RAY CHARLES: OVERCOMING OBSTACLES

(Communication-1080
Professor Jodie Jones)
By: Rachell McConkie & Jeff Medrano
Group #2 Charismatics

BIO CLIP

Due to Technical Difficulties we will have to hyperlink the clip that I want here.

http://www.biography.com/people/ray-charles-9245001

Introduction
After losing his sight by the age of 7
Ray begun to learn music through
braille. By the time he was 20 years
old he was a legendary musician. He
specialized in soul music. His music
inspired him, and his blind disability
was not a negative factor. Ray also
faced other hurdles in his life. He used
all of his struggles as inspiration. That
inspiration lead Mr. Charles to a
Grammy Award in 1960 (citation).
He died in 2004, leaving a lasting
impression on contemporary music

Ray Charles

Singer, Pianist, Songwriter (19302004)

Soon after his brother's death, Charles gradually

began to lose his sight. He was blind by the age of
7, and his mother sent him to a state-sponsored
school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the
Blind in St. Augustine, Floridawhere he learned
to read, write and arrange music in Braille.

Ray Charles was a pioneer of soul music,

integrating R&B, gospel, pop and country to
create hits like "Unchain My Heart," "Hit the Road
Jack" and "Georgia on My Mind." A blind genius,
he is considered one of the greatest artists of all
time.

Early in life

Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23,

1930, in Albany, Georgia. His father, a mechanic,
and his mother, a sharecropper, moved the family
to Florida when he was an infant. One of the most
traumatic events of his childhood was witnessing
the drowning death of his younger brother.

Soon after his brother's death, Charles gradually

began to lose his sight. He was blind by the age of
7, and his mother sent him to a state-sponsored
school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the
Blind in St. Augustine, Floridawhere he learned
to read, write and arrange music in Braille. He also
learned to play piano, organ, sax, clarinet and
trumpet. The breadth of his musical interests
ranged widely, from gospel to country, to blues.

Musical Evolution
Charles's mother died when he was 15, and for a
year he toured on the "Chitlin' Circuit" in the South.
While on the road, he picked up a love for heroin.
At the of age 16, Charles moved to Seattle. There,
he met a young Quincy Jones, a friend and
collaborator he would keep for the rest of his life.
Charles performed with the McSon Trio in 1940s.
His early playing style closely resembled the work
of his two major influencesCharles Brown and
Nat King Cole. Charles later developed his
distinctive sound.
In 1949, he released his first single, "Confession
Blues," with the Maxin Trio. The song did well on
the R&B charts. More success on the R&B charts
followed with "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand" and
"Kissa Me Baby." By 1953, Charles landed a deal
with Atlantic Records. He celebrated his first R&B
hit single with the label, "Mess Around."

A year later, Charles's now classic song, "I Got a Woman," reached
No. 1 on the R&B charts. The song reflected an advance in his
musical style. He was no longer a Nat King Cole imitator. His fusion
of gospel and R&B helped to create a new musical genre known as
soul. By the late 1950s, Charles began entertaining the world of jazz,
cutting records with members of the Modern Jazz Quartet.

Fellow musicians began to call Charles "The Genius," an appropriate

title for the ramblin' musician, who never worked in just one style, but
blended and beautified all that he touched (he also earned the
nickname "Father of Soul"). Charles's biggest success was perhaps
his ability to cross over into pop music too, reaching No. 6 on the pop
chart and No. 1 on the R&B chart with his hit "What'd I Say."

The year 1960 brought Charles his first Grammy Award for "Georgia
on My Mind," followed by another Grammy for the single "Hit the
Road, Jack." For his day, he maintained a rare level of creative
control over his own music. Charles broke down the boundaries of
music genres in 1962 with Modern Sounds in Country and Western
Music. On this album, he gave his own soulful interpretations of many
country classics. While thriving creatively, Charles struggled in his
personal life. He continued to battle with heroin addiction. In 1965,
Charles was arrested for possession.

Critical Acclaim

RAY CHARLES HONORED FOR ADVANCING

DISABILITY AWARENESS

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIFORNIA November 5, 2002-, Ray Charles was honored for his
work to raise awareness about disability issues within the entertainment industry during
his career.

The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists presented the 72-year-old music
legend with its Disability Awareness Award during the 20th Annual Media Access Awards
ceremony.

Charles has been blind since age 7.

The entertainer has won 13 Grammy Awards, including a Lifetime Achievement Award.
He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 1982 and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
in 1986.

Even though people with disabilities make up 20 percent of the U.S. population, less than
two percent of TV and film characters have disabilities, according to the California
Employment Development Department.(By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express)Cited
in its entirety

Click icon to add picture

Conclusion

How do you think the Blind

Perceive Communication?

Is it by the tone, speed, and accuracy

of speech? is there more to
communication than we perceive.
Maybe for the blind it is the ticks from
the clock; the texture of an item.
Things we take for granted.

WORKS CITED.
works cited.
http://www.biography.com/people/ray-charles-9245001
APA Style
Ray Charles. (2015). The Biography.com website. Retrieved
10:54, Feb 27, 2015, from
http://www.biography.com/people/ray-charles-9245001.
http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/interviews/a763/esq0803-au
g-wil/
http://mn.gov/mnddc/news/inclusion-daily/2002/11/110502caraych
arles.htm