Ray Charles

Ray Charles began losing his sight around age four or five and was completely blind by age seven, most likely due to glaucoma. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine, where he learned Braille music and developed his keyboard and saxophone skills.

Ray Charles's 1954 single "I Got a Woman," recorded for Atlantic Records, is widely considered the song that fused gospel intensity with secular R&B lyrics, effectively creating the blueprint for soul music. The song reached number one on the Billboard R&B chart.

Ray Charles recorded for Atlantic Records from 1952 to 1959, where he developed his signature soul sound. He then signed with ABC-Paramount Records in 1959, which offered him more creative freedom and a higher royalty rate, and where he recorded crossover hits like "Georgia on My Mind" (1960) and "Hit the Road Jack" (1961).

Yes, Ray Charles's final studio album, "Genius Loves Company" (2004), won eight Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for his duet with Norah Jones on "Here We Go Again." The album was released posthumously, as Charles died on June 10, 2004.