OT - A great one is Gone

[graveleye]

yea.. i wasnt aware of that either but thats ok.

[soundsurfr]

Whenever I'm discussing the difference between really bad singing and really good singing, I tell people to listen to Michael Bolton's "Georgia On My Mind" followed by the Ray Charles version. Everybody gets it, right away.

RIP Mr. Charles.

[Paul Curtiz]

I'll celebrate my 1000th post in dedicating it to Sir Ray.
Remember the gun-toting blind music shop sales dude in "The Blues Brothers" ?
That was Ray too !

Greg/Soundsurfr...couldn't have said it better !

[mindnoise]

Good by Ray Charles, when I heard of you passing away, it really hit me.

One of the coolest men on earth is gone but will be remembered forever!

At least in this family.

best
mindnoise


PS:
To bring to mind what a extrodinary area is closing let me remember the Johnny Cash is already gone, too, how honored Nine Inch Nails to bring their unique "hurt" to an unsurpassed height.

Farewell both of you.


PPS: "Georgia on my mind" - I dug out this story from another forum:

das1029.... Re:R.I.P. Ray Charles... (11-Jun-04 12:39PM)

- "The Genius", Indeed he was. Not to talk about it as if it were a grudge or handicap for him, but Ray actually mixed all of his songs in the studio behind a mixing console even though he was blind. I mean he knew all of this, including writing charts and you name it. The guy was just an ingenius entity. He's definetly one the guys I looked up to for inspiration as a musician and producer.

Just a little tid bit of info that I'd like to share in memory of Ray. I grew up in Atlanta and was about maybe 7 years old when "Georgia On My Mind" passed into legislation as Georgia's state song. At the time, Max Cleland (sorry for spelling) who I believe was a state representative said about Ray Charles and I'm paraphrasing," He came into the state house and performed his rendition of Georgia on My Mind during our session. After he finished, everyone single person in the house was standing with applause. That day was actually the first time that every bi-partisan member voted unanimously on a bill for the state. And that was that everyone agreed that Ray Charles's version of "Georgia on My Mind" be officially adopted as Georgia's state song. Not one person opposed that notion."

Just phenomenal. Gonna miss you man. You can be replaced. Funny now that I think about the current generation of musicians. You have people that complain about not enough features in software or keyboard workstations, or not enough tracks to record to and play back, or my favorite, I can't mix without a meter bridge.

Then you look at an extrodinare like Ray Charles, and all of the obstacles he endured in his life and upbringing to accomplish what he did, and it makes you think that most "so called musicians" today still do know or have accomplished jack when it comes to talent.

DAS

das1029

[Stone Knife]

Of all those who have passed in the last week, I shall miss Ray the most. There went one of a kind.

[skyking]

Great Loss......that kind of talent comes once in a lifetime and we were all lucky to have him while he was here...that guy crossed all boundries of music and did it all his way putting his heart & soul into everything he did....there was nothing left when he was finished with a song ...music genders meant nothing to him he was blues/jazz/rock/country ...we will never ever see anyone again as unique as Ray Charles