Ray Charles: biography, best songs, interesting facts, listen. Oleg Akkuratov - a unique blind pianist Black blind pianist

Ray Charles Robinson (Ray Charles), American jazz and country singer, pianist, composer, one of the founders of the soul style was born in Albany, Georgia on September 23, 1930. The musician's name can serve classic example American Dream. We can say that his whole life is inextricably linked with music.

His father, Bailey Robinson, was a mechanic and his mother worked at a sawmill. At the height of the Great Depression, the family moved to Gainesville, Florida. When Ray was five, he younger brother drowned in the trough that his mother used to wash. A year later, Ray went blind. Glaucoma was cited as the cause, but the diagnosis was never really made. He later recalled that his mother and music saved him. From the age of three, Ray began to sing, imitating the pianist from a nearby cafe. He had a talent from God. In a boarding school for deaf and blind children, he simultaneously learned to read words and notes - in Braille. He played a variety of instruments - trumpet, clarinet, organ, saxophone and piano.

After Ray was orphaned at the age of fifteen, he formed his own country band in Florida. Then in 1948, the future star succumbed to a sudden impulse, and with the collected $ 600 he went to the other end of the continent, to Seattle, where he founded the Maxim trio. During this period, Charles began using heroin.

Settling in Los Angeles in the late 1940s, he recorded his first record. Having signed a contract with the Atlantic record label, Charles released several records, two of which are the rhythm and blues "It Should've Been Me" ("It Should've Been Me") and the gospel rock "I Found a Woman" ("I Got a Woman") - hit the charts in 1954, and the singer gained fame as an innovator who transformed the melancholic gospel genre (religious hymn) into an energetic rhythm and blues. Largely thanks to Charles, a “black” rock and roll developed from the traditional blues and gospel.

In the 1950s, Charles released numerous recordings that made up the "canon" of the singer and pianist's signature style - "Greenbacks" ("Greenbacks"), "My little girl" ("This Little Girl of Mine"), "Hallelujah, I love her "("Hallelujah I Love Her So"), "What should I say" ("What`d I Say"), etc.

Realizing that the Atlantic record label will always give preference to R$B musicians, Ray Charles decides to change the label and in 1959 signs a contract with the ABC-Paramoumt studio. And already in the early 1960s, his main soul hits were released: "Sticks and Pebbles" ("Sticks and Stones"), "Fuck off, Jack" ("Hit the Road, Jack"), "Georgia in my soul" ( "Georgia On My Mind"), "Ruby" ("Ruby").

In 1959, the song "What`d I Say" made him a star. Some radio stations took her off the air, finding Charles's voice too erotic. Soon he was performing at Carnegie Hall and jazz festival in Newport.

It was during this period that the first significant one came to him when he was chosen as the performer of the anthem of the American state of Georgia, written by Hodge Carmichael, a Broadway classic of the 30-60s. It would seem that the anthem does not mean anything but a standard patriotic outpouring of feelings. But Charles, performing "Georgia on my mind" reaches a real catharsis. "Georgia on my mind" became a worldwide hit, and the name Georgia became a fashionable female name.

Expressive cracked voice, virtuoso keyboard playing, genuine charm of a blind performer earned him love and success, both among black and white listeners at the time of the existence of rigid racial barriers in American show business.

In 1959, his famous "What'd I Say" was released, which began the history of "soul" - an inimitable combination of rock, r&b, jazz and country.

Over time genre range The singer has expanded significantly as his repertoire included new things of various genres - from country classics to old-fashioned romantic ballads, from rock and roll to modern pop hits.

During those golden years, Charles records famous version the hit of the group "Groundhogs" "I can`t stop loving you", a little later - their unusual and mysterious variations on the Beatles "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yesterday". The same sincerity of sadness struck the Americans.

Ray Charles himself spoke more modestly about himself. “Music has been in the world for a very long time, and will be after me. I was just trying to leave my mark, to do something good in music.”

Ray Charles never wanted to be famous. In his opinion, fame is like a headache. But he always wanted to be great. And he became one. Frank Sinatra spoke of Charles as a genius. Elvis Presley, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Mig Jagger and others popular artists considered him a teacher whose songs determined their musical career.

