Comments on: RIP Ray Charles

RIP Ray Charles

jmevius — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:46:36 -0800

Ray Charles is Dead Very sad to hear. My favorite was always "Georgia on My Mind". What was yours? Any personal memories you associate with his music?

By: bshort

bshort — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:52:17 -0800

I didn't see this coming.

By: MetalDog

MetalDog — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:56:38 -0800

Aww man, me neither. He made just about everything he sang special.

By: andycoan

andycoan — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:57:41 -0800

Best I ever heard was his sweet, soulful rendition of Kermit the Frog's "It's Not Easy Being Green." Heard it played on WCLK here in Atlanta once, a live version, and haven't been able to find a recording anywhere. It may sound silly, but it was really beautiful. RIP Ray.

By: wendell

wendell — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:59:16 -0800

Let me be the first of several hundred to say: Now there's somebody who deserves a State Funeral.

By: jonmc

jonmc — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 12:59:17 -0800

Frank Sinatra once called Ray Charles, "the only genius in the business." "What'd I Say," and his version "Night Time is The Right Time," are two of the towering monuments of soul music. RIP, Brother Ray.

By: cowboy

cowboy — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:01:14 -0800

Sad day. He was an inspiration.

By: Ethereal Bligh

Ethereal Bligh — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:01:46 -0800

MetaFilter comes through for me again. I don't know how I would otherwise hear about these obscure events. Thank you, MetaFilter!

By: Faze

Faze — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:02:37 -0800

The National Enquirer was on to it weeks ago. Anyone coming in to the Ray Charles story late might wonder what all the fuss as about. But all you have to do is go back to the original Atlantic sides, and you will hear the pure, raw simple excitement that made Charles the revered figure he is today. (He did a few good songs for Mercury, then came "Modern Sounds in Country and Western," and it was all downhill from there.) As a composer: "This Little Girl of Mine," "Leave My Woman Alone," "I Got a Woman," "This Little Girl of Mine." They were great when the Everly Brother did them. They were great when Ray did them. My favorite of all time: "I Believe to My Soul." ("...Last night you were dreamin' and I heard you say... [a Raelette whispers: "Oh Johnny]... Well you know my name is Ray... That's why I believe...) Did I once read that the "women's" parts on that song are just Ray singing in falsetto, double-tracked?

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:02:54 -0800

His version of "That Lucky Old Sun" is one of the saddest, most beautiful pieces of music I've ever heard. Sad news, but it can't be denied that he lived a full life. Godspeed, Brother Ray. When I get home from work, I'll throw on "Ingredients in a Recipie For Soul" and tip a beer to his memory.

By: esch

esch — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:03:12 -0800

"You've got the right one, baby, Uh-huh!"

By: ashbury

ashbury — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:04:58 -0800

Let me be the first of several hundred to say: Now there's somebody who deserves a State Funeral. Amen to that. Hit the road, Ray. . . .

By: y2karl

y2karl — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:06:56 -0800

Thank you, MetaFilter! Ethereal Bligh, here's a concept: Shut The Fuck Up.

By: eyeballkid

eyeballkid — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:06:59 -0800

By: SisterHavana

SisterHavana — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:07:23 -0800

"You've got the right one, baby, Uh-huh!" I thought about that too. Don't forget his performance in The Blues Brothers, as the owner of Ray's Music.

By: fenriq

fenriq — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:07:40 -0800

Sad day. He'll be missed. Heck, he could make even something as nasty as Pepsi appealling.

By: h00dini

h00dini — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:10:08 -0800

I didn't see this coming. heh.

By: niceness

niceness — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:10:25 -0800

A real star. I think of my dad telling me about seeing Ray at the Finsbury Park Rainbow in the early sixties, "I'd never seen or heard anything like him - I was terrified". He told stories of his friends taking him out bike riding as a kid, shouting left or right. I've been banging out his version of 'Wichita Lineman' for the last few weeks - it's BIG

By: y2karl

y2karl — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:11:38 -0800

On topic: this is sad news. PS. Thank you, MetaFilter! Does it ever occur to you not to comment, EB? I mean, you just don't know when to quit. You are far more annoying than any double or obituary post

By: tommasz

tommasz — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:15:48 -0800

No one could so easily span the gamut of truly American music the way he did. Godspeed, Brother Ray, indeed.

By: xmutex

xmutex — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:16:48 -0800

y2karl's angry!!!

By: konolia

konolia — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:17:41 -0800

Sad news. The guy was an original. Does anybody know what the cause of death was? I didn't even know he was sick.

By: quonsar

quonsar — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:18:44 -0800

cool! i'm going to watch it on PBS! will he be lying in state too?

By: Tin Man

Tin Man — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:19:30 -0800

Oooh. Ray Charles was a Kennedy Center honoree in 1986, when Reagan was president. I wonder if we'll be seeing clips of them together.

