Ray Charles Robinson, better known as simply Ray Charles, was a staggering musical talent.
Born in Albany, Georgia, in 1930, Charles had in many ways a tough childhood. His mother was poor and he never knew his real father. He lost his sight by the time that he was seven and his mother saw to it that he got the best education possible, sending him off to the Florida School For the Deaf and the Blind for eight years. He learned a lot about music while there but ultimately left after his mother died.
By the early ‘50s, he was recording and in 1953 Mess Around became a hit and he was on his way.