POSTHUMOUS AWARD WINDFALL FOR RAY CHARLES' 'GENIUS'.Byline: David Kronke and Fred Shuster Staff Writers Ray Charles For the composer and conductor of the Ray Charles Singers, see . Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) known by his stage name Ray Charles, was a pioneering American pianist and soul musician who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues. was underappreciated, at least as much as anyone who went by the nickname of ``Genius'' could be. Until, that is, Sunday night Sunday Night, later named Michelob Presents Night Music, was an NBC late-night television show which aired for two seasons between 1988 and 1990 as a showcase for jazz and eclectic musical artists. , when the late Charles and his album ``Genius Loves Company,'' his album of duets with stars such as Norah Jones Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar on March 30 1979 in Brooklyn, New York) is an American singer-songwriter, musician and occasional actress of American and Indian descent. , Van Morrison, Elton John Sir Elton Hercules[1] John CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March, 1947) is a five-time Grammy and one-time Academy Award-winning English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. , Diana Krall Diana Jean Krall, OC, OBC (born November 16, 1964) is a Canadian jazz pianist and singer. Biography Krall was born into a musical family in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. She began learning the piano at the age of four. and James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, born in Belmont, Massachusetts. , posthumously dominated the 47th annual Grammy Awards Grammy Awards Annual awards given by the Recording Academy (officially the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences). The first Grammies (the name is a dimunitive of “gramophone”) were given in 1958. at Staples Center. Charles, who died in June at 73, won five Grammys; the album won an additional three trophies in technical categories. Six of the awards were presented before the TV cameras even rolled. Heretofore in his half- century-plus career, Charles had won a dozen Grammys, beginning with four in 1960; most recently, he had won one in 1993. ``I'm glad he's getting recognized because of who he is and how much I love him,'' Jones said backstage after winning a Grammy with Charles for Pop Collaboration With Vocals on ``Here We Go Again.'' Charles famously blended R&B, gospel and country into a new, vibrant sound that was simultaneously sexy, soulful and energetically infectious. ``Anyone who wants to make soul music has to spend at least two years listening to predominantly Ray Charles,'' says Ben Harper, who won two Grammys Sunday, for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album. ``It was a unique blend. He loved folk, he loved country, he loved the blues, he loved gospel and he took it all and he turned it into his own voice. There's soul music and then there's Ray Charles.'' The past year has been one of the most celebrated of Charles' lengthy, beloved career. In addition to his success with ``Genius Loves Company,'' Taylor Hackford's biopic bi·o·pic n. A film or television biography, often with fictionalized episodes. biopic Noun Informal a film based on the life of a famous person [bio(graphical) + pic(ture)] ``Ray'' won rave reviews and acting awards for star Jamie Foxx and seven Oscar nominations. John Legend, collaborator with Kanye West on the Grammy-winning rap album ``The College Dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human ,'' said after watching the movie and listening to Charles' music in the past year, he realized, ``He was part of my heritage and I wasn't even acknowledging it at the time.'' Jerry Lee Lewis Noun 1. Jerry Lee Lewis - United States rock star singer and pianist (born in 1935) Lewis , recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award Sunday evening, called Charles ``One of the greatest God-given talents that ever lived. Every time I saw Ray, he'd say, 'Jerry, you're looking good!''' Blinded by glaucoma glaucoma (glôkō`mə), ocular disorder characterized by pressure within the eyeball caused by an excessive amount of aqueous humor (the fluid substance filling the eyeball). at age 6, Charles studied composition, learning various instruments at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind. In the early '50s, Charles came into his own with R&B chart smashes ``I Got a Woman,'' ``Drown in My Own Tears,'' ``Mess Around'' and ``Lonely Avenue.'' But the big break came when ``What'd I Say'' became his first top 10 pop hit and introduced Charles to white audiences. The hits flowed after that. ``'He deserves every one he got,'' declared Jimmy Carter of the Blind Boys of Alabama, who shared the Traditional Soul Gospel Album trophy with Harper. ``He was a very versatile musician. I love Ray Charles.'' CAPTION(S): 5 photos, box Photo: (1) Producer Quincy Jones, left, embraces Alicia Keys and Jamie Foxx after their Charles medley at the show. Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press (2) Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Jerry Lee Lewis called Charles ``one of the greatest God-given talents.'' Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer (3 -- 5) Top, Ozomatli shows its awards for Latin Rock/Alternative Album on backstage Sunday. Above, actress Laura Dern congratulates husband Ben Harper on his trophies for Pop Instrumental Performance and the Traditional Soul Gospel Album, which he shared with The Blind Boys of Alabama. At right, Jack White shares the stage with Loretta Lynn after their ``Van Lear Rose'' was named Country Album. Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press Box: THE WINNERS |
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