Ray Charles Birthday and Biography
Born September 23, 1930
Ray Charles, born Ray Charles Robinson in 1930, is an American musician who is considered to be a musical genius. Ray Charles was blind by the age of seven. Today, it is beleived that he became blind due to glaucoma. Ray Charles attended a special school for the deaf and blind in Florida, were he learned how to read and write music and braille. His success as a musician began in 1952 after joining Atlantic Records, when his sound became more original by blending jazz, gospel and secular lyrics. Later he moved on to ABC Records, where he gained even more control of his music style which began to include pop music. In 2004 the film Ray, starring Jamie Foxx, was released which tells the story of his career from 1930 to 1966. Ray Charles died in 2004 due to liver disease.