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."
What Have They Done To My Song Ma
Ray Charles Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
How you feeling mama?
Hm-hmm, that's alright
I've got something I want to talk to you about
If you don't mind
And I ain't mad, mama, no, no no no
Wait a minute, listen mama
Look what they done to my song, ma
The only thing I could do half right and now it's turning out all wrong, mama
Look what they done to my song
Now listen if you please
Wish I could find a good book, I'd like to live in the thing now
Wish I could find a good book, now, hey hey hey
If I could find a real good book, you know I,
I'd never have to come out and look
At what they done to my song
Look what they done to my brain, ma
Look what they done to my brain
Oh mama, it's a shame, you won't believe this, but it's true
They picked it like a chicken bone and I'm-ah, just about to go insane mama
Look what they done to my brain
Now girls, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear that some French
Ils ont change ma chanson, ma
(ooh, not bad)
Ils ont change ma chanson
(uh-huh let me see here {franglish gibberish})
Ils ont change ma chanson
(My French must be pretty bad, I better do this in English)
Look what they done to my song, ma
Look what they done to my song ma
Put it in a plastic bag and they turned the bag upside down ma
Look what they done to my song
(scat)
Maybe it's alright
Maybe it's OK, I don't know
But I tell ya
If my tears were money, I'd be a millionaire today
You know, the only thing I get to have right, now it's turning out all wrong, mama
You can't believe what they've done to my song ma, that I wrote myself
They put it in a plastic bag and they turned the bag upside down, mama
Lord, if I could find a good book,
I'd never have to come out and look at, uh
What they trying to do to my brain
It's a shame mama, you see they
They done pick it like a chicken bone
And I'm-ah just about to go insane
I'm insane, insane, mama
I'm going crazy, mama, that's what it is
Lord knows I don't care what they done to my song
No, I don't care about that, but see
The main thing, mama
What they trying to do to me
You see, well they stole everything I had, mama
And they made a million with it, and you know that hurts
But oh, I'm gonna keep on working on the building,
Just like you taught me, mama
Whoah, yes I will, yes I will, yeah
The song "Look What They've Done To My Song Ma" by Ray Charles and The Count Basie Orchestra is a lament about how the singer's song has been changed from what he originally wrote it to be. The song begins with the singer greeting his mother and asking how she is doing before launching into the main theme of the song. He describes how his song, which was the only thing he could do half right, has been turned out all wrong. The singer is not angry about it, but he is still upset about what has happened to his creation.
In the second verse, the singer describes how he wishes he could find a good book that he could live in, so that he wouldn't have to see what they've done to his song. He then goes on to describe how they have picked his brain like a chicken bone and how he is just about to go insane because of it. In the final verse, the singer expresses his frustration over how everything he had has been stolen from him and how he will keep working on the building, just like his mother taught him.
The lyrics of the song are a powerful indictment of the music industry and how it can change an artist's creation. The singer is trying to express how important his song is to him and how it has been taken away from him.
Line by Line Meaning
Hello mama, hello mama it's me
Opening line where the singer greets his mother and identifies himself.
How you feeling mama?
The singer asks his mother about her well-being.
Hm-hmm, that's alright
The mother responds positively, which the singer acknowledges.
I've got something I want to talk to you about
The singer indicates that he has something to discuss with his mother.
If you don't mind
The singer politely asks for permission to initiate the conversation.
And I ain't mad, mama, no, no no no
The singer assures his mother that he is not angry.
Wait a minute, listen mama
The singer requests his mother to listen to what he has to say.
Look what they done to my song, ma
The singer complains about the ways in which his song has been treated by others.
Look what they done to my song, ma
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
The only thing I could do half right and now it's turning out all wrong, mama
The singer discloses that his music was his only source of solace, but it has been tainted.
Look what they done to my song
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
Now listen if you please
The singer wants his mother to pay attention to the following words.
Wish I could find a good book, I'd like to live in the thing now
The singer wishes to escape reality by living in a good book.
Wish I could find a good book, now, hey hey hey
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
If I could find a real good book, you know I, I'd never have to come out and look
The singer believes that a good book could provide a perpetual escape from reality.
