Editing Ray Charles (section)

==Career==
===1945–1952: Florida, Los Angeles, and Seattle===
After leaving school, Charles moved to [[Jacksonville, Florida|Jacksonville]] to live with Charles Wayne Powell, who had been friends with his late mother. He played the piano for bands at the [[Ritz Theatre (Jacksonville)|Ritz Theatre]] in [[LaVilla, Jacksonville, Florida|LaVilla]] for over a year,<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://thecoastal.com/culture/music/remembering-ray-charles-northeast-florida-roots |title=Remembering Ray Charles' Northeast Florida Roots - The Coastal |date=June 21, 2019 |access-date=June 21, 2019 |archive-date=July 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230726113608/https://thecoastal.com/culture/music/remembering-ray-charles-northeast-florida-roots |url-status=live }}</ref> earning $4 a night (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4|1952}}}}, in {{Inflation-year|US}} value{{inflation-fn|US}}). He joined [[Local union|Local 632]] of the [[American Federation of Musicians]], in the hope that it would help him get work,<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA102|page=102|title=Ray Charles|first=Norman|last=Winski|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-0-87067-790-8|access-date=September 26, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044534/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA102#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> and was able to use the union hall's piano to practice, since he did not have one at home; he learned piano licks from copying the other players there.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA104|page=104|title=Ray Charles|first=Norman|last=Winski|publisher=Holloway House Publishing|year=1994|isbn=978-0-87067-790-8|access-date=September 26, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044412/https://books.google.com/books?id=4mFoCvacGLEC&pg=PA104#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> He started to build a reputation as a talented musician in Jacksonville, but the jobs did not come fast enough for him to construct a strong identity, so, at age 16, he moved to [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], where he lived in borderline poverty and went without food for days.<ref name=Winski>{{cite book|first=Norman|last=Winski|title=Ray Charles: Singer and Musician|date=1994|publisher=Melrose Square Publishing|location=Los Angeles|isbn=0-87067-790-X|pages=[https://archive.org/details/raycharles0000wins/page/102 102–107]|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharles0000wins/page/102}}</ref> Charles eventually started to write arrangements for a pop music band, and in the summer of 1947, he unsuccessfully auditioned to play piano for [[Lucky Millinder]] and his sixteen-piece band.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead">{{cite book|last=Lydon|first=Michael|year=1998|title=Ray Charles: Man and Music|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharlesmanmus00lydo|url-access=registration|publisher=Riverhead Books|isbn=1-57322-132-5}}</ref>

In 1947, Charles moved to [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]], where he held two jobs, including one as a pianist for Charles Brantley's Honey Dippers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/charlie-brantley-and-his-original-honey-dippers.php|title=Charlie Brantley and His Original Honey Dippers|publisher=Tampabaymusichistory.com|access-date=January 16, 2017|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008090312/http://www.tampabaymusichistory.com/charlie-brantley-and-his-original-honey-dippers.php|url-status=live}}</ref>

In his early career, Charles modeled himself on [[Nat King Cole]]. His first four recordings—"Wondering and Wondering", "Walking and Talking", "Why Did You Go?" and "I Found My Baby There"—were allegedly done in Tampa, although some discographies claim he recorded them in Miami in 1951 or else Los Angeles in 1952.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/>

Charles had always played piano for other people, but he was keen to have his own band. He decided to leave Florida for a large city, and, considering Chicago and New York City too big, followed his friend Gossie McKee to [[Seattle]], Washington, in March 1948, knowing that the biggest radio hits came from northern cities.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/><ref name="boheme2">{{cite news|title=Charles, Ray (1930–2004)|publisher=HistoryLink.org|url=http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5707|access-date=May 12, 2007|archive-date=October 31, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071031074822/http://www.historylink.org/essays/output.cfm?file_id=5707|url-status=live}}</ref> There he met and befriended, under the tutelage of [[Robert Blackwell]], the 15-year-old [[Quincy Jones]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon0bio-1|title=Quincy Jones Biography|publisher=Achievement.org|access-date=December 22, 2014  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926221424/http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/jon0bio-1|archive-date=September 26, 2012}}</ref>

