Ray Charles

Ray Charles was an American singer, pianist and songwriter. He recorded more than 50 studio albums.

His nickname was "The Genius". He combined r'n'b, soul, jazz, blues, gospel and pop elements in his music. Frank Sinatra, Quincy Jones and Billy Joel have been among his biggest fans. Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No 2 on their list with the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time", as well as at No 10 on their list with the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".

He won 11 Grammy Awards in his career and he was nominated for 5 Emmy Awards.

He became completely blind by the age of 7 as a result of glaucoma. He was married twice and had 12 children with 10 different women. He suffered for many years from drug abuse.

I did it to myself. It wasn't society... it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.Ray Charles

I never wanted to be famous. I only wanted to be great.Ray Charles

I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.Ray Charles

Learning to read music in Braille and play by ear helped me develop a damn good memory.Ray Charles

Music is my life, professionally, for nearly 60 years. To be recognized by the academy is still the highest honor.Ray Charles

Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal.Ray Charles

My music had roots which I'd dug up from my own childhood, musical roots buried in the darkest soil.Ray Charles

What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.Ray Charles

Ray Charles was a famous American singer, pianist and songwriter, who was born on September 23, 1930. As a person born on this date, Ray Charles is listed in our database as the 5th most popular celebrity for the day (September 23) and the 7th most popular for the year (1930).

People born on September 23 fall under the Zodiac sign of Libra, the Scales. Ray Charles is the 83rd most popular Libra.

Aside from information specific to Ray Charles' birthday, Ray Charles is the 610th most famous American and ranks 6th in famous people born in Albany, Georgia, U.S.

In general, Ray Charles ranks as the 1035th most popular famous person, and the 120th most popular singer of all time. “The Famous Birthdays” catalogs over 25,000 famous people, everyone from actors to singers to scientists to serial killers and more. If you're curious to see who was born on your birthday, you can use our database to find out who, what, where, when and why. You can search by birthday, birthplace, claim to fame or any other information by typing in the search box, or simply browse our site by selecting the month, the day, the horoscope, or any other clickable option.

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