By: Smart Dalek

Smart Dalek — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:20:12 -0800

I used to call a local college station on Halloween to request "Blame It On The Devil (And The Moon)". The song seems so much sadder now, though wendell's idea got me smiling again. On Preview: konolia, it was complications from liver disease.

By: Loudmax

Loudmax — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:20:47 -0800

Rest in peace, Ray. Thanks for the music.

By: durbanpoison

durbanpoison — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:22:26 -0800

By: The Card Cheat

The Card Cheat — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:26:41 -0800

The really sad thing is that a whole generation of casual music fans will always think of him as the Diet Pepsi "Uh huh!" guy...

By: amberglow

amberglow — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 13:33:23 -0800

this is sad...he was wonderful, and i'm with andycoan on "It's not easy being green" (andy, you can download it-it's around) Ray Charles i'd give a state funeral to.

By: PrinceValium

PrinceValium — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:37:42 -0800

Now there's someone who deserves.. oh wait. Ray Charles rocked. No other way to put it. A great guy, a great loss. As with many outstanding singers, he's mostly remembered for his ballads, which is unfair. He was a brilliant uptempo jazz musician. And here's to a big pile of steaming poop landing on the producers of ABC News, who tried to tie Ray's death in with the whole Reagan business by playing a clip of "America the Beautiful" with the Capitol in the background.

By: moonbiter

moonbiter — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:43:02 -0800

You know, Ray was okay and all, but I hope to hell everyone doesn't talk about him non-stop for the next week.

By: AstroGuy

AstroGuy — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:44:25 -0800

Oh shit, not Ray! Damn. Ethereal: What the fuck is your problem?

By: LittleMissCranky

LittleMissCranky — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:46:45 -0800

By: yerfatma

yerfatma — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:53:31 -0800

Tell you ma. Tell your pa.

By: y2karl

y2karl — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:54:47 -0800

I had a Well, DUH!!! &NBSP;moment: a well loved and respected public figure died unexpectedly and people made note of it. It's a community website, for Christ's sake--go figure. I'm sorry I lost it. Let's stop picking on EB now, enough words have been wasted thereupon already.

By: scarabic

scarabic — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:55:32 -0800

Is it really true that he became blind from looking at the sun too long? I always thought that had kind of an Icarus overtone to it. In a neat way.

By: elpapacito

elpapacito — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:55:49 -0800

I distinctly remember his performance in the Blues Brothers movie (that way I learned he existed). Oh and don't forget Aretha, fantastic as well. R.I.P dude. y2karl: hey dude, don't jump on the derailing train :)

By: y2karl

y2karl — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:56:01 -0800

Well, that HTML sucked now, didn't it?

By: y2karl

y2karl — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 17:58:58 -0800

Is it really true that he became blind from looking at the sun too long? Complications from glaucoma at age six. He had learned piano at age three. So NPR saith. My first memory of him is when Ruby was on the radio. They say, Ruby, You're like a dream... It was like a dream itself, syrupy strings and all.

By: davidmsc

davidmsc — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:07:24 -0800

ABC News, who tried to tie Ray's death in with the whole Reagan business by playing a clip of "America the Beautiful" with the Capitol in the background I seem to recall that Ray Charles once performed this song for President Reagan at the 1984 Republican National Convention, and that Reagan had very fond memories of it. So perhaps it is fitting to play the song that Reagan loved, by the artist that Reagan thought rendered it so beautifully, on the day that the artist passed. ALSO: Charles played "America" for Ronald and Nancy Reagan in 1985 at an inauguration ball, and was one of the legends receiving Kennedy Center Honors in 1986. Damn, people, just lighten up. It's not ALL some sort of godammed Republican conspiracy.

By: mblandi

mblandi — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:08:32 -0800

He did a great Eleanor Rigby, too.

By: crunchburger

crunchburger — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:18:47 -0800

I saw Ray Charles at Chastain Park (Atlanta, GA) at age 13. (My idea of good music at age 13? Beatles, The Who, Moody Blues, King Crimson, Jefferson Airplane. Jethro Tull.) I was starting to be involved with the public school music program jazz ensemble...still I was concerned that Mom was dragging us to some corny old big band concert. Ray Charles really opened my ears that night, to worlds of jazz, soul, r&b music behind the Cream and Zepplin riffs from garage band "rehearsal".

By: mr_crash_davis

mr_crash_davis — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:20:18 -0800

"It's not ALL some sort of godammed Republican conspiracy." Uh-huh. Sure. That's exactly what someone trying to cover up a Republican conspiracy would say.

By: PrinceValium

PrinceValium — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:33:23 -0800

Not a Republican conspiracy, but definitely a Reagan hagiography that's overstayed its welcome. It sucks to die in the shadow of a more famous death. Just ask C.S. Lewis and Aldous Huxley.

By: jonah

jonah — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:35:50 -0800

I had the good fortune of seeing him at the Hollywood Bowl a couple of years ago. He couldn't quite hit the high notes as well as he used to, but his energy still lit up the enormous venue. My dad shared a quote about Ray that I always found amusing: "If you wanted to be a Raylette, you had to let Ray..." Here's to you Ray, thanks for the great tunes that always make my feet move and my head bop.

