Charles began to wear sunglasses while performing after this, and some authors even suggest that this began the trend for blind musicians to do the same. But before the images were printed and distributed, McKee had an artist retouch the photos, painting sunglasses over Charles’s sightless eyes. The trio even developed publicity photos for the group. The three began the McSon Trio, a combination of the two names McKee and Robinson. Ray Charles Robinson was just 18 years old when he moved to Seattle and started a band with his friends, guitarist Gossie McKee and bassist Milton S. While fans of the “father of soul” might be familiar with the basic rolodex of Charles’ life, here are five pieces of trivia that fill in a few more details about the piano man who did it all, from why he first started wearing his iconic shades to the game he played to fight insomnia. His groundbreaking style and sound reflected his diverse life experiences. White and Hackford try to link the drugs to guilt over his brother’s death and the stress of his handicap but are not persuasive in either case.Ray Charles’ voice could be as blues-y cool as it was achingly gospel, as confessionary country as it was brassy jazz. The film spends probably too much time dwelling on this battle. He gets hooked on heroin, a habit he carries for years before he kicks it. The highlights of his personal life are equally dramatized - witnessing the drowning death of his brother at age 5 losing his sight by age 7 his early, lonely days on the road the marriage to his devoted wife, Della Bea (Kerry Washington) and his romantic involvement with female singers on the road. He then moves into rock and later country, and with each move the film in a scene or two nicely conveys the full impact these shifts had on the music scene. He merges R&B with gospel - a sacrilege to some folks - and achieves a musical breakthrough. But once he finds his own voice - much deeper and funkier - Ray experiments. He begins by imitating the style of popular recording artists such as Nat King Cole and Charles Brown. As a youth, Ray soaks up gospel, jazz and country. The very best thing about Ray is how it dramatizes Ray’s musical influences, the changes in his style and audience reaction to these developments. Possibly filmmaker Taylor Hackford, who spent 15 years developing the story with the singer-songwriter, got too close to his subject. It goes deep into a life filled with as much trouble and pain as triumph and accomplishment but never quite gets at the root of who Ray is. Yet unlike his songs, the film holds something back. Same with this film: You’re into it right away. The first time you hear a Charles recording, you can’t help digging the sounds and the stories he tells in those songs. It succeeds more often than it doesn’t, and thanks to a kinetic, mesmerizing performance by Jamie Foxx in the title role, the film has immediate accessibility to millions of Charles fans the world over. Ray takes on a monumental task - capturing the entire career arc of one of America’s greatest artists, music legend Ray Charles. The Hollywood Reporter ‘s original review is below. The film earned six nominations at the 77th Academy Awards, winning in the sound mixing category as well as the best actor category for Jamie Foxx’s performance. 29, 2004, Universal unveiled Ray Charles biopic Ray in theaters, where it would go on to gross $124 million globally.
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