Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
      • Playlists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Music»Artists - L to Z»Artists - R
    Artists - R Music - 1950s Music - 1960s 3 Mins Read

    Ray Charles

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Ray Charles started out smooth – A substandard Nat King Cole – but after signing to Atlantic, his gospel background kicked in and he effectively invented soul.

    As his vibrant music evolved he blended R&B, Rock & Roll, big band jazz and country – the latter on the groundbreaking Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music album (1962), which gave him a US pop Number 1 with I Can’t Stop Loving You.

    charles_000
    Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia, into harsh poverty on 23 September 1930.

    His mother was a washerwoman, his father a handyman. Life was hard and it would get crueller.

    Ray was blinded at the age of seven from glaucoma. His younger brother drowned in a washtub in their family home. His father died in 1940, his mother five years later.

    By his mid-teens, Charles had learned to read and score music in Braille and play the piano, clarinet, saxophone and trumpet. Meeting with little success in the South he moved to Seattle where his career blossomed.

    Charles was picked up by Atlantic Records, and by late 1952 he was in the recording studio working with Jesse Stone. From that session some of the finest R&B sounds of the late fifties were issued, including his first Atlantic single, Mess Around, in May.

    The records Charles made from 1955 – 1965 – during which time he battled, and eventually conquered, a severe heroin addiction – influenced, and were covered by, a whole host of 60s British acts, from The Beatles and The Rolling Stones to Van Morrison, Joe Cocker and Rod Stewart.

    His first major recording achievement came with his self-penned What’d I Say (August 1959), which topped the R&B chart for two weeks and reached #6 in the pop chart.

    He switched record labels in 1959 to ABC Paramount (because Atlantic could not meet his financial demands). His debut for ABC was Sticks and Stones – a Top 40 hit – while Atlantic continued to release his canned material.

    The hits continued, with Georgia On My Mind, Hit The Road Jack, Unchain My Heart and I Can’t Stop Loving You.

    Through to the seventies Ray Charles remained in demand as a performer – headlining jazz festivals and appearing with soul legends like Aretha Franklin. He later set up his own label, Tangerine, and became a very tough businessman.

    Although future records, which relied too much on pop songs and sugary string arrangements, rarely recaptured the glory of his peak years, in concert his voice remained strong and wonderfully expressive.

    Ray Charles died on 10 June 2004, aged 73. “A great soul has gone on,” said close friend Aretha Franklin, after news of Charles’ death was announced. “He was a fabulous man, full of humour and wit. A giant of an artist. The music world will miss his voice”.

    Related Posts

    • Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
      Johnny Kidd & The Pirates
      Originally a Rock & Roll band, The Pirates' greatest days were perhaps behind them when the beat boom began. Formed…
    • Atlantic Records
      Atlantic Records
      Atlantic Records has introduced the world to some of the most influential musicians this planet has ever produced; Jazz icons…
    • Dinah Lee
      Dinah Lee
      In the 1960s Dinah Lee was the most successful female singer in her New Zealand homeland (and "next-door" in Australia.)…
    • Applejacks, The
      Applejacks, The
      The Applejacks hailed from Solihull in the West Midlands where, in 1960, guitarists Martin Baggott and Philip Cash were in…
    • Billy Preston
      Billy Preston
      William Everett Preston was born in Texas in 1946 but raised in Los Angeles, where his prodigious talents blossomed early.…
    • Rita Coolidge
      Rita Coolidge
      Rita Coolidge was born in Lafayette, Tennesee, a small town outside Nashville, and began her musical career playing organ in…
    • LaVern Baker
      LaVern Baker
      Chicago-native LaVern Baker (born Delores Williams on 11 November 1929) was a well-built and undeniably sexy black girl who learnt…
    • Ray Brown & The Whispers
      Ray Brown & The Whispers
      When Ray Brown died in August 1996, Australian rock & roll lost one of its unsung achievers. After bursting onto…

    Soul music
    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleRay Brown & The Whispers
    Next Article Dave Clark Five, The

