With “America The Beautiful” the “genius” of American music Ray Charles, who died two decades agocomposed a love song to a country that he could never see with his own eyes, but that It became an enduring patriot anthem over time. The legendary singer, pioneer in the soul genre and godfather of the blues During the 1950s, when the United States was recovering from the wounds of World War II, he began to excel in music at the age of five, when he learned to play the piano.
His personal life, however, was marked by the blindness caused by glaucoma at the age of six, as well as the deaths of his father when he was 10, his mother at 15, and his brother, who drowned in the bathtub where his mother used to do the laundry, reports EFE. The one who was later known as “the genius” due to his relevance in the soul genre, He recorded his first album, “Confession Blues”, in 1949, although the song that consolidated his fame was “Georgia on my mind” (1960), a tribute to the state where he was born in 1930.
Despite not being his own composition, the American pianist made this song famous throughout the country and in 1979 it was named the official song of the state of Georgia. His indelible mark spanned more than 50 years that stood out for his incredible mastery of traditional black music (gospel and blues), genres with which he experimented to their limits and He mixed them with other popular genres such as country -white style- and rock.
His hoarse voice and large black glasses that he combined with brightly colored jackets and frenetic movement while playing the piano became a symbol of identity for the American singer, who fought for 20 years against his addiction to heroin.
African American music symbol
In his long career he won 17 Grammy Awards and was one of the few black performers who reached number 1 on the country list of the music magazine “Billboard”, with a duet with Willie Nelson performing “Seven Spanish Angels.” “America the Beautiful” (1972) took Charles to the White House to perform this tribute to the United States. to the then president Richard Nixon (1969-1974). In 1981 he also participated in the inauguration of Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) and was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
His last public appearance took place at the end of April, when he arrived in a wheelchair, accompanied by the actor Clint Eastwood, to a tribute organized by the city of Los Angeles, where he lived. His last album, “Genius Loves Company”, was released in August 2004, two months after his death at age 73, and turned out to be one of his biggest hits: it sold more than five million copies. and was awarded eight Grammy Awards.
In October 2004, the American singer’s life was brought to the big screen. Jamie Foxx stars in this film, in which he represented the story of “the genie”becoming one of the highest-grossing biographical films in history, grossing more than $125 million at the box office, according to the legendary American musician’s website.