Ray recorded 70 studio albums, many gold records and received 17 Grammy awards. He himself was surprised at the number of people who gathered at his concerts far beyond America. And it was true. Blind African American, the father of soul, a brilliant pianist, composer and arranger, everyone came to listen. What is his secret? In talent, multiplied by sincerity and passion for music.

short biography

The life of Raymond Charles Robinson has been a series of losses and victories since childhood. He was born on September 23, 1930 in the southern United States in the town of Albany, Georgia. A couple of months after his birth, the family moved to Greenville, Florida. It was here that the childhood of the future singer passed.The family lived in poverty. The upbringing of her son fell on the shoulders of her mother, a fragile and petite woman. The father disappeared at work, and later completely left the family.

As you know, trouble does not come alone. At the age of 5, Ray began to go blind. Glaucoma developed, as a result of which the boy completely lost his sight after two years. Simultaneously with terrible disease another tragedy occurs. In front of Ray, his younger brother is drowning. Until the end of his life, he regretted that he could not save him.

To stop seeing the world is scary. But not for Ray. Mom prepared the boy for the future life. She told me how to move around the house, how to do household chores. He washed dishes, chopped wood and did absolutely everything that a sighted person would. Neighbors condemned my mother for such an upbringing, and Ray was grateful.

There was a cafe near their Greenville home where boogie-woogie was often played. Barely hearing a familiar melody, the boy dropped everything and ran to a cafe where he was taught to play the piano.

After losing his sight, his mother sent her son to St. Augustine's School for the Deaf and Blind. Here Ray continued his musical education in Braille. He comprehended the intricacies of playing the clarinet, saxophone and other instruments, and sang in the Baptist choir. Here, for the first time, he encountered racism in a harsh form: insults and fights from white students.

Ray lost his mother at the age of 15. He couldn't cry, so great was the grief. After that, Charles decides to leave school and go to his mother's friend in Jacksonville. A little later, he wanted independence. So he ended up in Orlando, where hunger, poverty, playing in various cafes and drugs awaited him, dependence on which lasted 17 years.

Ray began performing with The Florida Playboys, which consisted mostly of white performers. One of the members of the cast liked the performance of the young African American, and he was offered to replace the pianist.

dream about own group did not give the future father of soul peace. It's time to take new heights, as his mother bequeathed to him. He ruled out large cities right away - the probability of remaining a nobody is too high. Ray asked a friend to look at the map of the city, which is located on the other side of the country, if you draw a straight line from Orlando. Seattle lay ahead.

In Seattle, he begins to record his own songs, sticking to the R&B direction. One of the popular compositions of that time is "Baby, let me hold your hand", which received recognition. Everyone said he sang like Nat "King" Cole. Ray did not deny this, he honed his skills, sang, enjoying his favorite pastime. According to his critics early songs sounded cold and less emotional. Everything changed in the 50s, when Ray made another important decision in life - to be himself. So soul began to appear.

Ray Charles literally combined white and black musical culture into one whole. Soul included jazz, rhythm and blues, and spiritual Negro chanting spirituals. Ray changed his voice. No imitation, only his own baritone, seasoned with various moans, screams and other sounds. This made his work exceptional, memorable, alive and real.

Under the Atlantic Records label, Ray Charles recorded one of the most famous songs - "I Got a Woman". Mournful vocals, combined with an arrangement for wind instruments, gave the composition an emotionality that still touches the living.

The pinnacle of Ray Charles's success is associated with the release of the What'd I Say album. It combined gospel, jazz and blues. Despite the popularity of the song of the same name, it was not allowed on the radio. It was considered too sexy because of Ray's characteristic vocals. prevented many performers from including the composition in their repertoire in the future.

Later, Charles moves to the record company ABC, where he begins to earn big fees. This is the time of the hits "Georgia On My Mind" and "Hit the Road Jack". The popularity of the singer and composer is growing, he is touring and continues to plunge into the world of music as deeply as possible, giving out new hits.

The decline in career occurs in the mid-60s. He's connected to an arrest for possession of heroin. Medical rehabilitation helped to avoid a prison term. He was given a year of probation. The drugs were over.

Died a genius music world at the age of 73 on June 10, 2004, at his home in Beverly Hills, California. Exacerbated liver disease. After his death, several more albums were released, which received 5 Grammys. The talent of Ray Charles cannot be overestimated, one can only enjoy and marvel at the endless energy.

Interesting Facts:

• Being blind ray rode a bike and a motorcycle.
• He always shaved in front of a mirror.
• Ray was married twice, although the number of women with whom he was infatuated was not limited to the number "two". In total he had 12 children from 9 different women. Subsequently, the heirs gave him 20 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren.

