A Gift to Late Music Legend Ray Charles: Historic Event to Celebrate Ray Charles' Life on His Birthday and Worldwide Sales of over 500,000 Copies of ``Genius Loves Company''.

WHAT:         To commemorate the late Ray Charles' 74th birthday, the
              Crenshaw High School Choir (in which Charles took a
              special interest) will perform two of the music legend's
              favorites, "I Can't Stop Loving You" and "Georgia."

              A commemorative plaque will be presented to Ray Charles'
              longtime manager, Joe Adams, to recognize sales of more
              than 500,000 CDs worldwide of Charles' final recording,
              "Genius Loves Company," a landmark CD released by
              Concord Records in collaboration with Starbucks Hear
              Music.

WHO:                              Available...

              --  Photo Opportunity of commemorative plaque
                  presentation
              --  Interviews with Ray Charles' longtime manager, Joe
                  Adams; John Burk, producer of "Genius Loves
                  Company"; Ken Lombard, president of Starbucks
                  Entertainment
              --  Great visuals of the Crenshaw High School Choir
                  performance
              --  Video footage from recording sessions of "Genius
                  Loves Company"

WHEN:         September 23, 11:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. (Open to the public)

WHERE:        Starbucks Hear Music Coffeehouse
              1429 Third Street Promenade, Santa Monica

OTHER:        "Genius Loves Company," the final recording from the
              great American icon, features special new duet
              performances with Elton John, Norah Jones, B.B. King,
              Michael McDonald, and Van Morrison, among others. The CD
              currently holds the #3 spot on the Billboard Top 200
              (debuted at #2), and has also been #1 on Billboard's R&B
              chart since its release on Aug. 31. "Genius Loves
              Company" has shipped over one million copies nationwide.

              Ray Charles passed away 100 days ago. However, barely a
              day goes by that you don't hear about him through a new
              CD, an autobiography, a TV special or a feature film.
              There's also the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center, to
              be built at Morehouse College in Atlanta, and Bill Cosby
              will host a star-studded tribute gala for it on Sept. 29
              in Los Angeles. It's been 40 years since Charles has
              been in the Top 10, but as his birthday approaches,
              America has given him the greatest gift a musician can
              get, a major hit. David Ritz, Charles' biographer, has
              updated the entertainer's autobiography, "Brother Ray,"
              which is due out later this month. A feature film,
              "Ray," starring Jamie Foxx in the lead role, is due Oct.
              29, and CBS will film a TV special in early October to
              celebrate the music icon.