Today for our noon hour, we will be featuring music by the genius songwriter Ray Charles Robinson.
What a remarkable life! Brother Ray lost his eyesight at a young age due to glaucoma and rose to stardom to become an influential icon. And his music also played heavily in the civil rights movement. Bernice Johnson Reagon had this to say in 2006:
Young people pulled songs from the hit parade and used them as freedom songs. Ray Charles more than any other recording artist had songs that became freedom songs, because of his voice, the way he used his piano, and a very strong blend of churchy, bluesy energy. We came up with a new word to describe the new genre. We called it “soul.”
Article: Music in the Civil Rights Movement by Bernice Johnson Reagon
Charles also supported the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s. He became a friend and financial backer of Dr. Martin Luther King and after 1963 refused to play before segregated audiences. Charles also composed protest songs such as “Danger Zone” and “You’re in for a Big Surprise.”
RAY CHARLES (1930-2004) – blackpast.org
In his own words, Ray Charles said I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.
Well… what more can you say? Learn more about Ray Charles.