Ray Charles

Charles, hailed as "The Father of Soul" and best known for such hits as Georgia On My Mind and Hit the Road Jack, died at his Beverly Hills home at the age of 73.

He made his last public appearance April 30, turning up in a motorized wheelchair for a ceremony dedicating his longtime recording studio in Los Angeles as a historic landmark.

Blind since the age of 6 from glaucoma, Charles collected 13 Grammy Awards during his career, including a lifetime achievement honor in 1987. He played his 10,000th concert last May at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles and in 2002 celebrated the 40th anniversary of his first hit on the country music charts, I Can't Stop Loving You.

But Charles made his biggest mark in the 1950s by blending the spirituality of gospel music he learned in the black churches of his childhood with the sensuality of the blues to create an emotionally raw new genre called soul.

Soul helped pave the way for such performers as Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke and the birth of rock 'n' roll.

The Japan Times Weekly: June 19, 2004
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