Shortly before Charles' death, Quincy Jones reflected on his longtime friend and collaborator: “We used to sit and dream about the future: 'We want to work with a symphony, we want to do this, we want to do films, we wanted to do this.' And we did it all, together, and that is very rare, y'know? 'Cause we used to sit and dream about it, and then we got off our butts and went out and did it. the funny thing is, I found out Robert Plant sings the way he did because he was trying to sing like Ray Charles and that’s as close as he could get.” He said that “Brother Ray” was always a key vocal inspiration for him: “Sometimes I’m trying to sound like Ray Charles. His music will never die, and I know that his legacy will outlive generations to come.”īilly Joel, who gave his daughter Alexa the middle name of Ray, in tribute to his idol, went on to duet with him on his 1986 classic “Baby Grand” from The Bridge. I joy in knowing that he has left such an incredibly great legacy behind that he will never, ever die. Stevie Wonder, whose second album, 1962's Tribute To Uncle Ray, featured covers of Charles's hits, says that he feels confident that Ray Charles's legacy will live on: “I do pain for knowing that, physically, Ray Charles has died.
Y'see, because when music is your breathing or in your bloodstream, you don't retire from it. Just prior his death, Ray Charles said that he planned on making music until he died: “I'm a Duke Ellington, man. Some of Charles' biggest hits included “Hit The Road, Jack,” “Here We Go Again,” “I Can't Stop Loving You,” “What I'd Say,” “I Got A Woman,” “America The Beautiful,” and “Georgia On My Mind.” Among his many other honors, Charles was one the first artists inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He is best remembered for bridging the gap between R&B and gospel, with jazz, country and pop. His health had been in decline since the previous summer.Ĭharles, whose real name was Ray Charles Robinson, was born in Albany, Georgia, on September 23rd, 1930, and lost his sight to glaucoma at age seven. Charles died of liver disease in his Beverly Hills home at the age of 73. Today (June 10th) marks the 18th anniversary of the death of the great Ray Charles.