly and is visible to all around us.
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears,
We call out to God who has guided us through our tired and painful years, and who has seen us shed countless silent tears.
Thou Who hast brought us thus far on the way;
It is thanks to God that we have made it this far on our journey.
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light,
God has used His immense power to lead us towards a better future filled with hope and light.
Keep us forever in the path, we pray.
We ask God to always guide us along the right path.
Lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met Thee.
We ask God to prevent us from straying away from the places and people where we first encountered Him.
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget Thee.
We ask God to prevent our hearts from being clouded and distracted by worldly desires and forgetting Him.
Shadowed beneath Thy hand, may we forever stand,
We ask God to protect us under His watchful hand, so that we may always stand and never falter.
True to our God, true to our native land.
We will remain loyal to God and our country at all times and always act with integrity.
Contributed by Parker B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
The KTO Project
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
let our rejoicing rise,
high as the listening skies, let it resound loud as the rolling sea
sing a song full of faith that the dark past has taught us,
sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
facing the rising sun of a
new day begun,
let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
bitter the chast'ning rod,
felt in the day that hope unborn had died;
yet with a steady beat,
have not our weary feet,
come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
we have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
where the white gleam of our star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
thou who has by thy might,
led us into the light,
keep us forever in the path, we pray
lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee,
lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee,
shadowed beneath the hand,
may we forever stand,
true to our God,
True to our native land.
Aung Avarttien
@Josef Tullen A new type of slavery took place where the concept of race was created to uphold it. White people thinking themselves as white occured the day they enslaved and created the concept of black people to unite the warring countries in Europe.
So the answer is there are no races, but the concept of defining yourself by your race was created and formed by white people, which even though it is not biogically real it affect us in very real ways. Slavery, Jim Crow, the new Jim Crow etc. That's why Latine people are "proud" of their race because the color denotes "criminality, lower imposed intelligence" by white people.
White supremacy is the dominant framework around the planet and it is why systematic racism doesn't exist for white people. Yes, even in majority nonwhite countries Honduras white supramacist frameworks affect the whole population. "Good hair, bettering your race (mix with light skinned" common sayings in latin america are white frameworks. Racism against black and indigenous Latine populations.
So "white pride" is racist because there is no systematic racism against white people and it upholds the white supremacist frameworks that also negatively affect white people. Eg no healthcare in this country, social safety net, vacation time because nonwhites are the scapegoats for every problem for white people. I would love the day no one has to be proud to be pigmented phenotype, but until white supremacy (which subjects poc to inferiority status) is destroyed that won't happen. Notice I didn't say white people, only that whiteness was created to uphold white supremacy the same day the created black people as negative concept.
Be proud of your country's people, of your similarities that you and I share, with where you come from/class, middle class/working class/ poor/ etcethnicity/roots (Irish, Honduran, Jewish etc) . With a barely there middle class the country mainly serves a few rich oligarchs which use race and class to divide us. Get rid of their main tools racism, neoliberalism, and capitalism and we can get somewhere.
Joanna Sternberg
THIS IS ACTUALLY MEDICINE FOR ME! THANK YOU RAY CHARLES!
reallyblessed
His version of America The Beautiful has become the most celebrated one, but his version of Lift Every Voice is very underrated. This song was on the same album as America The Beautiful. The album is called A Message From The People , recorded in 1972
Daphney Waggoner
My mom bought this album when I was a child and Ray Charles' version was the one I grew up hearing..I am 56 now, and his version of America the Beautiful AND Lift Every Voice and Sing are STILL my favorites.
The KTO Project
Lift every voice and sing
Till earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;
let our rejoicing rise,
high as the listening skies, let it resound loud as the rolling sea
sing a song full of faith that the dark past has taught us,
sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;
facing the rising sun of a
new day begun,
let us march on till victory is won.
Stony the road we trod,
bitter the chast'ning rod,
felt in the day that hope unborn had died;
yet with a steady beat,
have not our weary feet,
come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
we have come over a way that with tears has been watered,
we have come, treading our path through the blood of the slaughtered,
out from the gloomy past, till now we stand at last
where the white gleam of our star is cast.
God of our weary years,
God of our silent tears,
thou who has brought us thus far on the way;
thou who has by thy might,
led us into the light,
keep us forever in the path, we pray
lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee,
lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee,
shadowed beneath the hand,
may we forever stand,
true to our God,
True to our native land.
Zelda Williams
kelly takunda orphan thank you, sharing! 👏👏
Alfred Thérien
Thank you so much for sharing the words. Key phrase: “native land”, i.e. The United States of America! It’s a song about freedom for... all people. What a shame such a lovely, compassionate song is being used to divide us. It’s a kind of desecration, really.
Natalie Giles
@Alfred Thérien The native land is Africa. What else could it be. It is saying the native land must still be honoured
AC L’s niece
And yet my kingdom is in heaven so I read that into it most of all... all people came from Africa where the Garden of Eden was, or the Middle East at least, including me who has the least melanin of all my people who have less melanin.
Daphney Waggoner
@Natalie Giles and if it is Africa, it still shouldn't be considered divisive. African American people were brought here from the continent of Africa. Just like Irish people came from Ireland, Italians from Italy. We all have heritage that began elsewhere with ONE exception. USA is only the "Native Land" of the indigenous people that were here 1st.
Wavy Wes
This man was so unbelievably talented! Wish I could have met Ray Charles