Ray Charles
Ray Charles
Ray Charles Robinson, known professionally as Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. He was sometimes referred to as "The Genius", and was also nicknamed "The High Priest of Soul"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSoul Singer
Date of Birth23 September 1930
CityAlbany, GA
CountryUnited States of America
spiritual religious singing
When I started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this spiritual and churchy, this religious or gospel sound. It had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it.
birthday romantic dream
Other arms reach out to me, Other eyes smile tenderly, Still in peaceful dreams I see, The road leads back to you.
music memories play
Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.
like-something prerogative ifs
If somebody don't like something that I do, that's his or her prerogative. Just like it's mine.
music roots childhood
My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.
paper printed meant-to-be
Drunken talk isn’t meant to be printed in the paper.
sadness contentment too-much
There's such a thing as too much happiness and sadness. What I'm after is contentment.
night way feels
I sing what I sing true. Each night I sing it the way I feel that night.
electricity force light room
What is a soul? It's like electricity - we don't really know what it is, but it's a force that can light a room
close jones kids less liked met stuff
I met Quincy Jones in Seattle. We were kids together... liked each other when we met and have been close ever since. He wasn't writing when we met - in fact, I more or less started him off to write; voicing, harmony, and stuff like that.
conversation good relatively ringing telephone writer
I don't know about other writers, but for myself, to write I must be relatively quiet - it's very difficult to write with the telephone and the doorbell ringing and conversation going on; I'm not that good a writer to write through all that!
entertainment music
To me, music is entertainment - what else can it be? In fact, it's the only language I know of that's universal.
anyone common country dependent except gonna inside kept mama neighbors understood
Mama was a country woman with a whole lot of common sense. She understood what most of our neighbors didn't - that I shouldn't grow dependent on anyone except myself. 'One of these days, I ain't gonna be here,' she kept hammering inside my head.
capture good move storyline
I am very into lyrics. I start with what the words are saying, what the storyline is saying, like a good script. It should really capture me, do something for me. If I don't get it, it's not going to move people, and if it's not going to move people, it's not going to happen.