Ananda Brooks 2/12/15
Name: Ray Charles Robison Birth Date: September 23, 1930 Death Date: June 10, 2004 Early Life: - His father, a Mechanic & his mother, a sharecropper moved the family to Florida when was a infant - One of the most traumatic events of his childhood was witnessing the drowning of his younger brother - His mother sent him to state- sponsored school, the Florida school for deaf & the blind in St. Augustine, Florida where he learned to read. Write & arrange music in Braille. He also learned to play piano, organ, sax, clarinet, & trumpet Interesting Facts: -Soon after his brother’s death, Charles gradually began to lose his sight. He was blind by the age of 7. - Charles was a Massive Heroin Addict - Ray owned his own records John L. Costley is making a Black History Hall of Fame. Why does your person deserve to be inducted into the Black History Hall of Fame? Ray Charles Robison should be inducted into the Black History Hall of Fame because Ray Charles has done a lot in his lifetime. He purchased Charles Recording Contract from Swing time for $2500. In 1962, Charles formed Ray Charles Enterprises, comprisen of Tangerine Records. He also starred in films, appearing in the 1962 film “ Swinging Along “ & 1966 British film “ Ballad in Blue “ & Recording the soundtracks for the “ Cincinnati Kid {1965} “ & “ In the Heat of the Night {1967} “