Brother Ray – Ray Charles’ Own Story

Ray Charles (1930-2004) led one of the most extraordinary lives of any popular musician. In Brother Ray, he reveals his life story unsparingly, from the chronicle of his musical development to his heroin addiction to his tangled romantic life. Overcoming poverty, blindness, the loss of his parents, and the pervasive racism of the era, Ray Charles was acclaimed worldwide as a genius by the age of 32. By combining the influences of gospel, jazz, blues, and country music, he invented, almost single-handedly, what became known as “soul”. And throughout a career spanning more than a half century, Ray Charles remained in complete control of his life and his music, allowing nobody to tell him what he could or couldn’t do. The San Francisco Chronicle calls Brother Ray “an emotional blast as vivid and real, sweaty and straight talking as the man himself”. ©1992, 2003, 2004 David Ritz; 1978 Ray Charles and David Ritz (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks