The Father of Soul
Ray Charles Robinson was born in 1930 in Georgia, USA, but he grew up in 
Florida. He lived with his mother, Aretha, and his younger brother. They were very poor. When Ray was five years old, his brother died and then two years later Ray went blind. Aretha Robinson sent her son to St Augustine’s, a school for blind children. He studied classical music there.
When Ray was fourteen, his mother died and he left school.For two years he played the piano with some local bands to earn the money for a bus ticket to Seattle. There he played in clubs and bars.He didn’t earn a lot of money, but he loved music.