In Celebration of the Human Voice - The Essential Musical Instrument
Home | Doo Wop | Barbershop | World | Contemporary | Christian | Vocal Jazz | Choral | Christmas | Instructional | Arrangements
Classical | Opera | Musicals | Personality | Young Singers | Disney | Videos | Songs | The Artists
Solo Arrangements of
Ray Charles
2005 - Grammy Winner - Record of the Year
(born September 23, 1930, Albany, Georgia, U.S.-died June 10, 2004, Beverly Hills, California) American pianist, singer, composer, and bandleader, a leading black entertainer billed as "the Genius." Charles was credited with the early development of soul music, a style based on a melding of gospel, rhythm and blues, and jazz music.
When Charles was an infant his family moved to Greenville, Florida, and he began his musical career at age five on a piano in a neighbourhood cafe. He began to go blind at six, possibly from glaucoma, completely losing his sight by age seven. He attended the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind, where he concentrated on musical studies, but left school at age 15 to play the piano professionally after his mother died from cancer (his father had died when the boy was 10).
Charles built a remarkable career based on the immediacy of emotion in his performances. After emerging as a blues and jazz pianist indebted to Nat King Cole's style in the late 1940s, Charles recorded the boogie-woogie classic "Mess Around" and the novelty song "It Should've Been Me" in 1952-53. His arrangement for Guitar Slim's "The Things That I Used to Do" became a blues million-seller in 1953. By 1954 Charles had created a successful combination of blues and gospel influences and signed on with Atlantic Records. Propelled by Charles's distinctive raspy voice, "I've Got a Woman" and "Hallelujah I Love You So" became hit records. "What'd I Say" led the rhythm and blues sales charts in 1959 and was Charles's own first million-seller.
Charles's rhythmic piano playing and band arranging revived the "funky" quality of jazz, but he also recorded in many other musical genres. He entered the pop market with the best-sellers "Georgia on My Mind" (1960) and "Hit the Road, Jack" (1961). His album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962) sold more than 1,000,000 copies, as did its single, "I Can't Stop Loving You." Thereafter his music emphasized jazz standards and renditions of pop and show tunes.
From 1955 Charles toured extensively in the United States and elsewhere with his own big band and a gospel-style female backup quartet called The Raeletts. He also appeared on television and worked in films such as Ballad in Blue (1964) and The Blues Brothers (1980) as a featured act and sound track composer. He formed his own custom recording labels, Tangerine in 1962 and Crossover Records in 1973. The recipient of many national and international awards, he received 13 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 1987. In 1986 Charles was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a Kennedy Center Honor. He published an autobiography, Brother Ray, Ray Charles' Own Story (1978), written with David Ritz.
Songbooks, Arrangements and/or Media
Displaying 1-2 of 2 items.
Ray Charles : A Man and His Soul Ray Charles is famous for soulful pop hits like "Georgia On My Mind," "Hit the Road, Jack," and "I Can't Stop Loving You." Blind from the age of seven, Charles was a gifted pianist and saxophonist who taught himself to compose and arrange music by Braille, then went on to become one of the most successful African-American artists of the 20th century. A choice collection of some of Ray Charles's most famous songs. Songlist: Born to Lose, Georgia On My Mind, Hit the Road Jack, I Can't Stop Loving You, Ruby, Swanee River Rock, What'd I Say, Baby Grand, A Bit of Soul, Born To Lose, Come Live With Me, Crying Time, Don't Change on Me, Hallelujah I Love Her So, In The Heat Of The Night, I Ain't Gonna Worry My Mind, Let The Good Times Roll, Living For The City, No One, One Mint Julep, Shake Your Tail Feather, Swanee River Rock, You Are My Sunshine, You Don't Know Me 
Ray Charles : Pro Vocal Series A multitalented blind black musician, Ray Charles pioneered soul music, which became enormously popular among both black and white audiences beginning in the late '50s. In secularizing certain aspects of gospel music (chord changes, song structures, call and response techniques, and vocal screams, wails, and moans) and adding blues based lyrics, he virtually invented a new genre of music. He brought a soulful sound to country music and pop standards through his Modern Sounds recordings and who Frank Sinatra called "the only true genius in the business" This Pro Vocal series contains the lyrics, melody, and chord symbols for eight of his hit songs. The CD contains demos for listening, and then separate backing tracks so you can sing along. The CD is playable on any CD, but it is also enhanced for PC and Mac computer users so you can adjust the recording to any pitch without changing the tempo! Perfect for home rehearsal, parties, auditions, corporate events, and gigs without a backup band. Or for singing just for the fun of it! Songlist: Born To Lose, Georgia On My Mind, Hallelujah I Love Her So, I Can't Stop Loving You, I Got A Woman, Unchain my Hear, What'd I Say, You Don't Know Me |
Ray Charles Harmony Arrangements
Select a Category |
Want to Sing? - Find a Chorus Near You
List of Choruses by State | List of Choruses by City