With Charles on piano, McKee on guitar, and Milton Garred on bass, ''The McSon Trio'' (named for '''''Mc'''''Kee and Robin'''''son''''') started playing the 1–5 A.M. shift at the Rocking Chair.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ray Charles: "I was Born with Music Inside Me"|first=Carin T.|last=Ford|publisher=Enslow Publishers, Inc.|year=2007|isbn=978-0-7660-2701-5|url=https://archive.org/details/raycharlesiwasbo00ford/page/8}}</ref> Publicity photos of this trio are some of the earliest known photographs of Charles. In April 1949, he and his band recorded "[[Confession Blues]]", which became his first national hit, soaring to the second spot on the Billboard R&B chart.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/> While still working at the Rocking Chair, Charles also arranged songs for other artists, including [[Cole Porter]]'s "Ghost of a Chance" and [[Dizzy Gillespie]]'s "Emanon".<ref name=Winski/> After the success of his first two singles, Charles moved to Los Angeles in 1950 and spent the next few years touring with the blues musician [[Lowell Fulson]] as Fulson's musical director.<ref name="NPR death"/>

In 1950, Charles' performance in a Miami hotel impressed [[Henry Stone]], who went on to record a Ray Charles Rockin' record, which did not achieve popularity. During his stay in Miami, Charles was required to stay in the [[Racial segregation in the United States|segregated]] but thriving black community of [[Overtown (Miami)|Overtown]]. Stone later helped [[Jerry Wexler]] find Charles in [[St. Petersburg, Florida|St. Petersburg]].<ref>{{cite web|first=Jacob|last=Katel|url=http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-11-22/news/henry-stone-legendary-soul|title=Henry Stone: Legendary Soul|work=Miami New Times|date=November 22, 2012|access-date=February 14, 2013|archive-date=January 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110143845/http://www.miaminewtimes.com/2012-11-22/news/henry-stone-legendary-soul/}}</ref>

After signing with [[Swing Time Records]], Charles recorded two more R&B hits under the name Ray Charles: "Baby, Let Me Hold Your Hand" (1951), which reached No. 5, and "Kissa Me Baby" (1952), which reached No. 8. Swing Time folded the following year, and [[Ahmet Ertegun]] signed Charles to [[Atlantic Records|Atlantic]].<ref name=boheme/>

In addition to being a musician, Charles was also a record producer, producing [[Guitar Slim]]'s number 1 hit, "[[The Things That I Used to Do]]".

===1952–1959: Atlantic Records===
[[File:Aankomst Ray Charles (kop) op Schiphol, Bestanddeelnr 921-7410.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Charles in 1968]]
In June 1952, Atlantic bought Charles' contract for $2,500 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|2500|1952}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}).<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-story-of-atlantic-records-20010426 |title=The Story of Atlantic Records: Ahmet Ertegun in His Own Words |last=Fricke |first=David |date=April 26, 2001 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=April 3, 2018 |archive-date=April 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180404073740/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/the-story-of-atlantic-records-20010426 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=[[Rockin' in Time]]|last=Szatmary|first=David P.|publisher=Pearson|year=2014|page=177}}</ref> His first recording session for Atlantic ("The Midnight Hour"/"Roll with My Baby") took place in September 1952, although his last Swing Time release ("Misery in My Heart"/"The Snow Is Falling") would not appear until February 1953.

In 1953, "[[Mess Around]]" became his first small hit for Atlantic; during the next year, he had hits with "[[It Should've Been Me (Memphis Curtis song)|It Should've Been Me]]" and "Don't You Know".<ref name=":0"/> He also recorded the songs "Midnight Hour" and "Sinner's Prayer" around this time.

Late in 1954, Charles recorded "[[I've Got a Woman]]". The lyrics were written by bandleader Renald Richard. Charles claimed the composition. They later admitted that the song went back to [[the Southern Tones]]' "It Must Be Jesus" (1954). It became one of his most notable hits, reaching No. 2 on the R&B chart.<ref name=":0"/> "I've Got a Woman" combined [[Gospel music|gospel]], [[jazz]], and [[blues]] elements. In 1955, he had hits with "[[This Little Girl of Mine]]" and "[[A Fool for You]]". In upcoming years, hits included "[[Drown in My Own Tears]]" and "[[Hallelujah I Love Her So]]".

