Ray Charles Leaves Too Soon

A black, blind orphan in the South during the middle of the last century probably never had a chance realize his full potential. Unless that child was Ray Charles. Blind from the age of 7, orphaned at 15, he did things to American, and world, music that have yet to play out. Still, his passing on Thursday came too soon.

Early on, Mr. Charles demonstrated a gift for music far beyond his years and circumstance. At the state-supported St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind, he learned Braille to read and write music, and he learned to play about a dozen instruments. In those days, the school was segregated. Students who couldn't see were separated by the color of the skin none of them could perceive -- merely proving that there were a humorous side to the stupidity of Jim Crow laws

His voice was not the finest, but it would be hard to find a voice that was truer. It is impossible to listen to "I Can't Stop Loving You" without understanding that somewhere in his life, he was madly, deeply, perhaps even painfully in love. Hearing "Georgia on My Mind," as he sang it, can bring a Connecticut Yankee to say "y'all." While Ronald Reagan rather fatuously described the America he wanted as a shining city on a hill, one could see that city in Mr. Charles' rendition of "America the Beautiful." It remains the best case for changing anthems from the awful tune currently used.

To appreciate his effect, one must consider the great musicians with whom he worked or who admit his influence: Joe Cocker, Steve Winwood, Eric Burdon, Van Morrison, Nora Jones, Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran, Quincy Jones, and Willie Nelson, Patti LaBelle. Moreover, he played his 10,000th concert just recently -- that's one every day for more than 27 years. At 73, Mr. Charles had lived a long and full life, but it still seemed far too short.


© Copyright 2004 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent.


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