Ray Charles, Pt. 2

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VOICE ONE:

This is Faith Lapidus.

VOICE TWO:

And this is Doug Johnson with People In America in VOA Special
English.

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VOICE ONE:

Last week, we began the story of a blind musician who had a huge
influence on American popular music. He was famous for his
recordings of jazz, rock-and-roll, blues and country music. His name
was Ray Charles Robinson. But the world knew him better as Ray
Charles.

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VOICE TWO:

The name of that song is "Let's Go Get Stoned." It is an example
of Ray Charles' own kind of music-his own sound. He worked hard for
several years to create that sound. No one ever tried it before. He
mixed black church music, blues and rock-and-roll. The sound was
extremely successful. In the nineteen-fifties, his records began to
sell millions of copies.

At the same time, Ray Charles recorded jazz music. Those records
sold well, too. Critics said they were new and exciting. Listen to
his jazz song, "Sweet Sixteen Bars."

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VOICE ONE:

Ray Charles became famous because he could play blues, rock and
jazz. He also liked other kinds of music. He told record company
officials that he wanted to record an album of country-and-western
music.

The president of the record company told him it would be a
mistake. He said Ray's fans would not buy the album. Charles
disagreed. He said he believed he would gain many new fans to
replace the few he might lose. He produced the album and it was an
immediate success.

The album was called "Modern
Sounds in Country and Western Music." Many of the songs were major
hits. One of the most popular was "I Can't Stop Loving You." It is a
country-and-western song with Ray Charles' sound of blues and black
church music.

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VOICE TWO:

Ray Charles lived in a world of sound. For six months each year
he traveled with his orchestra, performing in theaters. For the
other six months, he worked in his recording studio in Los Angles,
California. He did much of the recording work to produce his own
albums.

Ray Charles would often say that sound and music were his life's
blood. In fact, he said many times that he would not trade his
musical ability for the ability to see again.

You begin to understand what sound
meant to Ray Charles when you learn that he helped create and
support the Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders. This
organization helps people deal with the loss of their hearing.

You might think Ray Charles would have given his time and money
to help the blind. He did not. He once said, "Being blind is my
handicap. But ears are my opportunity." He said losing his hearing
would have ended his life.

VOICE ONE:

Ray Charles lived a long life that included his share of
problems. There was a time when he used illegal drugs. He was
married and divorced several times. Yet the Ray Charles sound, and
his success, continued.

He received twelve Grammy Awards from the recording industry. He
was one of the first musicians to be elected to the Rock-and-Roll
Hall of Fame. Several universities honored him. So did the French
and American governments. His home state of Georgia made his
recording of "Georgia on My Mind" the official state song.

Several years ago, Ray Charles was asked to sing at a political
convention. He performed the song "America the Beautiful." Many
people thought his recording was the best ever made.

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VOICE TWO:

Ray Charles always said he owed most of his success to his
mother. He said when he was a boy, she taught him a valuable lesson.
She told him, "You can do anything you want to do. You cannot use
your eyes. But you can work hard and use your brain."

Ray Charles died June tenth,
two-thousand-four at the age of seventy-three. Music experts say he
did more than anyone in the twentieth century to change American
popular music.

VOICE ONE:

More than one-hundred years ago, Alice Cary wrote a poem that
could have been written for Ray Charles. She wrote:

My soul is full of whispered song, --

My blindness is my sight;

The shadows that I feared so long

Are full of life and light.

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VOICE TWO:

This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by
Lawan Davis. This is Doug Johnson.

VOICE ONE:

And this is Faith Lapidus. Join us again next week for another
PEOPLE IN AMERICA program in VOA Special English.