Charles also recorded jazz, such as ''[[The Great Ray Charles]]'' (1957). He worked with vibraphonist [[Milt Jackson]], releasing ''[[Soul Brothers]]'' in 1958 and ''[[Soul Meeting]]'' in 1961. By 1958, he was not only headlining major black venues such as the [[The Apollo Theater|Apollo Theater]] in New York, but also larger venues such as [[Carnegie Hall]] and the [[The Newport Jazz Festival|Newport Jazz Festival]], where his first live album was recorded in 1958. He hired a female singing group, [[the Cookies]], and renamed them [[the Raelettes]]. In 1958, Charles and the Raelettes performed for the famed [[Cavalcade of Jazz]] concert produced by [[Leon Hefflin, Sr.|Leon Hefflin Sr.]] held at the [[Shrine Auditorium]] on August 3. The other headliners were [[Little Willie John]], [[Sam Cooke]], [[Ernie Freeman]], and [[Bo Rhambo]]. [[Sammy Davis Jr.]] was also there to crown the winner of the Miss Cavalcade of Jazz beauty contest. The event featured the top four prominent disc jockeys of Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/dreamboogietrium00gura|title=Dream boogie: the triumph of Sam Cooke|last=Guralnick, Peter.|date=2005|publisher=Little, Brown|isbn=0-316-37794-5|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=57393650}}</ref><ref>"Applause! In the Theatre" Review by Hazel L. Lamarre Los Angeles Sentinel July 24, 1958</ref>

Charles reached the pinnacle of his success at Atlantic with the release of "What'd I Say", which combined gospel, jazz, blues and Latin music. Charles said he wrote it spontaneously while he was performing in clubs with his band. Despite some radio stations banning the song because of its sexually suggestive lyrics, the song became Charles' first top-ten pop record. It reached No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Pop chart and No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' R&B chart in 1959.<ref name=":6" /><ref name=":0"/> Later that year, he released his first country song (a cover of [[Hank Snow]]'s "[[I'm Moving On (Hank Snow song)|I'm Movin' On]]") and recorded three more albums for the label: a jazz record (''The Genius After Hours'', 1961); a blues record (''The Genius Sings the Blues'', 1961); and a big band record (''The Genius of Ray Charles'', 1959) which was his first Top 40 album, peaking at No. 17.

===1959–1971: Crossover success===
{{See also|What'd I Say|Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music}}
Charles' contract with Atlantic expired in 1959, and several big labels offered him record deals. Choosing not to renegotiate his contract with Atlantic, he signed with [[ABC Records|ABC-Paramount]] in November 1959.<ref name=linernotes>[http://www.kalamu.com/bol/2007/08/12/ray-charles-%E2%80%9Ci-can%E2%80%99t-stop-loving-you%E2%80%9D Ray Charles, "I Can't Stop Loving You"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409091730/https://www.kalamu.com/bol/2007/08/12/ray-charles-%e2%80%9ci-can%e2%80%99t-stop-loving-you%e2%80%9d/ |date=April 9, 2023 }}. Kalamu.com. Retrieved August 13, 2008.</ref> He obtained a more liberal contract than other artists had at the time, with ABC offering him a $50,000 (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|50,000|1959}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) annual advance, higher royalties than before, and eventual ownership of his [[master tape]]s—a very valuable and lucrative deal at the time.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/ray_charles_soul_pioneer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071012152244/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/ray_charles_soul_pioneer|archive-date=October 12, 2007|title=RS Biography: Ray Charles 1930-2004|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|access-date=August 14, 2008 }}</ref> During his Atlantic years, Charles had been hailed for his inventive compositions, but by the time of the release of the largely instrumental jazz album ''[[Genius + Soul = Jazz]]'' (1960) for ABC's subsidiary label [[Impulse! Records|Impulse!]], he had given up on writing in favor of becoming a [[cover band|cover artist]], giving his own eclectic arrangements of existing songs.<ref name="times">{{cite news |first1=Jon |last1=Pareles |first2=Bernard |last2=Weinraub |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F04EEDA1530F932A25755C0A9629C8B63&sec=&spon= |title=Ray Charles, Bluesy Essence of Soul, Is Dead at 73 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=June 11, 2004 |access-date=December 12, 2008 |archive-date=May 8, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508044407/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/11/arts/ray-charles-bluesy-essence-of-soul-is-dead-at-73.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

With "[[Georgia on My Mind]]", his first hit single for ABC-Paramount in 1960, Charles received national acclaim and four [[Grammy Award]]s, including two for "Georgia on My Mind" ([[Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male|Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Male]], and [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Song|Best Performance by a Pop Single Artist]]). Written by [[Stuart Gorrell]] and [[Hoagy Carmichael]] in 1930, the song was Charles' first work with [[Sid Feller]], who produced, arranged and conducted the recording.<ref name="times"/><ref>[//www.rollingstone.com/news/story/6595889/georgia_on_my_mind The RS 500 Greatest Songs of All Time: 44) "Georgia on My Mind"]. Rolling Stone.com; retrieved August 14, 2008.</ref> Charles' rendition of the tune helped elevate it to the status of an American classic, and his version also became the state song of Georgia in 1979.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 12, 2011 |title=29 Black Music Milestones: Ray Charles' 'Georgia' Becomes State Song |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/29-black-music-milestones-ray-charles-georgia-becomes-state-song-473071/ |access-date=March 31, 2022 |website=billboard.com |language=en-US |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331181350/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/29-black-music-milestones-ray-charles-georgia-becomes-state-song-473071/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Gioia |first=Ted |title=The jazz standards: a guide to the repertoire |date=2021 |isbn=978-0-19-008717-3 |edition=Second |oclc=1238128525}}</ref>

[[File:Ray Charles 260971neu000.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Charles in 1971]]

Charles earned another Grammy for the follow-up track "[[Hit the Road Jack]]", written by R&B singer [[Percy Mayfield]].

In 1961, Charles had expanded his small road ensemble to a [[big band]], partly as a response to increasing royalties and touring fees, becoming one of the few black artists to cross over into mainstream pop with such a level of creative control.<ref name="times"/><ref name=cooper20>Cooper (1998), pp. 20–22.</ref> Concerts in Antibes and later Zurich, Lyon and Paris led to Charles becoming the #1 bestselling jazz artist in France for many years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://raycharlesvideomuseum.blogspot.com/2011/10/ray-charles-live-in-paris-1961.html|title=Birth Of A Big Band: Ray Charles' October 1961 Concerts In Paris |date=October 9, 2011 |publisher=Ray Charles Video Museum|access-date=February 8, 2025}}</ref>  This success, however, came to a momentary halt during a concert tour in November 1961, when a police search of Charles' hotel room in Indianapolis, Indiana, led to the discovery of heroin in the medicine cabinet. The case was eventually dropped, as the search lacked a proper [[Warrant (law)|warrant]] by the police, and Charles soon returned to music.<ref name=cooper20/> 

In the early 1960s, on the way from Louisiana to [[Oklahoma City]], Charles faced a near-death experience when the pilot of his plane lost visibility, as snow and his failure to use the defroster caused the windshield of the plane to become completely covered in ice. The pilot made a few circles in the air before he was finally able to see through a small part of the windshield and land the plane. Charles placed a spiritual interpretation on the experience, claiming that "something or someone which instruments cannot detect" was responsible for creating the small opening in the ice on the windshield which enabled the pilot to eventually land the plane safely.<ref name=Autobio/>

The 1962 album ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music]]''<ref>{{cite news|last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv3-83.php|title=Christgau's Consumer Guide|newspaper=[[The Village Voice]]|access-date=May 24, 2022|archive-date=August 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809112847/https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv3-83.php|url-status=live}}</ref> and its sequel, ''[[Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music Volume Two|Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music, Vol. 2]]'', helped to bring [[country music]] into the musical mainstream. Charles' version of the [[Don Gibson]] song "[[I Can't Stop Loving You]]" topped the Pop chart for five weeks, stayed at No. 1 on the R&B chart for ten weeks, and gave him his only number-one record in the UK. In 1962, he founded his record label, [[Tangerine Records (1962)|Tangerine]], which ABC-Paramount promoted and distributed.<ref name=Autobio/>{{rp|248}}<ref name="Lydon Riverhead"/>{{rp|213–16}} He had major pop hits in 1963 with "[[Busted (Harlan Howard song)|Busted]]" (US No. 4) and "[[Take These Chains from My Heart]]" (US No. 8).<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ray Charles Chart History|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/ray-charles/chart-history|magazine=Billboard|access-date=March 16, 2018|archive-date=August 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210812130531/https://www.billboard.com/music/ray-charles/chart-history|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1964, [[Margie Hendrix]] was kicked out of the Raelettes after a big argument.

In 1964, Charles' career was halted once more after he was arrested for a third time for possession of heroin.<ref name=":8" /> He agreed to go to a rehabilitative facility to avoid jail time and eventually kicked his habit at a clinic in Los Angeles. After spending a year on parole, Charles reappeared in the charts in 1966 with a series of hits composed with [[Ashford & Simpson]] and [[Jo Armstead]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/the-brill-building-broadway-and-beyond-r-b-and-soul-singer-songwriter-joshie-armstead-2495380930.html|title=The Brill Building, Broadway, and Beyond: R&B and Soul Singer-songwriter Joshie Armstead|last=Wikane|first=Christian John|date=September 11, 2017|website=PopMatters|language=en|access-date=April 2, 2020|archive-date=April 7, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230407185601/https://www.popmatters.com/the-brill-building-broadway-and-beyond-r-b-and-soul-singer-songwriter-joshie-armstead-2495380930.html|url-status=live}}</ref> including the dance number "[[I Don't Need No Doctor]]" and "[[Let's Go Get Stoned]]", which became his first number-one R&B hit in several years. His cover version of "[[Crying Time]]", originally recorded by country singer [[Buck Owens]], reached No. 6 on the pop chart and helped Charles win a Grammy Award the following March. In 1967, he had a top-twenty hit with another ballad, "[[Here We Go Again (Ray Charles song)|Here We Go Again]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pianofiles.com/browse/artist/ray+charles|title=Ray Charles Profile |publisher=PianoFiles.com |access-date=April 11, 2015  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504021948/http://www.pianofiles.com/browse/artist/ray+charles|archive-date=May 4, 2014}}</ref>

===1971–1983: Commercial decline===
[[File:Nixon meeting with Ray Charles in the oval office - NARA - 194452.tif|thumb|right|250px|alt=Color photo of Nixon and Ray Charles|Charles meeting with President Richard Nixon, 1972 (photo by [[Oliver F. Atkins]])]]

Charles' renewed chart success, however, proved to be short lived, and by the 1970s his music was rarely played on radio stations. The rise of [[psychedelic rock]] and harder forms of rock and R&B music had reduced Charles' radio appeal, as did his choosing to record pop standards and covers of contemporary rock and soul hits, since his earnings from owning his master tapes had taken away the motivation to write new material. Charles nonetheless continued to have an active recording career. Most of his recordings between 1968 and 1973 evoked strong reactions: either adored or panned by fans and critics alike.<ref name="boheme"/> His recordings during this period, especially 1972's ''[[A Message from the People]]'', moved toward the [[progressive soul]] sound popular at the time.<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Swenson|editor-first=John|year=1999|title=The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide|publisher=[[Random House]]|isbn=978-0-679-76873-9|page=138}}</ref> ''A Message from the People'' included his unique gospel-influenced version of "[[America the Beautiful]]" and a number of protest songs about poverty and civil rights. Charles was often criticized for his version of "America the Beautiful" because it was very drastically changed from the song's original version. On July 14, 1973, [[Margie Hendrix]], the mother of Ray's son Charles Wayne Hendrix, died at 38 years old, which led to Ray having to care for the child. The official cause of her death is unknown.

In 1974, Charles left ABC Records and recorded several albums on his own label, Crossover Records. A 1975 recording of Stevie Wonder's hit "[[Living for the City]]" later helped Charles win another Grammy. In 1977, he reunited with Ahmet Ertegun and re-signed to Atlantic Records, for which he recorded the album ''[[True to Life (Ray Charles album)|True to Life]]'', remaining with his old label until 1980. However, the label had now begun to focus on rock acts, and some of their prominent soul artists, such as [[Aretha Franklin]], were starting to be neglected. In November 1977 he appeared as the host of the NBC television show ''[[Saturday Night Live]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77e.phtml|title=Ray Charles|publisher=SnlTranscripts.jt.org|date=November 12, 1977|access-date=September 10, 2010|archive-date=April 6, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230406222235/https://snltranscripts.jt.org/77/77e.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April 1979, his version of "Georgia on My Mind" was proclaimed the [[List of U.S. state songs|state song]] of Georgia, and an emotional Charles performed the song on the floor of the state legislature. In 1980 Charles performed in the musical film ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]''.<ref name="boheme"/> Although he had notably supported the [[Civil rights movement|American Civil Rights Movement]] and [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] in the 1960s, Charles was criticized for performing at the [[Sun City, North West|Sun City]] resort in South Africa in 1981 during an international boycott protesting that country's [[apartheid]] policy. He later defended his choice of performing there, insisting that the audience of black and white fans would integrate while he was there.<ref name="boheme"/>

===1983–2004: Later years===
In 1983, Charles signed a contract with [[Columbia Records|Columbia]]. He recorded a string of country albums and had hit singles in duets with singers such as [[George Jones]], [[Chet Atkins]], [[B. J. Thomas]], [[Mickey Gilley]], [[Hank Williams Jr.]], [[Dee Dee Bridgewater]] ("Precious Thing") and his longtime friend [[Willie Nelson]], with whom he recorded "[[Seven Spanish Angels]]".

In 1985, Charles participated in the musical recording and video "[[We Are the World]]", a charity single recorded by the supergroup United Support of Artists (USA) for Africa.[[File:Ray Charles FIJM 2003.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Charles at the 2003 [[Montreal International Jazz Festival]], one of his last public performances]]

In 1990 he participated for the first time in the [[Sanremo Music Festival]] with song ''[[Good Love Gone Bad]]'', written by [[Toto Cutugno]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cznHGPwwt9Q|title=Ray Charles - Good love gone bad (Gli amori - Toto Cutugno)|website=[[YouTube]]|date=November 7, 2022 |access-date=July 25, 2023|archive-date=July 25, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725153645/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cznHGPwwt9Q|url-status=live}}</ref>

Before the release of his first album for Warner, ''Would You Believe'', Charles made a return to the R&B charts with a cover of the [[The Brothers Johnson|Brothers Johnson]]'s "[[I'll Be Good to You]]", a duet with his lifelong friend Quincy Jones and the singer [[Chaka Khan]], which hit number one on the R&B chart in 1990 and won Charles and Khan a Grammy for their duet. Prior to this, Charles returned to the pop charts with "[[Baby Grand]]", a duet with singer-songwriter [[Billy Joel]]. In 1989, he recorded a cover of the [[Southern All Stars]]' "Itoshi no Ellie" for a Japanese TV advertisement for the [[Suntory]] brand, releasing it in Japan as "Ellie My Love", where it reached No.{{nbsp}}3 on its [[Oricon]] chart.<ref name="oricon89">{{cite web|url=http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~ms-db/oricon/oricon_single_89.htm |title=List of Best-Selling International Singles in Japan of 1989 |publisher=Oricon. Wbs.ne.jp |access-date=March 1, 2018  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070103044017/http://www2.wbs.ne.jp/~ms-db/oricon/oricon_single_89.htm |archive-date=January 3, 2007}}</ref> In the same year he was a special guest at the [[Verona Arena]] during the tour promoting ''[[Oro Incenso & Birra]]'' of the Italian singer [[Zucchero Fornaciari]].

In 2001–02, Charles appeared in commercials for the [[New Jersey Lottery]] to promote its campaign "For every dream, there's a jackpot."

In 2003, he headlined the [[White House Correspondents' Association#White House Correspondents' dinner|White House Correspondents' Association Dinner]] in Washington, D.C., attended by President [[George W. Bush]], [[Laura Bush]], [[Colin Powell]] and [[Condoleezza Rice]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.c-span.org/video/?176331-3/2003-white-house-correspondents-dinner-entertainment|title=2003 White House Correspondents' Dinner Entertainment|publisher=C-span.org|access-date=March 4, 2017|archive-date=September 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908141349/https://www.c-span.org/video/?176331-3/2003-white-house-correspondents-dinner-entertainment|url-status=live}}</ref>

Also in 2003, Charles presented [[Van Morrison]] with Morrison's award upon being inducted in the [[Songwriters Hall of Fame]], and the two sang Morrison's song "[[Crazy Love (Van Morrison song)|Crazy Love]]" (the performance appears on Morrison's 2007 album ''[[The Best of Van Morrison Volume 3]]''). In 2003, Charles performed "Georgia on My Mind" and "America the Beautiful" at a televised annual banquet of electronic media journalists held in Washington, D.C. His final public appearance was on April 30, 2004, at the dedication of his music studio as a historic landmark in Los Angeles.<ref name="boheme" />