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Before I begin, let me say right here and now that I'm a country boy. And, man, I mean the real backwoods! That's at the start of the start of the thing, and that's at the heart of the thing.

Ray Charles

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Ray Charles
Age: 71 †
Born: 1932
Born: September 23
Died: 2004
Died: June 10
Composer
Jazz Musician
Music Arranger
Musician
Pianist
Recording Artist
Saxophonist
Singer
Singer-Songwriter
Soul Musician
Vocalist
Albany
Georgia
Ray Charles Robinson
Raymond Charles Robinson Peter
Country
Right
Real
Mean
Heart
Backwoods
Thing
Begin
Men
Boys
Start

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Sighted people, you gotta deal with them.
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When I'm having a rehearsal and there are new guys who come in to try out for the job, I always let my conductor rehearse them. Because I don't want the guy to get bent out of shape, because I walk in.
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What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.
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There's nothing written in the Bible, Old or New testament, that says, 'If you believe in Me, you ain't going to have no troubles.'
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I don't sing a song unless I feel it. The song don't tug at my heart, I pass on it. I have to believe in what I'm doing.
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The important thing is to feel your music, really feel it and believe it.
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Just like you can buy grades of silk, you can buy grades of justice.
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I heard someone say that all black people got rhythm. Bullshit.
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Now Listen You know I work so hard, all day long Everything I try to do, Seem to always turn out wrong That's why I wanna stop by on my way home and say Let's go get stoned
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I cant retire from music any more than I can retire from my liver. Youd have to remove the music from me surgically—like you were taking out my appendix.
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There are many spokes on the wheel of life. First, we're here to explore new possibilities.
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You got to set your mind right and the rest will come to you naturally. No restrictions, no hang-ups, no stupid rules, no formalities, no forbidden fruit - just everyone getting and giving as much as he and she can.
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[On his heroin addiction:] I did it to myself. It wasn't society...it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.
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I think that most great artists who are extremely known, as I am, would intimidate a lot of people. I don't want to do that to people, but I know I do.
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It's like Duke Ellington said, there are only two kinds of music - good and bad. And you can tell when something is good.
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I can't help what I sound like. What I sound like is what i am. You know? I cannot be anything other that what I am.
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Music is nothing separate from me. It is me... You'd have to remove the music surgically.
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I was born with music inside me. That's the only explanation I know of
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Live each day like it's your last, 'cause one day you gonna be right
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Dreams, if they're any good, are always a little bit crazy.
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