Ray Charles | Biography, Songs, & Facts - Britannica

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Honors

The recipient of many national and international awards, Charles received 13 Grammy Awards, including a lifetime achievement award in 1987. In 1986 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received a Kennedy Center Honor, and he was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1993. He published an autobiography, Brother Ray: Ray Charles’ Own Story (1978), written with David Ritz. In 2002 the U.S. Library of Congress added “What’d I Say” to the National Recording Registry, a list of audio recordings deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

Quick Facts Original name: Ray Charles Robinson (Show more) Born: September 23, 1930, Albany, Georgia, U.S. (Show more) Died: June 10, 2004, Beverly Hills, California (aged 73) (Show more) Awards And Honors: Grammy Award (2004) Grammy Award (1993) Grammy Award (1990) Kennedy Center Honors (1986) Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum (1986) Grammy Award (1975) Grammy Award (1966) Grammy Award (1963) Grammy Award (1962) Grammy Award (1961) Grammy Award (1960) (Show more) Movement / Style: big-band jazz (Show more) On the Web: Fresh Air Archive - Ray Charles (Jan. 24, 2026) (Show more) See all related content Show More

Charles’s life and career were the subject of the acclaimed biopic Ray (2004), which starred Jamie Foxx in an Academy Award-winning performance.

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