Today, on September 23, 2025, we are marking the 95^th birth anniversary of one of the greatest performers of the 20^th century. Ray Charles Robinson, was known to the world simply as Ray Charles (1930-2004). Ray Charles was an extraordinary person. He became a key figure in the history of American music since his work was significantly broader than the stylistic boundaries. Blues, gospel, soul, rhythm and blues, jazz and even country – few musicians could boast such a wide stylistic range, and few were as convincing in each of those styles as Ray Charles.

The 17-time Grammy winner, the musician received enormous recognition around the world – despite the fact that Ray Charles had been blind since early childhood.

Frank Sinatra called him ‘the only genius in show business.’ Billy Joel once remarked that ‘some might consider it sacrilegious, but Ray Charles was far more important than Elvis Presley.’ some might consider it blasphemous, but Ray Charles was far more important than Elvis Presley."

‘I never wanted to be famous. I just wanted to be great,’ Ray Charles Robinson, who was not without a sense of humour, said modestly about himself.

Ray attended a boarding school for the blind in St. Augustine. He learned Braille music notation, became familiar with European classical music – playing Bach and Mozart on the piano, mastered several other instruments. By 1945, the young man was already practically an accomplished professional musician. In 1951, record companies were interested in him, and Ray released his first hit, ‘Mess Around.’ Ray Charles effectively invented a new jazz standard: soul.

In 1959, creative activities of Ray Charles broke out of the black ‘ghetto’ thanks to the song ‘What'd I Say.’ This hit was born by accident when Ray was performing at a nightclub in Milwaukee. His programme had already been played, but there was still some ‘unused’ time left. The musician began to improvise and composed an entire 12-minute piece. In 1962, the musician ventured into ‘foreign territory’ by recording the song ‘I Can't Stop Loving You’ in the country style, the whitest of all American musical styles. This surprised everyone, regardless of skin colour, but did not prevent the song from becoming a hit again. Throughout his career, Ray Charles released many hugely popular songs, including ‘Georgia On My Mind,’ ‘Hit the Road, Jack,’ and ‘I Can't Stop Loving You.’ His unique voice and infectious melodies captivated listeners around the world.

Ray Charles had a remarkable career spanning several decades. His music continues to inspire and influence performers to this day. The significance of the great Ray Charles cannot be overstated. First, he proved that blindness is no obstacle to a pop musician. Secondly, he brought ‘black music’ to a wider audience. And thirdly, he broke down the boundaries between ‘black’ and ‘white’ styles. Ray Charles became a unifying figure for American culture: genre boundaries, racial barriers and other conventions did not exist for him. He could turn an intimate song into an anthem, and an anthem into an extremely personal lyrical song. And it all sounded natural, it was an expression of his free spirit. ‘Every song has a soul,’ he said. Ray's expressive, cracked voice is still one of the most recognisable in popular music today. Rolling Stone magazine ranked Charles the 10^th on its list of ‘The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time’ and the 2^nd on its list of ‘The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.’

To mark the 95^th birthday of Ray Charles, we have prepared musical selection featuring well-known compositions written and performed by the renowned musician, including ‘Georgia On My Mind,’ ‘I Can't Stop Loving You,’ and ‘Frenesi.’