RIP Ray Charles

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:43 pm

Ray Charles has passed away.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:44 pm

Oh my...

What a loss. What a legend. What a legacy. This is a man who will be remembered for hundreds of years.

Pov · Post by **Pov** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:45 pm

I just saw the news myself. Here's a link to an article:

http://apnews.excite.com/article/200406 ... BI3O0.html

Hearing about Reagan did not make me sad. This makes me sad

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:51 pm

A very sad moment for popular music. One of the greats...and a Republican, as it happens.

Also was admittedly no saint. As recounted on "60 Minutes", it was common knowledge that "If you want to be a Raylette, you had better let Ray."

P.S. And it must be said, he showed good grace in his forgiveness of, well, you know....

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 2:58 pm

Ray Charles' scene is a highpoint in The Blues Brothers.

And despite Elvis' ill, drunken words towards Ray, he most definitely admired the man's music, citing Modern Sounds In Country & Western Music as an important influence. Fantastic album, by the way, for those who haven't heard it.

El Vez · Post by **El Vez** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:00 pm

As a musical artist, he was an absolute colossus. I highly recommend his 5 CD Genius & Soul box set to anyone who doesn't already own a copy. It is well worth the price. Very, very sad to see this one go.

Post by **BlueChair** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:05 pm

I hate to keep rambling, but leading up to his death, Ray was working on a duets album called "Genius Loves Company." I suspect that it is completed, but should be an interesting listening experience, as it will feature duets with Elton John, Van Morrison, B.B. King, Norah Jones, Diana Krall, Bonnie Raitt, Willie Nelson and James Taylor, among others.

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:23 pm

Yes, El Vez...good stuff.
There's also The Birth of Soul 3-disc set which is incredible.
And any of the Modern Sounds in Country discs are great.

I'm really bummed because I never saw him in concert....

cosmos · Post by **cosmos** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:27 pm

Here's another great article:

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Music/0 ... index.html

crash8_durham · Post by **crash8_durham** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:31 pm

Ray sang my favorite version of God Bless America.

crash8_durham · Post by **crash8_durham** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:32 pm

Check that, it was America The Beautiful.

SoLikeCandy · Post by **SoLikeCandy** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 3:59 pm

Wow. I just read about this on Yahoo's website...this makes me very, very sad. The great ones are leaving...

Stripped Jack Naked · Post by **Stripped Jack Naked** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 4:01 pm

All his own.

A style never emulated. If you heard a Ray Charles song, it was instantly Ray. I don't think I have ever mistaken another singer for Ray Charles.

All his own. He came in with it, and he left with it.

That is legacy.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 5:06 pm

I discovered Ray via Elvis in the early 1980's. No , it wasn't the tragic comments in Ohio - it was some comparisons between Elvis' Almost Blue and Ray's Modern Sounds In Country Music. Both were cited as being projects that would introduce people to country music , being by artists not generally associated with the genre. Of course , Ray's album was not to be had in early 1980's Ireland. I finally tracked down a copy for a dollar in a junk shop in Goldsboro , North Carolina in the summer of 1982.

That , of course , had me wanting to get anything else by Ray. Modern Sounds... was the first album I got on CD in 1990 . I saw him in concert in Dublin in 1989 and at a festival show in Waterford in 1993. Both shows were disappointing , Ray and co. seeming to merely bang out the show with little feeling. Indeed my abiding image of the festival show was the highly visible sight of Ray's minder/manager having a constant shouting match with the promoter by the stageside.

Whatever - the fabulous recordings are still there. Besides the near perfect Atlantic recordings of the 1950's most of the 1960's ABC albums are worth seeking out. Rhino have re-issued a lot . Tragically his passing may have good effect in that maybe now they can release more. As Micheal Lydon told in his excellent biography , Ray could be difficult in persuading as regards re-releasing his back catalogue. Far too many 'Best of's' , not enough of the original albums. One album I would love to have on CD is Ray Charles Invites You To Listen ( 1967). Besides the definitive version of Yesterday he does a killer version of People.

