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."
One Mint Julip
Ray Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I met a woman, we started talking
I took her home, to get a few nips
But all I had was a mint julep
I don't remember just how I started
I only know that we should have parted
I stole a kiss, and then another
One mint julep was the cause of it all
The lights were burning low, there in the parlor
When through the kitchen door, up popped her father
He said "I saw you when you kissed my daughter
Better wed her right now, or face a slaughter!"
I didn't know just what I was doing
I had to marry of face ruin
A mint julep, a mint julep
A mint julep, a mint julep
One mint julep was the cause of it all
Now, I don't want to bore you with my troubles
But from now on I?ll be thinking double
I'm through with flirting and drinking whiskey
I got six extra children from a-getting frisky
A mint julep, a mint julep
A mint julep, a mint julep
One mint julep was the cause of it all
The song "One Mint Julep" by Ray Charles is a classic tale of how one drink led to a series of events that changed the singer's life forever. The song starts with the singer meeting a woman early one morning and taking her home for a few drinks. However, all he had was a mint julep. Even though he didn't remember how it happened, the singer ended up stealing a kiss from the woman, which led to her father walking in on them. The father demanded that they get married or face dire consequences, so the two of them tied the knot.
The song is a cautionary tale about the dangers of alcohol and flirtation. The singer is "through with flirting and drinking whiskey" and regrets his past mistakes. He now has to deal with six extra children as a result of his past behavior. The song's tone is a mixture of regret, humor, and caution, with the singer learning from his mistakes and promising not to repeat them.
Overall, "One Mint Julep" is a story about how one seemingly harmless drink can lead to a series of events that have long-term consequences. It's a reminder to be careful and think before acting, especially when alcohol is involved.
Line by Line Meaning
One early morning, as I was walking
At an unspecified time in the morning, I was walking
I met a woman, we started talking
I encountered a woman and we engaged in conversation
I took her home, to get a few nips
I escorted her to my residence to have a few drinks
But all I had was a mint julep
Unfortunately, the only beverage I had available was a mint-flavored cocktail
I don't remember just how I started
I cannot recall how the situation began
I only know that we should have parted
In hindsight, it would have been best if we went our separate ways
I stole a kiss, and then another
I engaged in an uninvited romantic embrace and followed up with another
I didn't mean to take it further
I did not intend for the situation to escalate
One mint julep was the cause of it all
The root cause of all of the trouble was the consumption of the mint julep
The lights were burning low, there in the parlor
The room was dimly lit, specifically the area designated as the parlor
When through the kitchen door, up popped her father
Suddenly, her father appeared in the room through the kitchen entrance
He said 'I saw you when you kissed my daughter
He spoke up, revealing that he witnessed the previous kissing activity
Better wed her right now, or face a slaughter!'
To avoid a violent outcome, it was suggested that I immediately enter into marriage with his daughter
I didn't know just what I was doing
I was acting without a clear understanding of the consequences
I had to marry of face ruin
To avoid severe consequences, I found myself compelled to enter into marriage
Now, I don't want to bore you with my troubles
I do not wish to become tedious by discussing my difficulties
But from now on I'll be thinking double
I will be cautious and considerate in my decision-making moving forward
I'm through with flirting and drinking whiskey
I intend to abstain from the behaviors of flirting and imbibing in alcoholic beverages
I got six extra children from a-getting frisky
As a result of previous indiscretions, I have become the parent of six additional offspring
A mint julep, a mint julep
Reiterating the drink which was the source of chaos
One mint julep was the cause of it all
Emphasizing again that the mint julep is responsible for the entire situation
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: RUDOLPH TOOMBS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
joseph costello
How beautiful is this ? If you can’t find anything good about this song or Ray Charles then you have no soul. RIP Uncle Ray
John Britain
Why was Ray Charles called "Genius"? Because he was indeed a musical genius. He ccould do anything with any kind of music, including the extraordinary feat of taking a rubbish song such as "One Mint Julep" and making it bearable.
Michael Glickman
For those wondering, the musicians are guitarist Sam Herman; bassist Joe Benjamin; drummer Roy Haynes; organist Ray Charles; alto saxophonists Earle Warren and George Dorsey; baritone saxophonist Haywood Henry; tenor saxophonists Budd Johnson and Seldon Powell; trombonists George Matthews, Jimmy Cleveland, Keg Johnson, and Urbie Green; and trumpeters Clark Terry, Jimmy Nottingham, Joe Wilder, John Frosk, and Phillip Guilbeau.
James Perry
Great lineup of legendary jazz musicians.
murp h
Never ever gets old !!!!
mkl62
This hit Ray Charles went to #8 on the Top 40 charts and to #1 on the Rhythm & Blues charts. It would finish at #60 for the year, 1961.
Jimmy_James Jams_A_Lot
My fondest memories include this song. Particularly, the late 1980s at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis Minnesota. Kirby Puckett would hit a home run every time.
Barry I. Grauman
Recorded on December 27, 1960. Most of the sidemen were from Count Basie's orchestra, with Quincy Jones as arranger/conductor.....and Ray at the organ.
Barry I. Grauman
You're VERY welcome!
Nurken Rustem
What a time it was. Hard-bop invented, bosa nova came in, Ray released greatest albums right after another.