Timeline Ray Charles: The Genius

Blind at seven, a pioneer of soul at 24 — Ray Charles mixed gospel, blues, jazz and country into the music of a nation.

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Dashed left edge = started before this timeline · Dashed right edge = still ongoing

Ray Charles: The Genius 18

1930 Ray Charles born in Albany, Georgia Ray Charles Robinson Grows up poor in Greenville, Florida.
1937 – 1945 Ray Charles at the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind St. Augustine Blind by seven, he learns to read music in Braille.
1947 Ray Charles moves to Seattle Meets Quincy Jones Picks the city farthest from Florida — befriends the teenage Quincy Jones.
1952 Ray Charles signs with Atlantic Records Ahmet Ertegun Atlantic buys his contract.
1954 Ray Charles records I Got a Woman Birth of soul A gospel song turned secular — often called the first soul record.
1959 Ray Charles releases What'd I Say Call and response An improvised show closer that becomes his first top-ten pop hit.
1959 Ray Charles signs with ABC-Paramount Owns his masters An unheard-of deal that gives him ownership of his recordings.
1960 Ray Charles tops the charts with Georgia on My Mind Number one His first pop number one.
1961 Ray Charles refuses to play a segregated show Augusta, Georgia Cancels a concert after learning the audience would be segregated.
1961 Ray Charles tops the charts with Hit the Road Jack Number one His second pop number one.
1962 Ray Charles releases Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Crossing the colour line A Black star sings country — number one for 14 weeks.
1965 Ray Charles quits heroin Rehab Gets clean after a drugs arrest in Boston.
1979 Ray Charles' Georgia on My Mind becomes Georgia's state song State song Georgia adopts his version as its official song.
1980 Ray Charles appears in The Blues Brothers Shake a Tail Feather Plays a music-shop owner.
1986 Ray Charles inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame First class One of the first ten inductees.
2004 Ray Charles dies in Beverly Hills Aged 73 Dies at home.
2004 Ray Charles biopic Ray released Jamie Foxx Jamie Foxx wins the Oscar for playing him.
2005 Ray Charles wins eight posthumous Grammys Genius Loves Company His duets album sweeps the Grammys.