At what they done to my song
The singer recoils at the idea of returning to the reality in which his song has been ruined.
Look what they done to my brain, ma
The singer draws a parallel between how his song has been ruined and how his brain has been affected.
Look what they done to my brain
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
Oh mama, it's a shame, you won't believe this, but it's true
The singer laments the fact that his brain has been left in shambles and his mother may find it hard to believe.
They picked it like a chicken bone and I'm-ah, just about to go insane mama
The singer states that his brain has been picked apart and that he is on the verge of insanity.
Look what they done to my brain
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
Now girls, if you don't mind, I'd like to hear that some French
The singer requests that the girls present sing something French.
Ils ont change ma chanson, ma
The girls sing a line of French that translates to 'They changed my song, ma.'
(ooh, not bad)
The singer compliments the girls' singing.
Ils ont change ma chanson
Reiterated line sung by the girls.
(uh-huh let me see here {franglish gibberish})
The singer attempts to converse in a mix of French and English.
Ils ont change ma chanson
Reiterated French line as the singer realizes his French is not proficient.
(My French must be pretty bad, I better do this in English)
The singer acknowledges that he is not fluent in French and decides to stick to English.
Look what they done to my song, ma
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
Look what they done to my song ma
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
Put it in a plastic bag and they turned the bag upside down ma
The singer compares the way his song has been treated to being placed in a bag and turned upside down, highlighting its ruinous effects.
Look what they done to my song
Reiterated line to emphasize the point.
(scat)
The singer scats as he contemplates the deteriorating state of his song and mind.
Maybe it's alright
The singer ponders, suggesting that the current state of his song and mind may be acceptable.
Maybe it's OK, I don't know
The singer reiterates his uncertainty about the acceptability of the situation.
But I tell ya
The singer is about to assert something.
If my tears were money, I'd be a millionaire today
The singer remarks that although his tears are not valuable themselves, if they were convertible to money, he would be wealthy.
You know, the only thing I get to have right, now it's turning out all wrong, mama
The singer laments that the only thing he seems to get right, his music, has now gone awry.
You can't believe what they've done to my song ma, that I wrote myself
The singer indicates that it is unbelievable what has been done to the song he penned.
They put it in a plastic bag and they turned the bag upside down, mama
The singer reiterates the imagery of how his song has been treated.
Lord, if I could find a good book,
The singer reiterates his desire to escape reality through a good book.
I'd never have to come out and look at, uh
The singer asserts that a good book would prevent him from having to have to face the negative realities of his life.
What they trying to do to my brain
The singer identifies that something has been done to his brain without his desire, and that it is negative.
It's a shame mama, you see they
The singer underscores that his mother should observe that it is truly lamentable.
They done pick it like a chicken bone
The singer uses the metaphor of picking a chicken bone to indicate the viciousness of how his brain has been treated.
And I'm-ah just about to go insane
The singer reiterates his belief that the state of his brain may result in his going mad.
I'm insane, insane, mama
The singer descends into hysteria with increasing repetitions of his current state of mind.
I'm going crazy, mama, that's what it is
The singer asserts that the state of his mind is one of mental disarray.
Lord knows I don't care what they done to my song
The singer apologizes for repeating the same statement about his song's condition, but declares that he is not apathetic about it.
No, I don't care about that, but see
The singer clarifies that he does care about the impact of the song's condition on him.
The main thing, mama
The singer emphasizes that there is something far more critical than the condition of his songs.
What they trying to do to me
The singer reveals that he is the target of the forces that have ruined his songs.
You see, well they stole everything I had, mama
The singer asserts that his work has been plagiarized and that he has received no credit.
And they made a million with it, and you know that hurts
The singer reveals that those who benefit from his work have profited handsomely at his expense, which pains him.
But oh, I'm gonna keep on working on the building,
The singer declares his resolve to continue creating music despite the hurdles he faces.
Just like you taught me, mama
The singer thanks his mother for being a source of inspiration and strength.
Whoah, yes I will, yes I will, yeah
The singer once again declares his resolve to continue his work in the face of difficulty.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Melanie Safka
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind