Born on This Day in 1930, the Legendary Singer Who Broke Racial Barriers and Helped Bring Country Music to the Mainstream

On September 23, 1930, Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia. His very humble beginnings did little to suggest the superstar career he would enjoy for most of his adult life, nor the legacy he would leave behind.

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Charles was born to Aretha and Bailey Robinson. He was raised mostly by Aretha as a single mother, who struggled to make ends meet.

As a little boy, Charles was beginning to lose his sight, going completely blind by the time he was seven years old, due to juvenile glaucoma. Charles attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida, where he not only learned to read and write in Braille but also began arranging music, an early hint at his future. Ray also learned how to play several instruments, including piano, clarinet, saxophone, and more.

After the death of his mother, when he was still a teenager, Charles chose not to return to school and began working as a musician. According to Biography.com, Charles was just 16 when he moved to Seattle. Washington. While there, he met Quincy Jones, a pivotal relationship for Ray.

The Musical Legacy of Ray Charles

By the mid-1950s, Ray Charles was making a name for himself as a solo artist. He had his first big hit in 1960, with “Georgia On My Mind“. The song also earned Charles his first two of 17 Grammy Awards. Charles followed the song with hits like “Hit The Road Jack”, “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, “You Are My Sunshine”, and more.

Charles was never content to stick to one genre of music. It’s part of what makes him such an icon. In 1962, Charles released Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. He followed that record with Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume 2.

For the next 40 years, Charles made a name for himself as a musician and singer who could expertly perform any style of music. He released more than 60 albums and well over 100 singles.

In 1986, Charles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 36 years later, in 2022, Ray was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Few artists besides Charles have the distinction of being remembered as an icon in both rock and roll and country music.

Ray Charles passed away on June 10, 2004, from complications of liver disease. He was 73 years old when he died. Glen Campbell and Stevie Wonder are among the artists who performed at Charles’ funeral.

Photo by Tom Briglia/FilmMagic