https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r en-us 2017-11-14 12:08:49 UTC 2025-12-08 01:55:23 UTC hello@padlet.com wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206669950 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 Greenville, 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]]> 2017-11-14 12:33:56 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206669950 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206670887 His mother sent him to a state-sponsored school, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida—where 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.]]> 2017-11-14 12:37:36 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206670887 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206671468 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. ]]> 2017-11-14 12:39:34 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206671468 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206672422 In 2003, Charles had to cancel his tour for the first time in 53 years. He underwent hip replacement surgery. While that operation was successful, Charles soon learned he was suffering from liver disease. He died on June 10, 2004, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. ]]> 2017-11-14 12:42:22 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206672422 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206673274 During his lifetime, Charles recorded more than 60 albums and performed more than 10,000 concerts. Longtime friend Quincy Jones was just of many who mourned the passing of Charles. "There will never be another musician who did as much to break down the perceived walls of musical genres," Jones stated. More than 1,500 people came to say goodbye to the musical legend at his funeral.

]]> 2017-11-14 12:45:11 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206673274 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206676671 2017-11-14 12:55:29 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206676671 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206677171 2017-11-14 12:56:30 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206677171 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206677728 2017-11-14 12:58:17 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/206677728 wbfparksb86 https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/209055816 2017-11-21 12:27:51 UTC https://padlet.com/wbfparksb86/i15kfnwd4t3r/wish/209055816