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Ray (film)

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Ray is a 2004 biographical film of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles.

Tagline: The extraordinary life of Ray Charles. A man who fought harder and went further than anyone thought possible.

Contents

Cast

Creators

Impact

Plot summary

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.
Born in Albany, Georgia and raised in St. Augustine, Florida, Ray Charles Robinson went blind at the age of seven from glaucoma shortly after watching his younger brother drown, leaving him with feelings of guilt. With the staunch support of his determined single mother, he developed the fierce resolve, wit and incredible talent that would eventually enable him to overcome not only Jim Crow racism and the cruel prejudices against the blind, but also discover his own sound which revolutionized American popular music. Ray has a lot going against him when he first arrives in Seattle, Washington to play at a seedy club in the late 1940s, encountering adversity wherever he goes. His manager shortchanges him, other people refuse to hang out with him because of his handicap, and he has to be constantly aware of his surroundings. But his music grabs people. He feels the beat every time he sits at the piano, and the house always comes alive, no matter what the size of the venue. Working his way out of juke joints and onto a tour, Ray is advised to drop his last name and just go by Ray Charles and soon his star rises.

Discovered by Atlantic Records producers Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler, Ray is soon given the freedom to write his own music and a phenomenon is born. Mixing Gospel style (but not the Gospel attitude he jokes) with blues, his place in history is soon set. Along the way he marries Houston singer Della Beatrice Antwine who catches his fancy. But she alone can not satisfy him. Time on the road and the temptations of show business overwhelm Ray, and he is soon keeping a lover in tow. Backup singer Margie Hendricks plays his most troublesome other woman, putting up a façade of business only while singing to his hit songs, but trying to manipulate him behind the scenes. As Ray's unprecedented fame grew, so did his weakness for drugs and women, until they threatened to strip away the very things he held most dear. Ray is the story of Ray Charles' meteoric rise from humble beginnings, his successful struggle to accel in a sighted world and his eventual defeat of his personal demons.

Spoilers end here.

Songs used in the film

Awards

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Films Directed by Taylor Hackford
Bukowski | Teenage Father | The Idolmaker | An Officer and a Gentleman | Against All Odds | White Nights | Chuck Berry Hail! Hail! Rock 'n' Roll | Everybody's All-American | Bound by Honor | Dolores Claiborne | The Devil's Advocate | Proof of Life | Ray

 

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