His family moved to Gainesville, Florida, when Charles was an infant. When he was six, he lost his sight to undiagnosed glaucoma

Went to the St. Augustine, Florida School (a school for the blind, where he learned to read and write music in braille, studies composition, classical piano, organ,trumpet, alto sax and clarinet)

At 15, orphan, he left school and began playing music to earn a living,moving to Seattle in 1947 where he met Quincy Jones

1940: Started his recording career
1946: Begins his professional career(Played with local bands in Jacksonville, Florida)
1948: In Seattle formed light jazz and blues combo "The Maxim Trio"
1955: His career took of. The title "I Got a Woman." was released
1951: Enters the R&B chart. "Baby Let Me hold Your Hand"
1952: Atlantic Records purchases Charles' Swingtime contract for $2,500 (Roll With Me Baby is released).
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From 1954 till 1994: Ray Charles arranged and wrote many songs and played the piano. Here is a short list to name only a few of his hits:

The Things I use to do (1954)
Is should have been me (1954)
Swannee River Rock (first crossover hit) (1957)
What'I'd Say (1959)
Georgia on my mind (1959)
Legendary Album The Genius of Ray Charles (1960)
Hit the Road Jack (1961)
Unchain my heart (1962)
"I Can't Stop Loving You" and "You Don't Know Me" (1962)
Crying Time (1966)
Let's Go Get Stoned (1966)
In the heat of the Night (1967)
Elanor Rigby (from the Beatles - 1968)
Feel so Bad (1971)
Interpretation of Gerschwin's Porgy and Bess (with jazz singer Cleo Laine. 1976)
Friendship (1985)

Ray Charles has been awarded a tremedous number of Granny awards and other awards, here's a list:

1961: Takes home 4 Grammy Awards. Two for "Georgia on my mind", one for "The genius of Ray Charles" and one "Let the good times Roll"

1963: "I Can't Stop Loving You," wins the Grammy for Best R&B Recording for 1962

1967: "Crying Time" is selected Best R&B Solo Vocal Performance and Best R&B Recording for 1966

1975: Golden Plate Award given by the American Academy of Achievement (outstanding artistic contributions)

1975: Receives from The National Association for Sickle Cell Disease's first "Man of Distinction" Award

1986: Second youngest recipient of the coveted Kennedy Center lifetime achievement award in Washington, D.C.

1988: Nominated for an Emmy Award by the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (his performance on a TV special honoring Irving Berlin's 100th birthday)

1994: Wins his 12th Grammy Award in "The Best R&B Vocal by a Male Performer" category for "A Song For You".
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1994: Earns a Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the Black Achievement Awards television show
1994: Receives the Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind
1995. Honored with the Horatio Alger Award given to distinguished American citizens who have succeeded despite adversity
1995: Is given the Governor's Performing Arts Award

Distinctions :

1968: Playboy Magazine Jazz Hall of Fame (Youngest member)
1976: Named "Man of the Year" by the Beverly Hills Lodge of the B'nai B'rith
1976: Songwriters' Hall of Fame
1976: "I Got A Woman" is nominated for the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Hall of Fame
1979: "Georgia On My Mind" is adopted as the official Song of the State of Georgia. Same year Georgia Music Hall of Fame
1981: Receives a Star on Hollywood Boulevard's "Walk of Fame"
1983: Is bestowed with the "Hall of Fame Award" at the 1983 NAACP's Image Awards
1985: "We are the World": Is a major vocal contribution to USA For Africa's star-studded hungry-relief charity single
1985 : "We are the World" reaches #1 on music charts the world over (Millions of Dollars were raised to aid African famine
1986: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
1986: Made a highly prestigious Commander of Fine Arts and Letters, by the French government
1987: Announces the formation of the (Ray Charles) Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders (personal endowment of $1 million)
1990: Receives an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from the University of South Florida in Tampa
1992: Honored by the County Board of Supervisors as the 1992 Black History Month honoree. Presented
with Los Angeles County's Distinguished Service Medal in recognition of his "outstanding contributions."
1992: Florida Artists Hall of Fame
1993: Releases the hit album My World (which includes the title "A song for you")
1993: Ardent admirer, President Bill Clinton, presented him the National Medal of Arts in Washington, D.C
1996: Receives an Honorary Doctorate Degree in performing Arts from Occidental College
2004: RPM Studios is an historic Los Angeles landmark

August, 2004 - The posthumous "Genius Loves Company" (an album of duets with superstars including Elton John, B.B. King, Bonnie Raitt, Norah Jones, Johnny Mathis and Van Morrison is released. It peaks at #2 on the album charts and quickly goes platinum)

Ray Charles is a national treasure and a global phenomenon for this reason: He is music; he is himself; he is a master of his soul.

On the 10th of June 2004 Ray Charles died at his home in Beverly Hills, California. He had reached the age of 73.

Only a few months later, the movie about Ray Charles, with the simple title "Ray" is released and becomes in instant success...
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I don't think any of us really KNOWS why we're here. But I think we're suppose to BELIEVE we're here for a purpose.
Ray Charles

"I was born with music inside me . . . Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my liver, my kidneys, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me -- like food or water."
Ray Charles

From his various marriages Ray Charles has twelve children:

- Charles Wayne (son of Marge Hendricks.One of the Raelettes)
- Evelyn (daughter of Louise Mitchell)
- Raenee (daughter of Mae Mosely Lyles)
- Sheila (daughter of Sandra Jean Betts)
- Vincent (son of Arlette Kotchounian)
- David Robinson (son of Della Robinson)
- Ray Charles Robinson, Jr. (son of Della Robinson) - Reverend Robert Robinson (son of Della Robinson)
- Reatha
- Alexandria
- Robyn
- Corey Robinson den Bok (son of Mary Anne den Bok)

From these children Ray Chalres has twenty-one grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
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