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Brother Ray: Ray Charles' Own Story

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Description

Ray Charles (1930-2004) led one of the most extraordinary lives of any popular musician. In Brother Ray, he tells his story in an inimitable and unsparing voice, from the chronicle of his musical development to his heroin addiction to his tangled romantic life. Overcoming poverty, blindness, the loss of his parents, and the pervasive racism of the era, Ray Charles was acclaimed worldwide as a genius by the age of thirty-two. By combining the influences of gospel, jazz, blues, and country music, he invented, almost single-handedly, what became known as soul. And throughout a career spanning more than a half century, Ray Charles remained in complete control of his life and his music, allowing nobody to tell him what he could and couldn't do.As the Chicago Sun- Times put it, Brother Ray is "candid, explicit, sometimes embarrassing, often hilarious, always warm, touching and deeply human-just like his music." Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Da Capo Press; First Edition (October 27, 2004)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0306814315


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 10


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.5 x 0.96 x 8.5 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #985,460 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #736 in Vocal & Singing #5,577 in Composer & Musician Biographies #18,747 in Community & Culture Biographies


#736 in Vocal & Singing:


#5,577 in Composer & Musician Biographies:


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If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Wednesday, Nov 13

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Top Amazon Reviews


  • I became friends with a dead musician
Brother Ray is one of the best books I ever read. It is full of wisdom and humanity. It is a great introduction to the life of Afroamerican people in the 20th century in many aspects. It tells us how a blind boy has to make a living on his own, how he builds a career, a family. The book is a series of memoirs edited by David Ritz with Ray Charles' own wording (definitely his own). There is some vulgarity, open reflections on sex, women which might not appeal to everyone, however, I agree with all he says. There are some funny stories and several sad ones. I wish I could meet this legend. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2015 by Éva Csipes

  • A must for a Ray Charles fan
If there is one thing I love, it's an autobiography where the author is not afraid to voice his or her beliefs, actions, opinions, etc in fear of alienating or upsetting people. Brother Ray definitely delivers in that regard. He states his opinions, why he did the things he did and defends them. That I can respect even if I don't agree with the action or opinion. The book doesn't jump around and doesn't get it's dates screwed up like some. That seems to be an issue for some of these bio's. I'm a big fan of Ray Charles and the book told the story from as early as he could remember, all the way up to the time it was written. From life at the school of the blind, to life on the road, just a great read about an extraordinary musician. Ray had his faults, but considering how and the under the conditions he was raised, it's not hard to understand why. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2012 by S. Watkins

  • Got this on Kindle in order to see how different ...
Got this on Kindle in order to see how different his own story is from the movie. Ray pulls no punches about who or what he is. He does talk about sex, which was part of his life, he admitted having an addiction to women so why should he glaze over that? But the way he talks about it isn't nearly as graphic or vulgar as other reviewers seem to think. If adult people don't know how men talk and the terms they use for sex and sex acts, then they have led a very sheltered life, I would say. There are irritating typos, however. I feel that the editor, author, proofreader, or whoever, should have made these corrections if for nothing else, to show respect to the man and music legend that Ray Charles is. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2017 by Lisa

  • Blunt truth
Brilliant autobiography. Ray pulls no punches on himself or anyone else. Some reviewers find his directness and honesty about sexuality and drugs to be disconcerting but that is a fault in them, not the author. Ray tells it like it is and was, love him or not, he's not looking at you for approval anyway. It's a great read told in a compelling voice. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2017 by J. Willis

  • You want to listen again to this genius.
The book is in RC's voice. You get to know him. If you are a fan of his it will bring back a lot of memories in their full strength. You will still marvel at what he did as a blind child and young person and understand bettet how he did it. He had stunning gifts which he thankfull shared fully with us. I loved this book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2021 by Bill France

  • A very good book
Not just about the music or the drugs, but about how Ray looked at life and what he thought of it. Well written in the style that I felt like I was just overhearing his thoughts, not a rote biography.
Reviewed in the United States on March 27, 2019 by Rod Levell

  • The man was brilliant , the genius of Ray Charles
I read the hardback years ago and I read the paperback after it came out . This one was for a friend . You will learn a lot about Ray's abilities not his disabilities .
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2020 by john

  • an enjoyable story
a good read .Have always liked Ray Charles music. found his life story very interesting.
Reviewed in the United States on January 5, 2022 by avidreader

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