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Ray Charles
artist

Ray Charles

Ray Charles is a jazz artist from United States formed in 1947. 451 releases are catalogued on Riffiter.

Jazz · United States · Best jazz albums

2 followers
3.8 /5
6 ratings
451
Releases
1949–2004
Active years
1947
Formed
2004
Died

Discography

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Vintage Legends Collection. Golden Collection Series cover3.3

Most popular

Vintage Legends Collection. Golden Collection Series

2026 · 10 tracks

Singles & EPs

44

Live & compilations

276

Credits

2

Records Ray Charles worked on for other artists — the roles are as credited on each release.

Appears on

6

Releases by other artists featuring Ray Charles.

Featured tracks

6

Collaborators

11

Community

More about Ray Charles

Honors

11
  • Grammy Awards

    ×1

    Grammy Awards

    • 1988 · Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    ×1

    Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

    • 1986
  • Blues Hall of Fame

    ×1

    Blues Hall of Fame

    • 2019
  • Polar Music Prize

    ×1

    Polar Music Prize

    • 1998
  • Kennedy Center Honors

    ×1

    Kennedy Center Honors

    • 1986
  • National Medal of Arts

    ×1

    National Medal of Arts

    • 1993
  • Florida Artists Hall of Fame

    ×1

    Florida Artists Hall of Fame

    • 1992
  • Library of Congress Living Legend

    ×1

    Library of Congress Living Legend

    • —
  • lifetime achievement award

    ×1

    lifetime achievement award

    • 1993
  • Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

    ×1

    Ordre des Arts et des Lettres

    • 1986 · Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres
  • Hollywood Walk of Fame

    ×1

    Hollywood Walk of Fame

    • 1981 · star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

Award data from Wikidata; photos via Wikimedia Commons — click a photo for its author and license.

Ray Charles at a glance

Born in
Albany
From
United States
Active since
1947
Instruments
piano, voice
Voice
baritone
Member of
Ray Charles and His Orchestra
Labels
Atlantic Records, ABC Records, Warner Bros. Records, Philips Records, Swing Time
Educated at
Florida School for the Deaf and Blind
Spouse
Eileen Williams
Former spouse
Della Beatrice Howard Robinson (1955–1977)
Partner
Margie Hendrix

Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Children listed are those with their own public record, so the list may be incomplete.

About

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 - June 10, 2004), known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records. He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company. Frank Sinatra called Charles "the only true genius in show business". The influences upon his music were mainly jazz, blues, rhythm and blues and country artists of the day such as Art Tatum, Nat King Cole, Louis Jordan, Charles Brown, Louis Armstrong. His playing reflected influences from country blues and barrelhouse, and stride piano styles.

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Rolling Stone ranked Charles number ten on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2004, and number two on their November 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In honoring Charles, Billy Joel noted: "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley. I don't know if Ray was the architect of rock & roll, but he was certainly the first guy to do a lot of things . . . Who the hell ever put so many styles together and made it work?"

On screen

36

Acting roles

As themselves

About Ray Charles

Film & TV data from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Ray Charles in brief

How many Ray Charles releases are on Riffiter?
451 releases are catalogued, spanning 1949 to 2026.
When was Ray Charles formed?
Ray Charles formed in 1947, in United States.
What genre is Ray Charles?
Ray Charles is catalogued under Jazz, Soul, Blues.
What is the most recent Ray Charles release on Riffiter?
Vintage Legends Collection. Golden Collection Series, released in 2026.
What awards has Ray Charles won?
Ray Charles has 11 award wins on record, including Grammy Awards (1×), Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1×), Blues Hall of Fame (1×).
Who is Ray Charles married to?
Ray Charles is married to Eileen Williams.

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