Talk:Ray Charles

The Diet Pepsi commercial put him back in the public eye. Something wrong with that? I never really liked anything after he left Atlantic and the tightest blues band in the land behind and I'm a lifelong Coke drinker, but you can't expect people to stay in a low-paying bag forever. It's called show business, you know. Ortolan88

True, and he has a right to do what he wants. I don't think artists should do commercials for large corporations with a history of racial discrimination and selling addictive, teeth-rotting, carcinogenic, sugary and nutrition-free products through misleading ads that promote unhealthy body images and vapid consumerism. If he wanted to have a career again, he should have tried to make more innovative and pioneering music, not sell soft drinks to an increasingly obese nation. Tokerboy 01:16 Nov 15, 2002 (UTC)

If you keep talking like that, your face might freeze in that position, or didn't your mama warn you? Ortolan88

Anyway, it's all about money, so principles need not apply.Christopher Mahan

Try living without it. Ortolan88

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In a 60 Minutes profile, he admitted to Ed Bradley that he would "audition" his female back-up singers.

If this is supposed to mean he had sex with his back-up singers it should say that rather than beating around the bush with vague wording. If it is not in fact supposed to mean that, it should be removed as it is misleading. -Branddobbe 05:27, Jun 11, 2004 (UTC)

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There is an autobiography by Ray Charles himself at http://www.raycharles.com/ This might help to extend the early years section a bit, currently the article starts with having lost both parent at the age of 15. At the age of 15 his autobiography is on page 3 of 7, see http://www.raycharles.com/auto3.htm

"I wasn't quite 15 when my mama died. That was the most devastating thing in my whole experience -- bar nothing, period. ... From that moment on, I was completely in another world. I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep ...

That episode with Ma Beck [an elderly lady] shook me out of my depression. It really started me on my way. After that I told myself that I must do what my mom would have expected me to do. And so the two greatest tragedies in my life -- losing my brother and then my mom -- were, strangely enough, extraordinarily positive for me. What I've accomplished since then, really, grows out of my coming to terms with those events."

Regards Vittorio Brambilla

Famous

I have put him on the List of famous people. --Patricknoddy 20:25, 15 Sep 2004 (UTC)User:Patricknoddy --Patricknoddy 20:25, 15 Sep 2004 (UTC)User talk:Patricknoddy 16:24 September 15, 2004 (EDT)

Removed sentence

I have removed the second sentence from the following paragraph:

From the time of his switch from straight rhythm and blues with a combo, Charles was often accused of selling out. There is a problem defining the difference between seeking a wider audience and selling out. Charles left behind his classic formulation of rhythm and blues to sing country music, pop songs, and soft-drink commercials. In the process, he went from a niche audience to worldwide fame.

It seemed out of place, not to mention somewhat pedantic. I think the idea is implied by the rest of the paragraph, anyway. Problem is, the shorter paragraph seems even more redundant than the original. I have not attempted a rewording. - dcljr 00:41, 24 Sep 2004 (UTC)

"Charles was able to see"

In the section talking about the movie, it is stated that "Charles was able to see the completed film." This needs to be reworded. While I'm sure he attended a showing of it, and heard it, I 100% doubt he saw it. -sYn pHrEAk

Which was first?

I found this biography page when I was looking for more info about Ray Charles. It's seems eerily similar. The question I have is who "borrowed" from whom. I didn't see the required wikipedia disclaimer on the webpage, so I'm concerned that either rocksite.info is using wikipedia without attribution.

Was Ray Charles ever banned from performing in Georgia?

I don't know the history of Ray Charles at all. But from my internet research the "Ban in Georgia" seems to be a movie device. All references, I saw, to the ban not talking about the movie "Ray" deny that it ever took place, save for this reference. So I question that "fact".

Charles was never banned in Georgia. The newspaper headlines they show in the movie "Ray" are fake. See this link: [1]. It's a newspaper article from Augusta, the city where Charles cancelled the segregated concert. The cancelation cost Charles about $800, although the movie makes it sound like he made a major sacrifice for the cause of civil rights.