10 'Section 5 Chicago Tribune, Thursday, June 27, 1985 C

,Tempo

Ray ,Charles still feeling theBy Steve Dale.M

erry Christmas,'1 says Ray Charles, bubobling over with enthusiasm. "I know it'ssummer, but I'm in the holiday mood. I

, just recorded my first Christmas albumever. I'm thrilled."

'Ji'heLP, which will include traditional songs for themOst part, features a version of "Rudolph the RedNo~ed Reindeer" that the 54-year-old Charles calls"snocking."

''.It's not Prince," he says. "I just mean, it's in myown style. I think I'll send Gene Autry a copy."

then without prodding, Charles, who performs atthe Vic [Belmont and Sheffield Avenues] for twoshows on July 5, explains how his participation in the"USA for Mrica" session came about as a result ofhis longtimefriendshipwith producer QuincyJones. '

'~If Quincy needs me, I'm there for him. It doesn'tmatter what the project is about. I had no idea that somany different performers would be involved. Thistyp,eof thing usually doesn't work out, too many egos.This time, no one had an attitude."

Even after 40 years in the business, Charles says" that he still learns from his peers, even from today's

rock and rollers. "I get a kick out of the one with alltha~ clanging jewelry," he says, referring to CyndiLauper. "They tell me she has the strangest coloredhair. "

It;laddition to Lauper, the "We Are the World"group included Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan,both of whom Charles met for the first time at theJanuary session. "What a great pleasure. I've ad-mIred their work for so long.

",Of course, I've known Michael [Jackson] foryears. I still haven't met Prince [who didn't partici-pate in the recording]. I guess he's great for theyoung people. However, musically I'm too old forhim. I can't relate to it.

"Michael is a completely different story. He per-forms with more feeling, real soul, from the heart.When I hear Micheal sing 'She's Out of My Life,' Iwant to cry."

By now, you might figure that Charles-who knowsa bit about singing from the soul himself-has run outof tears, but by all appearances, he's a remarkablyupoeat person.

Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Ga. Hisparents struggled day to day at odd jobs, scraping upjust enough money to feed the family. Charles was 4years old when he helplessly watched his youngerbrother drown in a freak accident.

Only two years later, he began to lose his vision towhat doctors think was glaucoma, a condition thatpossibly could have been corrected if his family hadbeen able to afford proper care. He went on to learnBraille, type and play the piano. By the time he was15,both of his parents had died. .

"It wasn't easy," he says softly. "I'm not a quitter,I guess. You must keep on going. I'm not suremisfortune has made me a better person, but I suredo appreciate my success."

It was Nat King Cole who unknowingly inspiredCharles. "He did exactly what I wanted to do; heplayed the piano and sang. I tried to look like him,sound like him, real~y be him."

The teenaged Charles began to do as he thought hisidol Cole would by plunging into the tour circuit inFlorida and Georgia. He obtained his musicians'union card by lying about his age. Unfortunately, hisa~t needed work, and the jobs were few and far\;Ietween. .

In a last-ditch effort to find steady jobs, he moved!is far away from the South as possible, to Seattle. Hisodd gamble paid off. A more seasoned performer, hekept busy appearing in local clubs. Soon he accompa-nied artists all over the country. '

By 1954,he had a record contract and three yearslater his first hit single, "I Got a Woman." He

.musIc

Ray Charles: "I just recorded my first Christmasalbum ever."

J

followed with a string of classics including "What'd ISay," "Georgia on My Mind" and "Hit the RoadJack."

In 1962,Charles decided to revive an obscurecountry and western tune called "I Can't Stop LovingYou." Although the critics labeled the song pure fluff,it soared to NO.1 on the charts. He earned a GrammyAward for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording andcaptured honors for the Country Music Award's BestPerformance of the Year. '

Charles now records country music almost exclu-sively. His latest LP "Friendship" features such starsas Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. Does this mean, assome longtime fans and critics claim, that he's soldout his soul for a more saccharine, commercialappeal?

"Oh no,' man. I enjoy all kinds of music," he says."Music is no different than any other business. Thereare generalists and specialists. For instance, B.B.King specializes in the blues. He's the blues doctor.That's his thing and no one does it better. I'm ageneral doctor. The old-fashioned kind that does alittle bit of everything."

It's also true that general practitioners are a dyingbreed. "I know, and I suppose I am," he continues. "Ihaven't ever talked about this publicly, but I'vesurvived a lot of my friends. It's sad that I never hadthe chance to perform with many of them.

"I've watched a lot of people die. I'd like to recorda spinoff of the 'Friendship' album but with jazzpeople. I'm talking about Dizzy Gillespie, Milt Jack-son and Oscar Peterson. That would be a dream cometrue. I'm gonna make it happen, you know that, don'tyou?"

Charles added that another fantasy is singing withLena Horne on a similar project.

"Soul is an overused term, but that's where I singfrom. I just feel it. And I intend to keep on singingand feeling for a long time to come. Life goes on, youknow what I mean?"