Blind from the age of seven due to glaucoma, Ray Charles threw himself into
music to become one of the 20th Century's best-loved and most influential
entertainers; highly respected in jazz, blues, gospel and soul circles, while
also scoring many pop-soul hits like Hit The Road Jack and I Can't Stop Loving
You. Orphaned in his teens, Charles studied classical music but abandoned it to
play the blues and jazz he heard on the radio, going on to play piano with
various bands in Florida, where he first wore his trademark wraparound
sunglasses. In 1947 Charles moved to Seattle, where h...