Ray Charles

Personal Info

Known For Actor

Gender Male

Birthday 1930-09-23

Deathday 2004-06-10 (73 years old)

Place of Birth Albany, Georgia USA

Ray Charles

Biography

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), better 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.” Rolling Stone ranked Charles number 10 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?" Description above from the Wikipedia article Ray Charles, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia​

Known For

Actor

2024
The Greatest Night in Pop

as Self (archive footage)

2023
Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love

as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)

2022
Piano Greats at the BBC

as Self (archive footage)

2022
Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues

as Self (archive footage)

2022
Rat Pack

as Self (archive footage)

2017
I Am Not Your Negro

as Self (archive footage)

2014
2013
Cachitos de hierro y cromo

as Self (archive footage)

2008
Jazz Evolution

as Self - Piano, Vocals

2005
2004
Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues

as Self (archive footage)

2004
Rockin' Pianos

as Himself

2004
TV in Black: The First Fifty Years

as Self (archive footage)

2003
Piano Blues

as Self

2002
2001
Star Academy

as Self

2000
Blue's Big Musical Movie

as G-Clef (voice)

1996
Spy Hard

as Busdriver

1995
Sinatra: 80 Years My Way

as Self - Performer

1994
The World of Jim Henson

as Self (archive footage)

1994
Love Affair

as Self

1993
The Nanny

as Sammy

1993
1990
Wings

as Ray Charles

1989
Limit Up

as Julius

1989
1987
Le monde est à vous

as Self (archive footage)

1986
The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years

as Self (archive footage)

1985
The Statue of Liberty

as Self - Composer

1985
Moonlighting

as Ray Charles

1984
1982
1978
1975
Saturday Night Live

as Self - Host & Musical Guest

1975
Cher

as Self

1972
Musikladen

as Self

1972
The Midnight Special

as Host / Self

1968
The Dick Cavett Show

as Self - Guest

1967
The Carol Burnett Show

as Self - Guest

1965
Ballad in Blue

as himself

1964
Shindig!

as Self - Singer

1964
The Hollywood Palace

as Self - Singer

1961
Swingin' Along

as Himself

1961
The Mike Douglas Show

as Self - Co-Host

1958

Sound

1962
Cosmic Ray

as Music