![]() ![]() The Robinson family had informally adopted Aretha, and she took the surname Robinson. They lived in Greenville, Florida with Robinson's father and his wife, Mary Jane Robinson. His mother was a teenage orphan making a living as a sharecropper. Ray Charles Robinson was the son of Bailey Robinson, a laborer, and Aretha (or Reatha) Williams. Billy Joel said, "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley". In 2002, Rolling Stone ranked Charles number ten on its list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time", and number two on their November 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles "the only true genius in show business", although Charles downplayed this notion. Their friendship lasted until the end of Charles's life. Charles placed multiple singles and albums in the Top 10 of the Top 40 on various Billboard charts: 44 on the US R&B singles charts, 11 on the Hot 100 singles charts, 2 on the US Country singles charts, 8 on the Billboard 200 album charts, and one on the US Country Album charts.Ĭharles cited Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by Louis Jordan and Charles Brown. While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company. He contributed to the integration of country music, rhythm and blues, and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, notably with his two Modern Sounds albums. He pioneered the soul music genre during the 1950s by combining blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles into the music he recorded for Atlantic. Charles started losing his vision at the age of 5, and by 7 he was blind. He was often referred to as "The Genius". Among friends and fellow musicians he preferred being called "Brother Ray". With a grant for the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation, the Town completed the reconstruction of the house in 2008.Ray Charles Robinson (Septem– June 10, 2004), professionally known as simply Ray Charles, was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and composer. In 2006, the Town of Greenville purchased the structure to preserve the memory of Ray Charles. Because of advanced deterioration, the abandoned house was scheduled for demolition. A fireplace in one of the four small rooms provided warmth, and open windows and doors allowed breezes to cool the house. Meals were prepared on a wood-burning stove. It had no electricity or indoor plumbing. The modest wood frame vernacular house he grew up in was probably constructed in the 1920s. At age seven, Ray's sight failed and he was sent to the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Ray and his mother later moved into a small house behind the cafe. "RC," as Ray was known by his friends, received his first piano instruction from Wiley Pitman, owner of the nearby Red Wing Cafe. Shortly after his birth in 1930 until about the age of five. ![]() " This house is a reconstruction of the home where musician Ray Charles (1930-2004) lived with his mother, Aretha Williams, and adopted grandmother, Margaret "Muh" Robinson. ![]() The home was restored and a Florida historical marker placed in front of the house in 2008. The childhood home of famous musician Ray Charles is in Greenville, Florida, USA. This marker is located on Ray Charles Road formerly(Western Ave)Greenville, FL. ![]() Ray Charles Childhood Home Marker, Greenville FL ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |