Editing Ray Charles (section)

===Contribution to civil rights movement===
On March 15, 1961, shortly after the release of the hit song "Georgia on My Mind" (1960), the [[Albany, Georgia]]-born musician was scheduled to perform at a dance at Bell Auditorium in [[Augusta, Georgia|Augusta]], but cancelled the show after learning from students of [[Paine College]] that the larger auditorium dance floor was restricted to whites, while blacks would be obliged to sit in the Music Hall balcony. Charles left town immediately after letting the public know why he would not be performing, but the promoter went on to sue Charles for breach of contract, and Charles was fined $757 in Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta on June 14, 1962. The following year, Charles did perform at a desegregated Bell Auditorium concert together with his backup singers, [[the Raelettes]], on October 23, 1963, as depicted in the 2004 film, ''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]''.<ref>{{cite web|work=augustaciviccenter.com|url=http://augustaciviccenter.com/auditorium.html|title=William B. Bell Auditorium|access-date=June 8, 2012|archive-date=August 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812005801/http://augustaciviccenter.com/auditorium.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|work=The Augusta Chronicle|url=http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2004/07/01/rho_420829.shtml|date=July 1, 2004|author=Rhodes, Don|title=Ray Charles gave country music his own touch|access-date=May 4, 2013|archive-date=February 23, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140223012606/http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/2004/07/01/rho_420829.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |work=about.com |title=How did racism affect Ray Charles? |first1=Robert |last1=Fontenot |url=http://oldies.about.com/od/rbandblues/f/rayracism.htm |access-date=June 9, 2012 |archive-date=April 2, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120402055654/http://oldies.about.com/od/rbandblues/f/rayracism.htm  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=AtlantaMagazine.com|url=http://www.atlantamagazine.com/flashback/Story.aspx?id=1372656 |title=32 Years Ago This Month: Ray Charles Serenades the Legislature|access-date=January 18, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130311013724/http://www.atlantamagazine.com/flashback/story.aspx?ID=1372656 |archive-date=March 11, 2013 | last1=Burns | first1=Rebecca }}</ref> On December 7, 2007, Ray Charles Plaza was opened in Albany, Georgia, with a revolving, lighted bronze sculpture of Charles seated at a [[piano]].<ref name="UCLA">{{cite web |title=Calendar & Events: Spring Sing: Gershwin Award |publisher=UCLA |url=http://www.uclalumni.net/CalendarEvents/springsing/Gershwin/winners.cfm |access-date=April 11, 2015 |archive-date=August 17, 2011 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817021611/http://www.uclalumni.net/calendarevents/springsing/Gershwin/winners.cfm  }}</ref>