More information about Ray Charles’ life and achievements can be found on many Internet sites.īefore reading the book, you may wish to have students discuss one or more of the following questions as a motivation for reading. She encouraged him to have hope in the future, and hope for a better future meant Charles had to leave home to attend a boarding school for blind children. She nurtured in Charles a strong desire for knowledge, learning, and self-sufficiency. Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States and worldwide.Īlthough Charles’ mother, Retha, could not save his eyesight, she was determined to help him succeed in life. If untreated, the pressure destroys the optic nerve and causes blindness. Glaucoma is characterized by an increased pressure of the fluid within the eye. By the time he was seven, Charles had lost the sight in his right eye and was totally blind. A year later his diseased left eye was removed. At the age of five, Charles contracted glaucoma, but the kind of specialized care that might have helped him was unavailable to his poor African American family. African Americans were discriminated against in housing, schooling, jobs, transportation, hotels, hospitals, and every other area of human life. Charles is also a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Ĭharles’ journey to fame began at the beginning of the Great Depression in rural Georgia where segregation was firmly in place. His music blended gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop. Ray Charles was a world-renowned singer, composer, arranger, and instrumentalist who also played the piano, saxophone, clarinet, and organ. After those early, difficult days of childhood, Ray Charles became world famous and won a multitude of awards and honors for his legendary artistic achievements. His first hit record was “I Got a Woman.” It was followed by many other popular recordings including “Georgia on My Mind,” now the official song of that state. He moved to Seattle at age 16 and was soon playing in clubs, eventually forming his own trio. After the death of his mother when he was 15, Charles left the school and took jobs playing with local dance bands. As he got older, he wrote Braille arrangements of melodies for bands and together with schoolmates began playing at public functions. However, it was at this school that Charles learned Braille and figured out how to pursue his interest in music. Because he did not have shoes, the other children called him Foots, and they played cruel tricks on the barefoot boy. Augustine School for the Blind in Florida. Born in 1930, Ray Charles lost his eyesight to disease when he was seven. The story of Ray Charles Robinson is one of formidable challenges and incredible successes.
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