Ray Charles
In the 1930s many black musicians where coming out of the south. One especially who would soon top the charts and hit fame and fortune starting in his young years, Ray Charles. After conquering poverty, blindness and many other things, success was possible. In his young age he had a few losses in his family and near after came down with a disease which was causing him to go blind. He later came over the blindness and was able to learn and compose music with the help of his skills in mathematics. After enduring a harsh childhood and blindness, Ray Charles was able to over come his handicap and follow his dream in music.
Ray Charles was born on September 23, 1903 to a very poor family. Although no birth record exists, his mother, Retha Robinson, dubbed him Ray Robinson, which he later changed so as to not be confused with Sugar Ray Robinson, a famous boxer (World Book 383). Ray Charles, or as everyone called him RC, was born to a mother only sixteen years old and she had another coming. By RC’s first birthday, his little brother George was born. “None was sure who George’s father was, but all remembered that Mr. Pit and Mis Georgia, who had no children of their own, adopted George to take the added burden off Retha”(Michael 7). While Retha was not able to watch over RC, he was cared for bye her friend Mary Jane, who was split up with her husband and had lost her son.
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The African-American civil rights movement was a cruel time for the African American race to endure due to the harsh discrimination and segregation that they faced. This movement fought for the rights and the equality of African Americans in the United States. With all that was going on, African Americans turned to music for motivation, courage, inspiration and strength to overcome the difficult obstacles that they would soon face. “Non-violence marchers faced beating, hosing, burning, shooting, or jail with no defense other than their courage and songs” (Hast 45). “It's been a long, a long time coming/ But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will” (Cooke, Sam. A Change Is Gonna Come). Music was their greatest hope for change in the near future and is the thing that kept them fighting for what they deserved. They came together with each other due to the lyrics of many different songs that kept the civil rights movement alive and known. Music painted a vision that they could picture and look forward to; it was a dream that they could fight for. “Music empowered African Americans to hold tight to their dream of racial equality” (Jeske). A genre of music that bought society together during this movement was folk.
A Shot Against Freedom: The Assassination of Martin Luther King James Earl Ray was the perfect man to fit the description of King's murderer. He was a white, racist, petty criminal, an army throw-away, a nobody trying to make a name for himself. He left the perfect evidence behind as well, a rifle with his prints, and a personal radio with his prison ID engraved on it. James was also quite an unstable individual. At his own request, in 1966 Ray began psychological counseling to quiet the voices in his head (Gribben 2005).
Apart from the sound of his sisters practicing, the only music allowed in the house
Raymond Gray “Ray” Lewis was a track and field athlete. He was the first African-Canadian to win a medal at the Olympics, but his life was much more than that. Born in 1910, he faced racism and prejudice for his black heritage, but that didn’t stop him from following his dream. He accomplished various things in his life, and was, and still is, a source of inspiration for many people.
Black people were disenfranchised and to make it in the industry, they turned to music.
Music nurtured the African American tradition and their struggle towards equality in the same century.... ... middle of paper ... ... Greensboro, N.C.: Morgan Reynolds Pub. Carter, D. (2009).
Before the war started, a wealthy white man by the name of John Hammond worked to integrate black and white music.1 Since his childhood, he enjoyed the music of numerous black artists, and he wanted to share his love with the rest of America. He used much of his inherited fortune to make this possible. He went against the general opinion of society and his parents, who despised black people. Hammond refused to ignore black artists’ musical abilities because of their color, “I did not revolt against the system, I simply refused to be a part of it.”2 He used his money to organize the most eclectic group of musicians ever assembled, for an integrated audience of his time. Hammond’s efforts made an indelible impact on the music industry. The musicians Hammond introduced in...
According to Albert Murray, the African-American musical tradition is “fundamentally stoical yet affirmative in spirit” (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues, African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is through music that the energies and dexterities of black American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington expressed a “wideawake, forward-tending” rhythm that one can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).
Ray Charles born Ray Charles Robinson. Ray Charles was born in Georgia, however grew up in Florida. He grew up with a single mother and a younger brother George. He grew up poor, witnessing his mother getting taken advantage of based on her lack of education. Though, his mother was poorly educated, she knew how to advocate for herself. Ray Charles was introduced to the piano before the age of 7 at a local store. At the age of 7 Ray Charles witnessed his brother drown in a wash bin. His mother according to the movie “Ray” his mother said to him, “Why didn’t you do something? Why didn’t’ you call me?” Shortly after his brother’s death, Ray Charles slowly became blind. His mother eventually sent him away to a school
Musicians during the Harlem Renaissance created a style and movement that simply took Americans by storm. Musicians such as Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong have inspired others all over the country. The Renaissance itself was not only an observation of life for African Americans, but it also showed Americans that they have a place in society. All of the musicians, writers, and artists shared a common purpose. This purpose was to create art that reflected the Afro American community. Through this era, African Americans provided themselves with their cultural roots and a promise for a better future. Music in this era was the beginning. It was the beginning of new life for musicians and African Americans.
Ray Charles one of the greatest African-American artists of all time. He left a legacy of hits and Grammy awards, but the musicians he influenced were very diverse in genre as the music he wrote, arranged, performed, and recorded. Ray Charles died at the age of 73 on June 10, 2004 from acute liver disease. Months after his death on October 29, 2004 the movie Ray was released to the U.S on a budget of forty million dollars. The film went on to become a box-office hit, earning over $100 million dollars with an additional $75 million internationally. It ended up with a worldwide gross of over $175 million.
He had exposure to several different genres growing up in his St. Louis, MO hometown. He heard country from the whites, rhythm & blues (R&B) from mostly blacks, even Latin music. His family environment set him up well for future success while growing up in a middle class home in the middle of the Great Depression of the 1930s. His parents sun...
Among the most popular and appreciated musicians of our time, Louis "Satchmo" Armostrong brought a musical presence, technical mastery, and imaginative genius that "so overwhelmed musicians of his day that he became their principle model, leaving an indelible imprint on the music" (Kernfield 27). When reviewing Armstrong's life work, his years with us can be divided into two aspects, his personal life and his music. While giving significant background of Armstrong's life, his paper will also introduce and explain the impact that he had on music and the world of jazz.
Ray Kroc was born in Oak Park Illinois in the fifth of October of the year 1902. At the age of four Ray's destiny was read when his father took him to a phrenologist who predicted he was going to have a career in food.
Ray Kroc PROBLEM STATEMENT : In order for McDonald's to reach its goal of "par excellence", it must use the full meaning and definition of marketing. Marketing is giving the target market what they want, when and where they want it, at a price they are willing to pay for it. REFLECTION / OPINION