Ray Charles
Bandleader, Musical Artist
1918 –
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.
We need you!
Help us build the largest biographies collection on the web!
- Born
- Sep 13, 1918
Chicago - Also known as
- Charles Raymond Offenberg
- The Other Ray Charles
- Spouses
- Bernice Offenberg
( - 2002)
- Bernice Offenberg
- Nationality
- United States of America
- Profession
Submitted
on July 23, 2013
Citation
Use the citation below to add to a bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"Ray Charles." Biographies.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 22 Oct. 2024. <https://www.biographies.net/biography/ray-charles/m/09rsf4_>.
Discuss this Ray Charles biography with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In