Ray Charles Robinson was a singer/songwriter from Albany, Georgia who broke ground in the soul genre by incorporating aspects of blues, gospel and R&B into his music. He shortened his name to Ray Charles when he began playing music professionally in 1947, to avoid being confused with the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson. His first solo singles "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" from 1951 and "Kissa Me Baby" from 1952, became R&B hits and earned him the attention of Atlantic Records. When his Atlantic contract ran out after releasing a string of hits, Charles won a Grammy Award for his 1960 single "Georgia on My Mind." The single was the first of many to be released by ABC-Paramount Records, who offered Charles an extremely lucrative contract, making him the one of the first African-American recording artists under a major label to be granted creative control and artistic freedom. Although he is most famous for his R&B sound, he made a transition into mainstream pop music, while his 1962 album series Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, parts one and two, assisted country music into the mainstream scene. Despite multiple arrests for drug possession, Charles eventually kicked his heroin addiction in 1966 after spending time in a rehabilitation center. Charles' voice, with its range of shouts, deep textures and infallible rhythm, remains one of the most recognizable in American music history, and his story is one of inspiration, decorated with the overcoming powers of music.
