an online magazine from eyeway.org

issue 2 january-february 2005
click here to browse other issues

other sections in this issue: by george | focus | perspectives | profile | forum

Headlines : INTERNATIONAL news
other headlines sub-sections: india news | calendar of events

Rock Hall opens Ray Charles exhibit

Gwinnett Daily Online; November 2004

Since his death, Georgia native Ray Charles may be more popular than ever with a movie about his life, a posthumously released album and a new museum exhibit. ''In all truthfulness, he's always had pretty good popularity. But it's extremely warm right now. It would be more enjoyable if we still had him here,'' said Joe Adams, Charles' friend and business manager of 47 years.

‘'The Genius of Ray Charles'’ exhibit opened November 19 at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland.

Charles, 73, died on June 10 of liver disease. His final studio recording, ‘Genius loves company’, is an album of duets that was released this year. His successes include numerous hit records and awards. His troubles involve blindness since the age of seven, and drug addition. His life story is told in the movie ‘Ray’ starring Jamie Foxx.

Some of Ray Charles' items at the exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum include sunglasses; chess board and pieces; Braille magazine and notebook; Braille wall panel with brief biography; Kennedy Center Honors Plaque, 1986; Hollywood Walk of Fame Award, 1991; a saxophone; on-stage wardrobe items; electronic piano and keyboards; and video recordings of his performances.

A wide array of performers, including Stevie Wonder, gathered in September in California for a tribute concert, singing Charles' hits such as ‘Georgia on my mind’, ‘What I'd say’ and ‘Hit the road Jack’. Bill Cosby hosted the event, which raised money for the Morehouse College Center for the Arts in Atlanta. ''There is clearly a great deal of interest now in his life and his music,'' Rock Hall curator Howard Kramer said. ''He is such an icon. People are learning more about him, and the film is enlightening them as to who he was and the complexity of his life. The level of awareness makes people more empathetic.''

Charles was part of the first class of Rock Hall inductees in 1986, but the exhibit is the first at the museum in his honor. Charles memorabilia is on loan from his Los Angeles studio/headquarters. ''Ray was very gracious for anything done for him,'' Adams said. ''He fussed about it, but he loved it. This would have been meaningful to him, definitely. He was among the first people inducted into the Rock Hall, and he was very honored by that.''

Kramer said that while Charles was living ''he wasn't interested in reflection, because he was too busy working.''

John Edward Hasse, curator of American Music at the National Museum of American History, said it is not unusual for the public's fondness for a performer to surge after death. But he said the intensity of interest in Charles seems especially strong. ''Ray Charles was a singular, creative artist who overcame great obstacles and pioneered in the fusion of gospel, blues and jazz into a signature style of music,'' Hasse said. ''The combination of his passing, the release of 'Genius loves company' and the terrific film 'Ray' have combined to raise public awareness of Ray Charles to perhaps an unprecedented level.''

Other World News stories in this issue:
Help for visually impaired jobseekers offered by online mentors
At Perkins School for the Blind, new museum is accessible to all
Device helps blind persons keep up-to-date
Gadget to help easy mobility for visually-impaired persons
British disability swimming performance director nominated for the BBC Coach of the Year award

top of page