• In 2004, Ray gave $1 million to each child.
• Charles helped Martin Luther King in the fight against racism. He sponsored the activities of the pastor, sending him money from concerts. Ray did not dare to preach, he was afraid not to restrain himself and "break wood."
• The single "Georgia on My Mind" became the official anthem of the state of Georgia, the birthplace of the father of soul.
• The song "What" d I Say "is pure improvisation. At one of the concerts, Ray had 10-12 minutes left to work out. He asked the women who sang along to him to simply repeat the phrases after him - characteristic church hymns. Thus a new hit was born. After the concert, people came up to him and asked where they could buy the record.
• His most famous hit in America was the composition "I Can" t Stop Loving You ". She held the leading position for 5 weeks.
• Ray Charles became one of several black artists to reach number one on the country's music charts.
• After becoming famous, he dropped Robinson from his name to avoid confusion with boxer Ray Robinson.
• Underwent hip replacement surgery in the fall of 2003.
• Before each concert, he took a glass of gin with coffee, which gave him courage and enthusiasm.
• In the early 60s, he almost died on a flight from Louisiana to Oklahoma City. Ice completely covered the plane's windshield, causing the pilot to fly at random. After several circles in the air, through a small area on the glass, we managed to see the space around and land the plane.
• In the early 90s, he participated in the Diet Pepsi advertising campaign.

• Ray did not like to communicate with journalists and was reluctant to give autographs due to the fact that he did not see what exactly he would have to leave a signature on.
• His example and resounding success became an inspiration for other blind musicians: Ronnie Milsap and Terry Gibbs.
• Charles's recordings are included in the US Library of Congress.
• In his hometown Albany in 2007, the Ray Charles Plaza park was opened with a round rotating pedestal, on which there is a bronze sculpture of a famous performer at the piano.
• One of Ray's hobbies was chess.
• He was the first to combine rhythm and blues with black church chanting.
• Featured on US postage stamps, a series dedicated to musical idols.
• Ray Charles received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on December 16, 1981.
• According to a Rolling Stone magazine poll, Ray was ranked second as greatest singer of his era. The survey was conducted in 2008.

• He spoke at the inauguration of President Ronald Reagan in 1985. This caused a flurry of discontent and is associated with a difference in political beliefs. Ray was considered a Democrat while Reagan was considered a Republican. According to the musician's agent, he was just making money. The performance fee was $100,000.
• He also performed at Bill Clinton's first inauguration in 1993.
• At one of the concerts in Southern France, a young man climbed onto the stage and began to perform "Mess around". What did Ray do? He began to accompany the fan.

Best songs

They sang many songs. To listen to them all, it will take more than one day. But his fans highlight several compositions that have received the status of immortals.

"I Got A Woman". Co-written with Renald Richard in 1954 based on a popular Negro church song. It was enough to change the text, add jazz and blues rhythms, so that the composition gained worldwide fame.

Georgia on My Mind thanks to Ray, it saw the light in 1960, although it was written 30 years earlier. In 1961, the musician received a Grammy for her.

"Hit The Road Jack" built on a dialogue between a man and a woman who is trying to kick him out. Written by Percy Mayfield in 1960, it was Charles who made a great arrangement that gained fame. By the way, the female part was performed by Margie Hendrix - civil wife Ray.

Hit The Road Jack (listen)

"You Don't Know Me" filled with love lyrics. The song tells about those who, despite strong love, prefers to remain in the shadow of a loved one.

"What'd I Say"- randomly born blues musical composition that conquered millions of people. It is believed that it was this composition that became the progenitor of soul.

What'd I Say (listen)

"I Can't Stop Loving You" the whole country sang in 1962. The song features touching vocals, thanks to which it occupied the top of the charts in the United States.

"Mess Around". The contagious rhythms of this song were heard by the audience in 1953. This is one of Ray's first hits.

"Hallelujah I Love Her So", performed by Ray in 1956 in a manner characteristic of that time. It was covered by many performers, as well as other compositions of the father of soul.

Hallelujah I Love Her So (listen)

"America the Beautiful"- another touching single that makes you want to cry. Ray covered the 1895 version and did it flawlessly and masterfully.

"Let the Good Times Roll"- the first song for which he received a Grammy.

The best films about Ray Charles and with his participation

The bright life of the idol of millions, filled with tragedy and greatness, formed the basis of the film "Ray". The tape was released in 2004. Charles died a few months before the premiere. He knew that an autobiographical film would be made about him and even asked for a Braille script. The film, shot by Taylor Hackford, received high marks from film critics. musical genius played by Jamie Foxx. For this role, he received an Oscar.

