Ray Charles

Who is Ray Charles?

Ray Charles is an American musician, singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and conductor who is best known as organizer and leader of The Ray Charles Singers. The Ray Charles Singers were featured on Perry Como's records, radio shows and television shows for 35 years. The Ray Charles Singers are also known for a series of 30 choral record albums produced in the 1950s and 1960s for Essex, MGM, Decca and Command labels.

As a vocalist, Charles, along with Julia Rinker Miller, is known for singing the theme song to the television series Three's Company. As a songwriter, Charles is best known for the choral anthem "Fifty Nifty United States," in which he set the names of the states to music in alphabetical order. It was originally written for The Perry Como Show. He is also known for "Letters, We Get Letters," also originally written for The Perry Como Show and later used on Late Show with David Letterman.

At the age of 94 years, he continues to serve as a musical consultant to television programs, most notably for the last 30 years on the Kennedy Center Honors. Charles is acknowledged as an authority on American popular music.