Ray Charles

:Disambiguation: For Ray Charles of the Ray Charles Singers, and longtime vocal conductor for Perry Como, see Ray Charles (elder).

Later years

In 1965, Charles was arrested for possession of heroin, a drug to which he had been addicted for seventeen years. It was his third arrest for the offense, but he avoided prison time after kicking the habit in a clinic in Los Angeles. He spent a year on parole and defiantly released Ashford and Simpson's "Lets Go Get Stoned." (1966)

Related Topics:
1965 - Heroin - Los Angeles - Ashford and Simpson - 1966

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After the 1960s, Charles' releases were hit-or-miss, with some massive hits and critically acclaimed work, and some music that was dismissed as unoriginal and staid. He concentrated largely on live performances, although his version of "Georgia On My Mind," a Hoagy Carmichael song originally written for a girl named Georgia, was a hit and soon was proclaimed the state song of Georgia on April 24, 1979, with Charles performing it on the floor of the state legislature. He also had success with his unique version of "America the Beautiful." In 1980 Charles made a cameo appearance in The Blues Brothers.

Related Topics:
1960s - Georgia On My Mind - Hoagy Carmichael - State song - April 24 - 1979 - State legislature - America the Beautiful - 1980 - Cameo appearance - The Blues Brothers

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In the late 1980s, a number of events increased Ray's recognition among young audiences. In 1985, "Night Time is the Right Time" was featured in the episode "Happy Anniversary" of The Cosby Show. The cast members used the song to perform a wildly popular lip-synch that helped the show secure its wide viewership. In 1986, he collaborated with Billy Joel on "Baby Grand" for Joel's album The Bridge. In 1987, Charles guest-starred in the episode "Hit the Road, Chad," of Who's the Boss. Charles performed the song, "Always a Friend." He also appeared several times in guest appearances on the show The Nanny, playing Yetta's (Ann Guilbert) boyfriend. Charles' new connection with audiences helped secure a spokesmanship for Diet Pepsi. In this highly successful advertising campaign, Charles popularized the catchphrase "You've got the right one, baby!" At the height of his newfound fame in the early nineties, Charles did guest vocals for quite a few projects. These included the INXS song "Please (You've Got That...)," on the Full Moon, Dirty Hearts album, as well as the theme song for Designing Women in its sixth season. He also appeared (with Chaka Khan) on long time friend Quincy Jones' hit I'll Be Good To You in 1990. In 2004 Charles released a duets album, Genius Loves Company, which was nominated for a bundle of Grammy Awards for Best Pop Vocal Album, Album of the year and Record of the year. He won Album of the year and record of the year. A duet with Norah Jones, Here We Go Again, was nominated for Best Song.

Related Topics:
1980s - 1985 - The Cosby Show - 1986 - Billy Joel - The Bridge - 1987 - Who's the Boss - The Nanny - Ann Guilbert - Diet Pepsi - Catchphrase - Vocals - INXS - Full Moon, Dirty Hearts - Designing Women - Chaka Khan - Quincy Jones - 1990 - 2004 - Genius Loves Company - Grammy Awards - Norah Jones

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