Ray Charles himself also tried his hand at acting. He starred in episodes of the following films:

• The Blues Brothers (1980) as owner of Ray's Music Exchange;
• Raise the Stakes (1989) as Julius;
• Ray Alexander: A Taste for Justice (1994);
• "Indestructible Spy" (1996) as a bus driver;
• "The Adventures of Super Dave" (2000) as himself.

It was both comedy and drama tapes.

You can also see Ray in television series:

• in the American medical drama "St. Elsware" (1987), Ray appears in one of the episodes in the role of Arthur Tibbits;
• "Who's the Boss here?" - Another television series in which Ray Charles played. At the same time, the name of the series echoes one of his hits - "Hit the Road, Chad";
• in the series "Nanny" (1997 - 1998) he was involved in 4 episodes in the role of Sammy.

He was not afraid to experiment, he was not afraid to be alive and natural in public, he lived for music. It is not surprising that with his appearance is associated big changes in the musical environment. We owe to Ray Charles the emotional and sensual soul, the groovy rhythms of jazz and rhythm and blues. You can talk about his work for hours, but as soon as you hear the first chords of his songs, see Ray's body language while playing the piano, you forget about everything and start dancing involuntarily.

Video: Listen to Ray Charles

Ray Charles (full real name Raymond Charles Robinson) is an outstanding musician who has become a real legend for all connoisseurs of blues, jazz and soul music. His compositions will captivate and fascinate, his amazing voice is impossible to forget.

That is why our today's hero has been a benchmark for many, many musicians of our planet for many years in a row, as well as the number one star for all connoisseurs of quality music.

Early years, childhood and the family of Ray Charles

Ray Charles was born on September 23, 1930 in the city of Albany, located in the central part of Georgia. His family was very poor, and therefore from the very early years great musician accustomed to lack of money and constant deprivation. Ray's father, Bailey Robinson, left the family, leaving his two sons in the care of their mother and grandmother. After that, the unlucky father practically did not take part in the life of his children, appearing in their house at most once a year.

At the age of five, another severe shock happened in the life of little Ray Charles. While bathing in a tub, his younger brother George drowned. The child was dying right in front of the future musician. Five-year-old Ray tried to help his brother, but he could not pull him out of the deep tub.

This event so shocked our today's hero that very soon he began to experience vision problems. Ray Charles was completely blind by the age of seven. Subsequently, the version of psychological nature The musician's blindness was the most popular among all his fans.

However, many years later, American doctors who examined the musician put forward a version that the loss of vision was due to glaucoma.

Returning to the topic of the outstanding master's childhood, we note that the upheavals in the musician's life did not end there. Already in 1945, the singer lost his mother, thus remaining in the care of an elderly grandmother.

Perhaps it was a series of life blows that laid the foundations of the famous musical style Ray Charles. Indeed, in his music there was always a lot of longing and very little joy ...

The musical career of singer Ray Charles

Our today's hero began to show interest in music lessons back in early age. While studying at a specialized school in the city of St. Augustine, a talented guy not only quickly mastered the Braille alphabet, but also learned to play the trombone, saxophone, piano, organ and some other instruments perfectly.

Ray Charles. One of the most popular songs.

It was from that moment that his passion for music began. After all, there was nothing else in his life, in fact.

At the age of seventeen, our today's hero moved to a large and lively Seattle, which in those days was considered the American capital of instrumental music. Here such directions as soul, blues and jazz were especially popular. And so Ray Charles chose to continue his musical career the state of Washington.

In Seattle, our today's hero founded his first musical ensemble and soon it became quite popular in the northern United States. The famous performer Lowell Fulson invited him to work together. Subsequently, representatives of well-known record companies also began to contact Ray Charles with proposals for long-term cooperation.

Thus, in 1949, our today's hero recorded his first full-scale hit "Confession Blues", which very soon began to sound even on the federal radio stations of America. From that moment on, Ray Charles began to frequently tour various US cities, giving small concerts and recording performances for central television.

Ray Charles - Confession Blues

In 1953, the talented black singer recorded the singles "It Should Have Been Me" and "Mess around", which formed the basis of his first solo album, "The Great Ray Charles", three years later.

