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 Ertegรผn 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 Ertegรผn-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."
So Help Me God
Ray Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I flee to something deeper at the risk of seeking purpose
How can I hang in this environmental state of being
When everything I'm striving for it's nothing that I'm seeing
Won't you take my heart, won't you take my soul
Won't you come and make me whole again
You, you've got what I need and you never retreat
So help me God
To put my faith in you
So help me God
Before I come unglued
Call it my addiction
I can't get enough of you
So help me God
To put my faith in you
Infected by the skin I'm in that's starving with desire
And Jesus ain't the latest thing to come across the wire
I throw myself in mercy for I am the chief of sinners
But daily taking up my cross
Has brought it's share of splinters
You're there when I call
And you're there when I fall
Even though I don't deserve it all
You, you light my way
Through the night and the day
And from you I will not stray
God so help me
This is my soul's plea
I'm desperately devoted
I can't get enough of you
Cause you are the one I love
Cause you are the one I need
Cause you are the one I'm seeking
Cause you are the one for me
In Ray Charles's song "So Help Me God," the artist touches on the struggles of finding meaning and purpose in life. Charles describes feeling overwhelmed by various philosophies that only scratch the surface and offer nothing substantial. He seeks something deeper, even if it means taking risks. He feels lost in this state of being, where everything he strives for seems to elude him. Charles then turns to God for help, asking Him to take his heart, soul, and make him whole again. He acknowledges his addiction to God and his unworthiness, but through it all, he finds comfort and direction in God's light.
The song portrays an individual in the midst of an existential crisis. The lyrics depict a restless soul searching for genuine fulfillment and direction. The song demonstrates the human struggle of seeking internal satisfaction in a world driven by surface-level ideologies. Charles's plea to God is indicative of a higher power that can offer clarity and purpose amidst the chaos of life. The song aptly captures just how lost and overwhelmed one could feel when navigating through the vicissitudes of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Bombarded by philosophies that satisfy the surface
I am overwhelmed by worldly ideologies that only provide superficial satisfaction
I flee to something deeper at the risk of seeking purpose
I search for a deeper meaning in life, even though it may come with risk
How can I hang in this environmental state of being
How can I exist in this world with all its distractions and temptations
When everything I'm striving for it's nothing that I'm seeing
I am working towards things that are ultimately unfulfilling
Won't you take my heart, won't you take my soul
I offer my entire being to you
Won't you come and make me whole again
I seek your healing and restoration
You, you've got what I need and you never retreat
You are the one who can provide me with what I truly need and you never leave my side
Unto you I will concede
I surrender myself to you
So help me God
I ask for your divine assistance
To put my faith in you
To trust and believe in you completely
Before I come unglued
Before I completely lose myself
Call it my addiction
I am addicted to you
I can't get enough of you
I constantly crave your presence and love
Infected by the skin I'm in that's starving with desire
I am consumed by physical desires that leave me feeling empty
And Jesus ain't the latest thing to come across the wire
I know that following Jesus is not just a fad or trend
I throw myself in mercy for I am the chief of sinners
I beg for your mercy and forgiveness, knowing that I am a great sinner
But daily taking up my cross
Every day I embrace the struggles and challenges that come with following you
Has brought it's share of splinters
It has not been easy, but I know it is worth it
You're there when I call
I know you are always there when I need you
And you're there when I fall
Even when I fail, you are still with me
Even though I don't deserve it all
Despite my shortcomings, you still show me love and grace
You, you light my way
You guide me through the darkness
Through the night and the day
Through all of life's ups and downs
And from you I will not stray
I will always stay faithful to you
God so help me
I call on you for your help
This is my soul's plea
This is my heartfelt request
I'm desperately devoted
I am completely committed to you
Cause you are the one I love
You are the one I love above all else
Cause you are the one I need
You are the one I need to survive
Cause you are the one I'm seeking
You are the one I am constantly pursuing
Cause you are the one for me
You are the only one who can truly fulfill me
Lyrics ยฉ Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: JUD FRIEDMAN, ALLAN RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-fc4tn4rj6h
am lost, I've been led astray
Once again I need Your light and love to lead the way
I know I don't deserve it, but I promise it's the end
So if You rescue me just one more time
You'll never have to do it again
[Chorus]
So help me God
Help me God
Help me...God
Help me God
Help me God
Ooh Lord
[Verse 2]
It's the truth, I can't tell You a lie
You're the only one who's been there for me each and every time
Now I guess it's my turn to prove myself to You
Go ahead, ask me anything at all
And that's what I am going to do
Chorus]
So help me God (Help me God)
Help me God (Please help me)
Help me...God (God)
I cross my heart (Help me God)
Help me God, oh yeah (Ooh...)
[Bridge]
You've been so understanding and patient with me
It's took me some time, but now I see (But now I see)
It took me some time, but now I see
[Verse 3]
I am awake, now I have been found
You can count on me forever more
I'm never gonna let You down
[Chorus]
So help me God (Help me God)
Help me God (Please help me)
Help me God (God)
[Outro]
Whoa, help me (Help me God, help me God!)
I won't let you down
Please help me God (Help me God)
(Help me) Help me God
My Lord
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