Ray Charles Robinson was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist who rose from poverty and blindness (lost by age seven) to become one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Working out of Atlanta and later with ABC Records, he fused gospel, blues, jazz, country, and R&B to help pioneer soul music in the 1950s, scoring hits such as “What’d I Say,” “Georgia on My Mind,” and “Hit the Road Jack.” He was also notable as the first Black musician granted full artistic control by a mainstream label.

Ray Charles is credited with inventing soul music by blending sacred gospel forms with secular themes, and his genre-crossing (including the landmark country album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music”) profoundly shaped American popular music; he won 17 Grammy Awards and was among the first class inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986.

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Charles