Throughout his career, our today's hero has released more than a hundred (!) Albums, as well as official recordings of live performances. The geography of his tours stretched from the USA to Japan and from Germany to Russia. Many of his compositions - such as "Hit The Road Jack", "You Are My Sunshine", "Unchain My Heart" - became immortal hits. That is why the influence of Ray Charles on world music is very difficult to overestimate. As recognized figures of the scene note, it was the music of Ray Charles that laid the foundations for such trends as contemporary jazz, blues and even rock and R&B.

Among the awards of Ray Charles - has his own star on the Walk of Fame, as well as 17 Grammy Awards, the Order of Arts and Letters, the National Medal of Arts award and several other awards. Currently, the name of the great musician is listed simultaneously in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Jazz Hall of Fame. Several streets in the United States and even an entire post office are named after Ray Charles.

The Last Years of Ray Charles

In the last years of his life, the artist was very ill. In 2002, he began to show symptoms characteristic of liver cancer. At some point, the great musician lost the ability to walk. He was able to speak with great difficulty. However, even in spite of this, last days of his life, Ray Charles worked regularly in the studio, recording new tunes and playing keyboards for fresh compositions.

On June 10, 2004, the outstanding music master died at his home in Beverly Hills. Two months after his death, his last album, Genius Loves Company, was officially released in the United States. At the farewell concert, the musician's songs were performed by BB King, Elton John, Van Morrison and many other prominent musicians who considered themselves friends and followers of Ray Charles.

Ray Charles personal life

Despite the fact that the musician was married only twice, there were many mistresses in his life. So, it is known for certain that the mothers of his twelve children (!) Are nine (!) Different women. Shortly before his death, our today's hero gave each of them one million dollars as a last gift.

The musician spent the last years of his life with a woman named Norma Pinella.

Ray Charles Robinson was born on September 23, 1930. american singer, musician, composer, one of the world's most famous performers of soul, country, jazz and rhythm and blues music. Frank Sinatra called him "the only true genius in show business", and singer Billy Joel stated: "It may sound blasphemous, but I believe that Ray Charles was more important than. … Who the hell has ever mixed so many styles together to make it work?!”

His real name was Ray Charles Robinson. One of the producers of Swingtime Records advised to shorten the name, who saw a rising star in the guy. At that time, the surname "Robinson" on the starry Olympus of the United States was firmly occupied by boxing champion Ray Robinson (Ray "Sugar" Robinson), and in order to avoid confusion, it was decided to create the stage name "Ray Charles". However, the voice, talent and passion for music that Ray was obsessed with would have lifted him to the heights of glory under any name.

There were no musicians in the Robinson family, let alone famous ones. Ray's parents (born in Albany, Georgia) were reputed to be the poorest residents of the black community in the tiny town of Greenville, Florida, where the family soon moved. “We were at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at the others…below us was just the ground,” Charles recalled. The boy was 5 years old when his younger brother George began to drown in a tub of water before his eyes (their mother worked as a laundress). No matter how hard Ray tried, he could not save his brother - he was too heavy for him. This scene then haunted the musician all his life. A year later, Ray suddenly began to lose his sight, and by the age of 7 he was completely blind. The boy was saved by his mother, whom he idolized ... and music. Aretha Robinson was a strong woman - she did not lament, but acted: knowing that her son was about to go blind, she taught him the most necessary skills for the blind, while Ray could still see. And sent to a boarding school for deaf and blind children. So he learned to read words and notes at the same time - according to the Braille system. Here the guy mastered a bunch of instruments - trumpet, clarinet, organ, saxophone and piano. True, Ray became addicted to the latter much earlier: as a three-year-old boy, he endlessly ran to a nearby pharmacy, the owner of which played the piano, and tried to imitate boogie-woogie.

Looking ahead, I’ll say that the cause of Ray Charles’s blindness has not been fully established: one of the alleged diagnoses is glaucoma. It was rumored that many years later, in the 1980s, having become a wealthy man, the musician filed an anonymous ad looking for a donor who was ready to donate one eye to him. However, the operation never took place - the doctors considered it a senseless risk. Ray himself was rather ironic about his own blindness: he always shaved in front of a mirror, wore sunglasses, acted in films, drove a car, even piloted an airplane! But he never gave autographs - after all, the singer could not see what exactly was being slipped to him for a signature (!); Yes, and with journalists communicated extremely reluctantly. When one day Ray was asked if he felt unhappy because of his blindness, the musician was surprised: “Why? When you are blind, you probably lose about 1/99 of what life gives you. I know it's very important to see your children or admire the beauty of the moon. Okay, one percent down. But that won't stop my life, will it?" Ray's friends claimed they had never met a more independent person than this blind musician.

