Charles began dabbling in music at 3, encouraged by a cafe owner who played the piano. The knowledge was basic, but it made him more prepared for music classes when he was sent away, heartbroken, to ...

Ray Charles arrived in Seattle a teenager with a name and a voice short of where he was headed. Lanky and handsome, the 16-year-old known as R.C. Robinson copied the style and singing of silky smooth ...

(BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., June 9th, 2004, 4 p.m.)-- Ray Charles, the Grammy-winning crooner who blended gospel and blues in such crowd-pleasers as "What'd I Say" and ballads like "Georgia on My Mind," ...