Ray Charles dead at 73

It is only appropriate to memorialize Brother Ray under general music discussion, as there were frew American song forms he did not draw on and few he could not command. His influence cannot be underestimated. I wrote in another thread of one of my best, earliest musical memories, discovering a dusty, now long out-of-print ABC greatest hits album in my parent's record collection.

"Music's been around a lont time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead," he told the Washington Post in 1983. "I just want to make my mark, leave something musically behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal."

More like a banquet.

Now Playing: "Lonely Avenue" Ray Charles _The Birth of Soul (1952-1959)_

A very sad day. I feel priveleged that I was able to see his last show here in Vancouver. The man had so much energy it was absolutely an inspiration! His musical legacy will not be forgotten.

"It should have been me...eatin' ice cream and steak!"

I know that this will sound completely like a cliche, but I can't tell you how many times I saw Ray Charles perform "Georgia on my Mind" on TV. He was on The Tonight Show, Dean Martin and just about every variety show, and of course, he performed other songs, but down through the years, he would still have to return to "Georgia." The guy made everything he did seem so spontaneous and so personal, but once you saw him do "Georgia", you'd get goosebumps in anticipation knowing how great ( but essentially new) it was going to be. The other thing that I always loved about Brother Ray was his enormous sense of humor. He didn't take himself or anything too seriously (except maybe his music), and I remember him cracking up Carson all the time. Ray Charles will live on as long as we have his music and our hearts.

I lived in Georgia for a decade, and so you can imagine the number of times I heard bands of all persuasions play all or part of the song live. I was priveleged to see Ray play it in '96, at a show during the Summer Olympics. That was the best version. Second best: Chris Martin, of Coldplay, alone on piano, as the last encore of the first Atlanta Coldplay gig.
Most interesting: Richard Butler, of Psychedelic Furs, singing it while going to the bathroom in an afterhours club.
Worst: Cowboy Mouth, at an outdoor festival. Ugh.

The music world was all the better for Ray having been in it.