From childhood, reading notes with his fingers and playing by ear, Charles trained his memory so much that he easily composed arrangements without even touching the instrument. His teachers in music are Frederic Chopin, Jean Sibelius, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Art Tatum and Artie Shaw.

While still a student, Ray was known as the first musician of the school, where he performed more than once with solo concerts and as part of the group The Florida Playboys. By the age of 17, having lost both parents, the guy decided to try his luck in big city: Putting the accumulated $ 600 in his pocket, Ray went to the other end of the continent - to Seattle.

Ray Charles 2: Darkness Turned Into LightFirst, together with guitarist Gossady, McGhee founded the MacSon Trio, and after some time began to record. His first hit "Confession Blues" (1949) and the popular song "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951) were both recorded on Swingtime Records. Then Charles signed a contract with the Atlantic record company: here he had much more creative freedom and experienced producers - Ahmed Ertegun and Jerry Wexler. It was under their leadership that Ray Charles began to move from a talented style imitator famous musicians before finding your creative individuality. Single "Mess Around" (1953), a million-selling record with the composition "The Things That I Used To Do" (recorded with bluesman Guitar Slim) and, finally, considered the first recording in the style of soul and released on the first line of the hit parade the single “I Got a Woman” (1955) became milestones on the path of the future music legend of the 20th century. Working during these years mainly with gospels, with secular texts and blues ballads, Ray Charles creates a new fusion, electrifying the leisurely melancholic rhythms of religious hymns with energetic bits of rhythm and blues. "Black" rock and roll owes a lot to this musician, who managed to captivate the traditional African music huge audience of white listeners.

It is said that "What`d I Say" - a landmark song of the soul style, which absorbed rock, r&b, jazz and country, Ray composed during one of the performances: it was necessary to fill the time that he was obliged to play back under the contract. It is difficult to say how many musicians, singers and composers "What'd I Say" then "started", bringing new works to life. Subsequently, it was this incomprehensible flair and Ray's ability to penetrate the essence of any style, the incredible freedom with which he mixed and fused styles and genres, ignoring their boundaries, that determined his creative credo.

Charles was now moving in new directions: he recorded songs with the participation of large symphony orchestras, famous jazz musicians; turned to the country style and, having recorded the album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music”, he achieved something incredible for those times for a black musician - he entered the “turnover” of this typically “white” style of music. The move to ABC Records not only elevated Ray to the category of one of the highest paid musicians in the world at the time, but also greatly expanded creative freedom and opportunities. Surprise! Instead of indulging in innovative experiments, the musician began to record pop songs close to the mainstream. big bands, string quartets, large choirs on vocals - the new arrangements by Ray Charles differed sharply from the chamber works of the Atlantic era. Having moved to the largest mansion in Beverly Hills, the musician now periodically records the so-called “pop and jazz standards”: “Cry”, “ Over the Rainbow", "Cry me a river", "Makin' Whoopy" and others. At the same time, his hits "Unchain My Heart", "You Are My Sunshine". "Hit The Road Jack" are released.

However, another song did become the symbol of the ABC period. "Georgia On My Mind" (a composition by the Broadway classic Hodge Carmichael, originally dedicated to a girl named Georgia) was proclaimed the Georgia state anthem on April 24, 1979, and Ray Charles performed it at the State House. 19 years before this event, the musician canceled his concert in the state - in protest against racial segregation (according to the then laws, blacks and white spectators had to sit separately during his concert). For many years, Charles opposed racism, supported and financed the activities of Martin Luther King.

In contrast to the rapidly rising musical career, Ray's personal life was very turbulent. He tried drugs at the age of 17. From then until his arrest for possession of heroin and marijuana in 1965 in Boston, the musician carried “this monkey on my back” (as he called his addiction to the potion). Ray underwent treatment at a Los Angeles clinic - and this saved him from a real term in prison, which was replaced with a year of probation. He never returned to drugs, replacing them with the Ray Charles Cocktail - strong coffee with sugar and gin. “Sometimes I felt terrible, but as soon as I went on stage and the band started playing, I don’t know why, but it was like aspirin - it hurts you, you take it and you don’t feel pain anymore,” Ray recalled.

Relations with women were also difficult. Two official marriages and 12 children from 9 women - short but capacious statistics. By the way, the musician bequeathed 1 million dollars to each of his children.