By: chicobangs

chicobangs — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 18:46:56 -0800

You know, I hate America and all, but his version of America the Beautiful never fails to stir me up. I understand anyone wanting it played at their funeral. The man was a musical genius, and I'm glad he was able to do his thing for as long as he did. I hear he was a crotchety and contrary old bastard for a long time. Somehow, that only makes me like him more. Bye, Ray.

By: NationalKato

NationalKato — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:00:47 -0800

don't Dead Pools come in threes? who's next?

By: chicobangs

chicobangs — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:05:29 -0800

Dead pool entrants come in ones, not threes, but my money is on it not being this guy.

By: titanshiny

titanshiny — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:23:01 -0800

At least he went out on top- that Powerball jingle is one of the most soulful pieces I've heard recently... Everybody now: "It's America's game, the one and only Powerball!"

By: jaronson

jaronson — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:25:40 -0800

"Christopher Columbus going to find Ray Charles!" :-D

By: SPrintF

SPrintF — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:26:20 -0800

God bless the child who's got his own.

By: xtian

xtian — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:27:33 -0800

hey, hey, what I say.

By: crunchburger

crunchburger — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:54:14 -0800

don't Dead Pools come in threes? who's next? Elvin Jones, Steve Lacy, Robert Quine, and Ray Charles have all died in the last THREE weeks. Wow!

By: mazola

mazola — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:04:42 -0800

By: moonbird

moonbird — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:06:25 -0800

unchain my heart... .

By: orange swan

orange swan — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:26:36 -0800

I don't have any recordings by Ray Charles in my modest CD collection. Think I will have to remedy that. Goodbye, Ray. You have been and will continue to be loved.

By: MrBadExample

MrBadExample — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:31:54 -0800

don't Dead Pools come in threes? who's next? Elvin Jones, Steve Lacy, Robert Quine, and Ray Charles have all died in the last THREE weeks. Wow! And don't let's forget Tony Randall. So, counting him and Reagan, that makes two groups of three. I'm feeling mighty low about Ray's passing. There won't ever be another like him.

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:32:43 -0800

By: raysmj

raysmj — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:37:04 -0800

Ray played "America" at Democratic and Republican inaugurations, for the record. He was hired, I believe is the word for what happened. Meanwhile, it's a tire here between his cover of "Careless Love" on the first country cover album, "Lonely Avenue" and "Tell the Truth," off an early live album and also on an Atlantic years best-of collection. It's this Latinized gospel thing, also of course secularized, some of the wildest and most glorious stuff I've ever heard in my life. Bye bye, Ray. Love, Another Ray

By: raysmj

raysmj — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:45:14 -0800

Well, make that a tie.

By: dong_resin

dong_resin — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 20:50:22 -0800

Devil music.

By: pmurray63

pmurray63 — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 21:13:20 -0800

He did a few good songs for Mercury, then came "Modern Sounds in Country and Western," and it was all downhill from there. Thank you for your opinion.

By: lobakgo

lobakgo — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 21:31:14 -0800

Nick Spitzer on American Routes has a couple of interviews with Ray Charles (2001, 2002). Spitzer is great and as always the interviews are interesting. Plus the music is delish.

By: precocious

precocious — Thu, 10 Jun 2004 21:31:42 -0800

"Dreamed about Ray Charles last night and he could see just fine, you know I asked him for a lullaby, he said 'Honey I don't sing no more no more, no more, no more, Ray don't sing no more.'" Joan Osborne, "Spider Web" Beautiful man, beautiful musician. Rest in peace.

By: cookie-k

cookie-k — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 00:00:23 -0800

By: John Kenneth Fisher

John Kenneth Fisher — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 08:13:22 -0800

This happened later in the day after deleting Hit The Road Jack from iTunes..... I really hope it's not a Twilight Zone thing like the old man and the Grandfather clock...

By: matteo

matteo — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 09:53:38 -0800

The Rude Pundit wants Ray Charles on the fifty-dollar bill. Fuck Ulysses S. Grant, that drunk old son of a bitch. Put Ray Charles on the fifty. The Rude Pundit wants a gigantic Ray Charles sculpted into the side of Stone Mountain, Georgia. Blow up that goddamn celebration of racism there; send Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jeff Davis tumbling into the piles of rock and dust of forgotteness. Instead, carve Ray Charles, at his piano, smiling, smiling, smiling.

By: amberglow

amberglow — Fri, 11 Jun 2004 15:59:57 -0800

as i type this, CNN is using Ray's America to back up a montage of Reagan pics--ugh!

By: Windigo

Windigo — Sat, 12 Jun 2004 09:18:50 -0800

RIP, and all that....

By: Civil_Disobedient

Civil_Disobedient — Fri, 18 Jun 2004 09:54:23 -0800