Yes, in honour of Ray , it's time to dust of my turntable....

selfmademug · Post by **selfmademug** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 5:33 pm

That is horribly, horribly sad. He was a great light, just unstoppably talented and such a lovely person, from all I have read.

wehitandrun · Post by **wehitandrun** » Thu Jun 10, 2004 5:40 pm

I'll never look at Diet Pepsi the same.

Copenhagen Fan · Post by **Copenhagen Fan** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 7:31 am

now Elvis can relax and not fear the wrath of Ray..........

migdd · Post by **migdd** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 7:52 am

Ray Charles is not dead.

He is immortal.

Post by **BlueChair** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 10:30 am

way to put things into perspective, migdd.

Here's the peice Van Morrison wrote about Ray Charles in a recent Rolling Stone:

Ray Charles
By Van Morrison

Ray Charles is proof that the best music crosses all boundaries, reaches all denominations. He can do any type of music, and at the same time he's always true to himself. It's all about his soul.
His music first hit me when I heard a live version of "What'd I Say" on American Forces Network in Germany, which I used to listen to late at night. Then I started buying his singles. His sound was stunning -- it was the blues, it was R&B, it was gospel, it was swing -- it was all the stuff I was listening to before that but rolled into one amazing, soulful thing.

As a singer, Ray Charles doesn't phrase like anyone else. He doesn't put the time where you think it's gonna be, but it's always perfect, always right. He knows how to play with time, like any great jazzman. But there was more to him than that voice -- he was also writing these incredible songs. He was a great musician, an amazing record maker, a great producer and a wonderful arranger.

There's a reason they called Ray Charles "the Genius." Think of how he reinvented country music in a way that worked for him. He showed there are no limitations, not for someone as good as he is. Whatever Ray Charles does, whatever he touches, he makes it his own. He's his own genre. It's all Ray Charles music now.

I always learn something listening to him. It's music that set a tough standard. For me, two albums that stand out are Ray Charles at Newport and Ray Charles In Person. Then there's Genius + Soul = Jazz with the Basie orchestra and Quincy Jones. And of course Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. There's so much to live up to -- these days, you almost have to go backwards to go forwards.

Recently I did a duet with him on one of my songs, "Crazy Love." It felt fantastic. I always loved his singing, but I also connected with him on a soul level. I just felt his emotion. People like Ray Charles -- and Sam Cooke, Bobby Bland and Solomon Burke -- defined what soul was for me. It wasn't just the singing -- it was what went into the singing. These were guys who put their souls on the line.

This music is way beyond marketing. This music is global, and its appeal is universal. Ray Charles changed music just by being himself -- by doing what he did and translating it to millions of people with the wide-ranging effect of his one-of-a-kind soul. That's his legacy. I think that the music of Ray Charles will probably outlive us all -- at least I hope that it will.

(From RS 946, April 15, 2004)

martinfoyle · Post by **martinfoyle** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 4:06 pm

Interesting reference in today's column by serious EC fan Dave Poland

http://www.thehotbutton.com/today/hot.button/index.html

-With due respect to President Reagan, I am far more upset about losing Ray Charles at just 73, still playing live concerts until just months ago. There will never be a Ray Charles/Elvis Costello album now. Or any of the Charles magic that he created every time he sat at the keyboard.

Goody2Shoes · Post by **Goody2Shoes** » Fri Jun 11, 2004 6:49 pm

I almost got to see him live once! He was performing in a July 4th concert on the Capitol lawn in Washington DC, and my little sis was singing backup. We were invited to a dress rehearsal the night before, and I jumped at the chance to see him, and also to see my kid sister perform with a legend. Unfortunately, before the rehearsal got to Mr. Charles' numbers, the heavens opened up, and the rest of the program was rained out. It was the most ill-timed storm in recent memory. We caught the rain-free performance the next night on TV. He sang 'America The Beautiful' like he owned it.

A terrible loss. I've been listening to The Birth of Soul today in tribute. Another icon of my childhood, gone.

johnfoyle · Post by **johnfoyle** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:25 am

Ray Charles fans may be interested in listening to the Memorial Service held in his honor last Friday.

It includes performances by BB King, Stevie Wonder, Winton Marsalis,
and a duet he had recently recorded with Johnny Mathis. Available on
NPR for a limited time...it was posted on Friday June 18 and article
says will be available for "the next week."

http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1964165