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    You May Also Like
    • Great Gildersleeve, The
      1 9 5 5 – 1 9 5 6 (USA) 39 x 30 minute episodes […]
    • You Must Be Joking! (1965)
      If you’ve ever wondered how Monty Python‘s […]
    • Magic Land of Allakazam, The
      1 9 6 0 – 1 9 6 2 (USA) 1 9 6 2 – 1 9 6 3 (USA) 1 9 […]
    • Aqua Net
      Aqua Net’s glue-like hold has been making hair happy for […]
    • Time Express
      1 9 7 9 (USA) 4 x 60 minute episodes This four-week limited-run […]
    • Mandy Rice-Davies
      Marilyn Davies was born in Wales on 21 October 1944 and moved to […]
    Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons

    OUR LATEST FACEBOOK POSTS

    edition.cnn.com/2023/01/30/entertainment/cindy-williams-dead/index.html

    More sad news 😢
    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    'Laverne & Shirley' star Cindy Williams dead at 75 | CNN

    edition.cnn.com

    Cindy Williams, the dynamic actress known best for playing the bubbly Shirley Feeney on the beloved sitcom "Laverne & Shirley," has died, according to a statement from her family, provided to CNN by a...
    12 hours ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64442824 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Television frontman Tom Verlaine dies at 73

    www.bbc.co.uk

    His band rose to fame in the 1970s New York punk scene, scoring UK hits including Marquee Moon.
    2 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64418847 ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Mr Blobby costume sells for more than £62,000 on eBay

    www.bbc.co.uk

    The character, made famous by BBC show Noel's House Party, had been in storage since the 1990s.
    3 days ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Put some beefiness into your mid-week menu with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the Radio Times on 30 September 1965.

    Put some "beefiness into your mid-week menu" with these recipe ideas published in a Birds Eye advertisement from the "Radio Times" on 30 September 1965. ... See MoreSee Less

    1 week ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 3
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    They were awful. An overpowering savoury flavour that lingered in your mouth for hours. Heaven knows what unmentionable parts of a bull went into making them 😳

    More sad news 😪

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    US rock legend David Crosby dies aged 81

    www.bbc.co.uk

    Crosby, who co-founded both the Byrds and Crosby, Stills and Nash, had been ill for some time.
    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 1
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened? 

All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .

    This is what they promised us when I was a kid. What happened?

    All I have is 700 channels of rubbish on the TV in High Def, TikTok, Facebook and a phone I can take photographs with . . .
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 54
    • Shares: 22
    • Comments: 7

    Comment on Facebook

    I thought we would have moving pavements by now when I was a kid 😂

    Totally agree!!!

    The new Tesla, 4.6 next century.

    We got transvestite story hour instead

    We appear to be going backwards

    There's actually a very good David Graeber essay on this very topic: thebaffler.com/salvos/of-flying-cars-and-the-declining-rate-of-profit

    The Jetsons strike again.

    View more comments

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

https://nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/

    Renowned Australian singer Renee Geyer is dead at 69 following complications from hip surgery. Such a fabulous voice. RIP😢

    nostalgiacentral.com/music/artists-l-to-z/artists-r/renee-geyer/
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 0
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    That is so sad to hear 😥 rest in peace 🙏 🕊 xx

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026

    Gina Lollobrigida: Italian screen star dies at 95
    www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-64292026
    ... See MoreSee Less

    2 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 4
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 1

    Comment on Facebook

    😍😍😍😍

    Vale Jeff Beck. Dead at 78. 😢

    ... See MoreSee Less

    Link thumbnail

    Jeff Beck: British guitar legend dies aged 78

    www.bbc.co.uk

    One of rock's most influential guitarists, he was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 1
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 0

    Comment on Facebook

    Hi everyone. Were in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes.

    Hi everyone. We're in the process of moving www.nostalgiacentral.com to new dedicated servers to better cope with the volumes of traffic. Please ignore any SSL security errors you may receive when visiting the site over the next 24 hours while the move completes. ... See MoreSee Less

    3 weeks ago
    View on Facebook
    · Share
    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email
    View Comments
    • Likes: 5
    • Shares: 0
    • Comments: 2

    Comment on Facebook

    Ironically, this post has jumped off the page at me. You'll probably get most traffic today because everyone will want to see what they might be missing!

    Martin Platt

    Load more
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Sport Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2023 Nostalgia Central
    • About Nostalgia Central
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.