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Ray Charles, often called "The Genius," was a pioneering American singer, songwriter, pianist, and composer who revolutionized music by blending gospel, rhythm and blues, jazz, and country, creating the soul music genre and becoming one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Born Ray Charles Robinson in Albany, Georgia, he became completely blind by age 7 due to glaucoma. Overcoming immense adversity, he learned braille and music at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind. He began his professional career in the late 1940s in Seattle, initially imitating Nat King Cole and Charles Brown. Signing with Atlantic Records in 1952 marked his breakthrough, where he fused gospel fervor with R&B lyrics, creating hits like "I Got a Woman" and "What'd I Say". His 1962 album "Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music" was a landmark crossover success. He won 12 competitive Grammy Awards, received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and was one of the inaugural inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He performed for decades until his death from liver disease.

• Witnessed his younger brother drown when he was about 5 years old, an event that haunted him.
• Struggled with a severe heroin addiction for nearly 20 years, leading to several arrests. He quit cold turkey after a 1965 arrest and rehabilitation.
• His groundbreaking fusion of sacred gospel music themes and structures with secular R&B lyrics in songs like "I Got a Woman" (1954) was initially controversial but became hugely influential.
• Faced boycotts in Georgia in 1961 after refusing to play a segregated dance; he was banned from performing there until 1979 when the state apologized and made "Georgia on My Mind" (his 1960 hit) the official state song.
• Died of complications from liver disease (hepatitis C) on June 10, 2004, at his home in Beverly Hills, California.