R.I.P. Ray Charles

[joeallonby]

on 6/10/04 6:41 PM, Cyrus at cyrusgeo at netscape.net wrote:

> http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=TVNBV2DY0KT20CRBAE0CFFA?ty
> pe=topNews&storyID=5396841
> 
> 
A truly great American. The last time I heard Mr Charles perform (one of
many times), he played and sang "America the Beautiful" on opening day 2003
in a downpour in Fenway Park. Simply moving. He had made that song his own.
Every time I heard him sing it it was remarkable. A handicapped
African-American born in poverty sang that song as a love song to his home
country.

Oh, and one of the first songs I ever played professionally was "What'd  I
Say" in a bar called Doc's Cafe in Roxbury MA in 1977. I always loved Ray.
So did my Mom.