Ray Charles Accomplishments

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A beloved singer-songwriter and pianist also known as “The Genius,” Ray Charles dominated the 1950s music industry as his style skyrocketed, inspiring many subsequent artists. Charles’s attitude was an eye-opening experience for listeners, which is why his contribution to the music industry was unforgettable. Despite his blindness, it is astonishing that anyone would know where the keys were, let alone play them the way he did. His hold on the music world remains relevant as his style is so well known that artists today still sample his compositions. Although music evolved in many ways after Charles's death, his influence – especially in terms of fusions consisting of jazz, blues, classical, and rock – is still acknowledged as virtually unequaled. …show more content…

Charles's creativity was so new and divergent as no one previously had tried to combine music the way he did. His enthusiasm and style are why he was so beloved by many and how he changed music for generations. His accomplishments were tremendous: with his extensive knowledge of music he received 13 Grammy awards including a lifetime achievement award in 1987, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1993, and much more. Britannica. The. Ray Charles's influence on music from the twentieth century came from his different approach to creating music. Charles infused spiritual music, classical music, jazz, blues, and rock and roll to create his own style known as soul. His most famous songs were, “Georgia On My Mind”, “Hit The Road Jack”, and “I’ve Got a Woman” (Uitti) all of which incorporated a distinctive soul sound. “The 1950s was a decade of phenomenal success for Charles. First signed to Atlantic Records, he scored his first No. 1 hit with "I Got a Woman," a song that combined elements of gospel music with …show more content…

This performance has jazz written all over it as it is clear when watching and listening to Charles perform he has the rhythm and the “oomph” of soul. “Some denounced the result as blasphemous, ‘Devil's music’ but black teenagers flocked to hear it and "I Got A Woman" shot to the top of the rhythm and blues chart,” (Burns 5:24–5:37). This innovative composition became the new genre many came to love. As for the other categories of music included in this performance, Charles cleverly found a way to enhance his piece. Classical music has been around for centuries as it dates back to the 1600s but has been slightly altered to fit the style of church music. At the time, jazz and classical music were far from each other, completely opposite genres, and no one had ever tried to combine the two -- not until Ray Charles. As shown in the film “The Adventure” by Ken Burns, “In 1955, a blind performer from Albany, Georgia, named Ray Charles did something few other artists had ever dared to do. He blended jazz and blues with the sacred music of the sanctified church,” (Burns 4:50-5:15). Fusing classical music had never been done before, but Charles did it

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