He was born on September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia. His father was Bailey Robinson, a railroad repairman, and his mother was "Retha". His father never married his mother. His legal wife was Mary Jane, who also helped raise Charles. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay When he was three years old, young Charles was learning to play the piano. When he was five years old, his brother, who was three years old at the time, drowned. A few months later Charles contracted the disease that would make him blind at the age of seven. After becoming completely blind at age seven, Charles went to a school for the blind in St. Augustine, Florida, where he learned to play the trumpet, saxophone, clarinet, and organ, although his favorite instrument it's still the piano. When Charles was 15, his mother died of food poisoning. He soon after decided to become a musician and started his own business. He played with various bands throughout Florida until he was seventeen. He then wanted to get as far away from Tampa as possible and also stay in the United States, so he bought a bus ticket to Seattle and left. Charles eventually dropped his last name. There he entered a competition and was offered a job at a nearby Elks club. After several months, a record producer noticed him and Charles released his first album: "Confession Blues". Charles subsequently went traveling for a few years. He played in bars all over the country. It was known to musicians as the chitlin' circuit. Charles soon stopped imitating other musicians, as he had done up to that point, and began to combine gospel and rhythm and blues, thus creating soul. Even today he is called the "Genius of Soul". In 1955 Charles recorded "I've Got a Women", and made history. He helped pave the way for soul in the years to come. In the 1960s Charles recorded "I Can't Stop Loving You" (a country music number) with a large orchestra and his own voice. This song, like the others, was loved by the American people. Unfortunately, in the 1940s Charles became addicted to heroin and in 1964 he was arrested for it. While awaiting trial, he went to an awards ceremony where his son Ray Jr. was receiving an award. He had to leave before his son received his award, so Ray Jr. cried. Charles, seeing this, realized that his son would be very hurt if anyone shouted that Charles was a drug addict, so he went to the hospital and went "cold turkey" on drugs. After a year, he overcame the addiction. Charles is an extreme man. He was impatient and didn't want to listen to the complaints. When he was happy, he was very happy, and when he was sad he was very sad. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Today, Charles has two ex-wives , nine children, and seven grandchildren. He swore to remain a bachelor due to his two failed marriages. Now he is often seen on television, as a spokesperson for Pepsi-Cola. He has earned a place in music history, a living legend.