What makes this song still relevant today is its sheer energy and improvisational style. Ray Charles’ signature call-and-response interplay with his background singers, The Raelettes, creates an ...

He had a relationship with Margie Hendrix, the notable blues singer and founding member of the Raelettes, for six years which resulted in the birth of their son, Charles Wayne, in 1959.

Ray Charles Original Album Series Warner/Rhino 2010 (1957-61) Singer and pianist Ray Charles' period with Atlantic Records, from 1953 to 1960, which is the subject of Warner/Rhino's Original Album ...

There is exactly one great moment in Ray, director Taylor Hackford’s openhearted but literal-minded biopic of Ray Charles. It occurs midway through the film. By then, we’ve seen how thoroughly ...

As a backup singer, Angela Workman was one of Weekend Edition host Liane Hansen's first music interviews. For Hansen's 20th anniversary show, Workman spoke about the legacy of Ray Charles, and ...

Fifty-seven years ago, Charles released two albums that helped extend the reach of country music. Though initially perceived as a novelty, a re-release of the albums proves they were anything but.

Two decades since its debut, Ray continues to be celebrated as one of the most powerful biopics in cinema. Directed by Taylor Hackford, the 2004 film chronicles Ray Charles’s journey from his ...

If you want a Ray Charles best-of album you've got plenty to pick from, and the run-up to the holiday season often adds another one. But this year's contender, the 21-track, 71-minute Genius: The ...

She was in a relationship with Charles, and they were doing a lot of the same drugs, and maybe having fights not too different from the one outlined in the song. (The song isn’t about their ...

The Gospel According to Ray Charles This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will ...

Ray Charles, the musical innovator whose bold, effortless fusions left an indelible mark on the rock, soul and country music of the past half-century, died Thursday at his Beverly Hills home.