American singer, pianist, and composer born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia; died June 10, 2004. Among the architects of soul music — fusing gospel, blues, jazz, and country into a hybrid that profoundly shaped American popular music. Blind from age seven due to glaucoma.
Released over 70 studio albums between Hallelujah I Love Her So (1957) and Genius Loves Company (2004). Critical and commercial peaks: Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (1962), the Genius series of recordings on Atlantic, and the late-career Genius Loves Company (eight posthumous Grammys, 2005). 17 Grammy Awards. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986 as an inaugural member.
