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Ray Charles Vinyl Records

Ray Charles was an American singer-songwriter and musician who rose to fame in the 1950s and 1960s. Born in 1930 in Georgia, he began to lose his sight at the age of five due to glaucoma. He learned to play piano and the clarinet, and by the age of 15, he had formed his own band and was performing professionally.

Charles combined elements of blues, gospel, and jazz to create a unique sound that earned him the nickname "the Genius of Soul." He is best known for his 1960 hit single "What'd I Say" and his 1962 album Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music. Other standout albums include Genius + Soul = Jazz (1961) and The Genius Hits the Road (1960).

In addition to his musical career, Charles was also an advocate for civil rights. In 1965, he was the first African American to perform at the New York Metropolitan Opera House, and in 2004 he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

An interesting fact about Ray Charles is that he was one of the first African American artists to record a cover version of a Beatles song when he released a version of "Yesterday" in 1965.