Listen to us Saturday nights/Sunday mornings. Between the hours of Midnight and 6AM Eastern Standard Time.

PC's Listen Here
Macs Listen here

                           Ray Charles

  One of America's greatest pianists, Ray Charles, was born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia on September 23, 1930. His family moved to Gainesville, Florida shortly there after. When Ray was only 5, his younger brother George died. Not much later, Ray began going blind. By the time he was seven, he'd completely lost his eyesight. It's rumored he had glaucoma. Ray was then sent to Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, St. Augustine, Florida where he learned to read Braille, play various musical instruments and write music.

Ray got his start playing with bands in Florida, joining several jazz bands and country bands. Around 1947, he left for Seattle, Washington. In Seattle, he cut his frist records for Swingtime Records which included his first hits 'Confessions Blues' and 'Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand.' A year later in 1952, he was signed to Atlantic Records.

His first hit for Atlantic was 'Mess Around,' penned by Ahmet Ertegun. Ray became known for his gospel style of playing, which caused a bit of controversy since he was making secular music. Eventually, he moved to ABC Records. In 1961, a show in Augusta, Georgia was cancelled protesting segregation.

He was arrested for heroin possession in 1965, due to his addiction to the drug for 17 years. He avoided prison time by going into rehab at a clinic in Los Angeles.

His version of 'Georgia, On My Mind' became the Georgia state song April 24, 1979.

During the 90's he became spokesperson for Diet Pepsi, performed 'Georgia On My Mind' at the '96 Olympics Opening Ceremonies and appeared on Quincy Jones' album 'Back on the Block.' His last album, 'Genius Loves Company' won 8 Grammies.

Ray Charles Robinson died of liver disease on June 10, 2004.