“Frank Sinatra, and before him Bing Crosby, were masters of the word. Ray Charles is a master of sound." And rock and roll legend Billy Joel calls Charles "the owner of the most unique voice in pop music ... He took squeals, screams, growls, moans and made music out of them."

Projects, concerts, performances around the world, recording new albums - Ray continued to work until his death from liver cancer in 2004. Thousands of fans said goodbye to the musician in the church, under the arches of which sounded "Over the Rainbow" - a song chosen by Ray Charles himself.

And two months later, his last album, Genius Loves Company, was released, which included songs performed together with many outstanding musicians. In 2005 - another album - "Genius & Friends", in 2006 - "Ray Sings, Basie Swings", etc. Ray Charles is "a pioneer who swept away the barriers between secular and spiritual styles, between white and black pop music"; singer, awarded 17 Grammy awards and the official title of "Los Angeles Treasure"; the musician, whose star is installed on Hollywood Boulevard of Fame, and bronze busts - in all halls of fame (rock and roll, jazz, blues and country), continues the main work of his life - however, from other worlds.

His music touched everyone. American conductor and trumpeter Quincy Jones called it "pain turned into joy, darkness turned into light." Ray Charles himself said simply:

“Music has been in the world for a very long time and will be after me. I was just trying to leave my mark, to do something good in music.”

Syncope

"But in order to know the beauty of the universe, ..
To praise God forever
Knight, I don't need the light."

P. Tchaikovsky, "Iolanta"

Syncope in music - a shift in emphasis from a strong beat to a weak one, that is, a mismatch between a rhythmic accent and a metrical one.

Everyone who has tried to learn how to play any instrument knows perfectly well how difficult it is, and mastering the most difficult musical literature by ear, by touch, by memory true feat, almost impossible.
Oleg Akkuratov is a unique blind pianist. He won a huge number of competitions, he accompanied an outstanding opera singer Montserrat Caballe, he absolute pitch and musical memory.
Let me remind you the materials "Blind Music". In them I talked about unexpected turn in the life of our hero, about fateful meetings - such as Vladislav Teterin,. She immediately believed in his talent and predicted the glory of Ray Charles to the blind musician.
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Oleg recorded his first classical record in Germany at the age of 13. He is the winner of many competitions. He has such a hearing that just when they play out of tune, the guy has such agony on his face ... Oleg plays both classical and jazz, and he is a singing jazz musician. When they brought him to the conservatory, the professor said: "This is Mozart! Such people are born once in a hundred years!" It was said when he was twelve.
The amazing Armavir teachers have invested a lot in the guy, but, as always in Russia, one cannot do without those who can and want to help. Previously, such people were called philanthropists, who modestly, without PR, as they would say now, helped many talents to get on their feet. After all, you just need money for an escort ... Even to simply bring you to the instrument, not to mention other things.
Vladislav Teterin:
He lived in a musical boarding school near Armavir. When I met him, he was not seven years old. A blind and retarded boy, abandoned by his parents (now they have returned to him), Oleg began to study with the best teachers. And now what? He won in Germany classical pianist, won a competition in Russia as a jazz pianist. He gave concerts in St. Petersburg, Moscow. In London with the great musician D. Dorelli. Where is it seen? world premiere for a world star with a fourteen year old blind boy! Now we are planning to record a CD together with Elton John. It's a huge job..."
Oleg Akkuratov, a blind boy from Armavir, found good teachers in his hometown, he came many times to take master classes in Moscow and twice went to London to study at the Royal Academy of Music. By the age of 17, Oleg not only played phenomenally, but also sang beautifully, performed with Montserrat Caballe. And at the age of 19 he won international competition pianists in Novosibirsk - bypassed his sighted peers.


