Ray Charles (musician, born 1918)

This article is about the leader of the Ray Charles Singers. For the rhythm and blues singer, see Ray Charles.

Ray Charles
Charles in 1975
Background information
Birth nameCharles Raymond Offenberg
Born(1918-09-13)September 13, 1918
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedApril 6, 2015(2015-04-06) (aged 96)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Musician, singer, songwriter, arranger, conductor
InstrumentVocals
Years active1942–2015
Labels

Ray Charles (born Charles Raymond Offenberg; September 13, 1918 – April 6, 2015) was an American musician, singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and conductor who was best known as organizer and leader of the Ray Charles Singers, who accompanied Perry Como on his records and television shows for 35 years[1][2] and were also known for a series of 30 choral record albums produced in the 1950s and 1960s for the MGM, Essex, Decca and Command labels.[3]

As a vocalist, Charles recorded a few duets with Perry Como during the 1950s. In 1977, Charles, along with Julia Rinker Miller, sang the theme song to the television series Three's Company ("Come and Knock on Our Door").[4][5] As a songwriter, Charles was best known for the choral anthem "Fifty Nifty United States" in which he set the names of the states to music in alphabetical order. It was originally written for The Perry Como Show.[5] He is also known for "Letters, We Get Letters",[6] also originally written for Como's show and later used on the Late Show with David Letterman.[6]

In his later years, he continued to serve as a musical consultant to television programs, most notably for 31 years on the Kennedy Center Honors. Charles was acknowledged as an authority on American popular music.[7]

  1. ^ "FMS: Feature [ASMAC salutes Lalo Schifrin and "the other" Ray Charles]". filmmusicsociety.org. Retrieved March 18, 2016.
  2. ^ Grudens, Richard, ed. (1986), The Italian Crooners Bedside Companion, Celebrity Profiles Publishing, pp. 63–69, ISBN 0-9763877-0-0, retrieved April 14, 2010
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Campbell was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "The Como Team". The Perry Como Appreciation Society. Archived from the original on May 13, 2010. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  5. ^ a b Paprocki, Justin (May 9, 2008). "Five Minutes With musician Ray Charles, singer of 'Three's Company' theme song". The Island Packet. Archived from the original on January 24, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Perry Como TV Lyrics". Archived from the original on August 15, 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ray was invoked but never defined (see the help page).