Quote

Many times during auditions, I was told that I couldn't carry a note with a bucket, and that I sure couldn't play the piano.

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
Times
Auditions
Play
Note
Many
Piano
Notes
Carry
Couldn
Told
Bucket
Sure
Buckets

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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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I always stay out of the rehearsal room you know when they first come in. Then once they had chance to play a little bit, then I walk in. Because I've seen guys fall apart.
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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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Sighted people, you gotta deal with them.
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I'm a firm believer in God himself, but that's as far as I can go. I'm not any denomination. I'm not Catholic or Presbyterian or Baptist or Methodist or Jewish or Muslim. I'm none of those things. And I'm sure that's just fine with God.
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Art Tatum -- he was a genius. And Einstein, not me.
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Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal.
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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 to me is like breathing. I don't get tired of breathing, I don't get tired of music.
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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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The fact of the matter is, you don't give up what's natural. Anything I've fantasized about, I've done.
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When I started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this spiritual and churchy, this religious or gospel sound. It had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it.
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The role of the designer is basically that of a good host, anticipating the needs of the guest.
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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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Goodbye don't mean gone.
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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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Sometimes my dreams are so deep that I dream that I'm dreaming.
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I never said I was a genius. I never said I was a cornerstone. I've never said I'm a legend in my own time. You never heard me say nothing like that.
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