classes with conductor S.N. Proskurin
In parallel with his studies at the school, where he studied for a total of 14 years, Oleg graduated in absentia pop-jazz school and entered the music department of the Moscow University of Culture and Arts. It was planned that after graduating from school he would work here as an accompanist of the joint choir "Lark", continuing to study according to an individual program. Therefore, we decided that to patronize his further creative development will still be Armavir School of Music. But the young man should no longer live in a boarding school, as before, but in his own apartment, bought with the money collected by the Kuban.
Of course, it is much better to be near close person, but his relatives, having sent the child to a boarding school almost fifteen years ago, almost completely shifted the care of him onto the shoulders of the state.
President of the World of Art Foundation Vladislav Teterin, especially for a blind genius from the Kuban hinterland, came up with something truly grandiose: October 14, 2009 Great Hall Moscow Conservatory, together with Yuri Bashmet's orchestra and a combined choir of 815 people, he was supposed to perform Beethoven's fantasy for piano, six soloists, choir and orchestra ... However, the planned triumph did not take place.
- Oleg just disappeared, did not get in touch, - explains Vladislav Mikhailovich. - I tried to call him many times, but his relatives answered: they say, Oleg is not at home. Somehow his stepmother picked up the phone and started demanding some money. So she said: "Pay, then he will come to you." We were all in shock.
True, we did not manage to talk alone: ​​relatives were constantly nearby, controlling every word of the young man. It seems that the adults have already decided everything for him. They vied with each other expressed the accumulated grievances and shared their plans. Now he belongs to his father, who exists on his pension. Oleg lives in a village near Yeysk. A relative realized that the boy promises good income, he realized many years later, without investing a single drop in the development of his talent. Now Oleg is deprived of cultural communication, which he needs so much. Now for Akkuratov they put together a jazz band in the village to earn money for a family of 8 people.
. . . . . .
dad Boris and stepmother:
- In Armavir, they probably forgot that Oleg has a family. - It was necessary not to buy an apartment there, but in Yeysk, next to us. We will change his housing, if necessary, and we will go to Moscow for him, - picks up the stepmother Marina, the mother of 3 children. found good people they promise to help. So now, where Oleg is, we go there.
- There is nothing to show him as an orphan from Kazan, I will go to concerts myself, if necessary, I will go abroad, - says Boris. Why does he need strangers if he has a family?
. . . . . . .
Vladislav Teterin, President of the World of Art Foundation:
- For 10 years of teaching this brilliant child, I have never heard the voice of my father. And to find out that now he is Oleg's impresario was simply wild. I wanted to say in plain text, so that Oleg would definitely hear: "For dad to be your impresario, you need to speak languages, understand music, know conductors and directors of concert halls." I am glad that the boy has a family, but I'm afraid that in six months he will realize that he was left with nothing. The money from the sale of the apartment will quickly run out, and Oleg will be forced to play in a restaurant, although he can feed such big family he is unlikely to be able to. Well, back to high level classical music will be simply impossible.
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On the black and white keys of life, Oleg Akkuratov plays his bright,
unique and contradictory fate.
... This "syncope" lasted a year and a half, and I can gladly inform readers that the young man was not forgotten, not abandoned, there were musicians and patrons who were not indifferent to his fate to support the talent of the musician.
My short report:
Since September 2011, Oleg has been a student of the Rostov State Conservatory named after S.V. Rachmaninov (class of Professor V.S. Daich, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation).
In June 2011, Akkuratov took part in the international festival "Seasons", which is held annually in the Kuban. WITH chamber orchestra Mosconcert "Seasons" under the direction of the Honored Artist of Russia Vladislav Bulakhov Oleg successfully performed the concert of V. A. Mozart No. 13, which was the beginning of further creative cooperation with the team.
Another significant event for Oleg in 2013. Chairman of the jury of the "Triumph of Jazz" competition, which National artist Russian Igor Butman invited Oleg to his jazz festival.
For reference: International Festival"Triumph of Jazz" is the largest world-class jazz event in Russia. The list of festival triumphs throughout its history includes a whole kaleidoscope of names of those whom the world jazz community calls living legends: Dee Dee Bridgewater, Gary Burton, Larry Corriell, Toots Tielemans, Joe Lovano, Billy Cobham, ... and hundreds of world famous musicians.

Oleg Akkuratov and Adam Teratsuyan

2014 was an amazing new year for the musician.
May 18, 2014. Seventh international creative festival "Step forward!". As part of the festival, in the Great Hall of the St. Petersburg Academic Philharmonic, Oleg Akkuratov and the Academic Symphony Orchestra Philharmonic (conductor Vladimir Altshuler).
Concerto for piano and orchestra No. 1, in B flat minor, op. 23 by P. I. Tchaikovsky

year 2014. Paralympic Games.
Under the arrangement of the Paralympic anthem performed by the blind pianist Oleg Akkuratov, the Paralympic flag descended from the flagpole.

"Play, blind, and with your music
Bring good through evil and stumbling
Give love for the joy of people,
Do not be afraid of tears, they are like a revelation.
Let your life be a night veil,
But the light inside of you is more precious than anything..."

(Yana Demidenko)