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Ray Charles
Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia to
Bailey Robinson, a railroad repair man, mechanic
and handyman, and Aretha Williams, who stacked
boards in a sawmill; the two were never married.
The family moved to Greenville, Florida, when
Ray was an infant. Bailey had two more families,
leaving Aretha to raise the family. When Charles
was five, he witnessed his younger brother,
George, drown in his portable laundry tub.
When he was six, Charles began to go blind,
becoming totally blind by the age of seven.
Charles never knew exactly why he lost his
sight, though there are sources which suggest
Ray's blindness was due to glaucoma. He attended
school at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf
and the Blind in St. Augustine, Florida.
He also learned how to
write music and play various musical
instruments. While he was there, his
mother died. His father died two years later.
After he left school, Charles began working as a
musician in several bands that played in various
styles, including jazz and, in Tampa “with a
hillbilly band called The Florida Playboys."
Charles moved to Seattle in 1947 or 1948. He
soon started recording, first for the label
Swingtime Records, achieving his first hit with
"Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" in 1951,
then signed with Ahmet Ertegün at Atlantic
Records a year later. When he entered show
business, his name was shortened to Ray Charles
to avoid confusion with boxer Sugar Ray
Robinson. back to top