LOS ANGELES (Visionaryproject.com) - Fans and admirers wanting to celebrate the life of
Ray Charles can go on line and access an extensive and intimate video interview with the legendary performer conducted recently by the
National Visionary Leadership Project.
In the video excerpts, Mr. Charles speaks about his childhood, career and philosophy. A text transcript is also available at the website address https://www.visionaryproject.com.
Mr. Charles speaks about how his mother put into practice her belief that her son should not be limited by his blindness: "She'd make me cut wood, wash clothes and build a fire under the pot, where you boil the clothes and stuff... People thought that was abusive. My mother had the attitude 'he's got to learn, and just because he's blind doesn't mean he's stupid. He may not do it the way that I do it, but he can find a way to do it for himself. He has to learn to be independent.'"
On his monster hit "What'd I Say," Mr. Charles talks about how the song was improvised on the spot: "In those days, we would play dances, not concerts like we do now. You know, you play those dances from 9:00 to 1:00. Well, anyway, one night after intermission, we had played everything I could think of and still had about ten more minutes to go. And I said, 'Oh man, what am I going to do?'
So, I told the guys in the band, 'I don't know what this is, guys, but just follow me.' And I told the girls, I said, 'Whatever I say, you say. Just repeat after me.' And I just went (sounds) and (they) went crazy on the dance floor... So, the next night, I said I'm going to try this again... And sure enough, when I started playing it... it grabbed people... I just improvised. I made up verses on the spot."
To young artists: Mr. Charles gave his advice: "Don't let anybody discourage you. 'Keep on keeping on,' as we say... You've got to believe in yourself. But above all, practice... I know it's a dirty word. But I'm telling you that every great musician I know practices.
Mr. Charles was interviewed by Camille O. Cosby, co-founder of the National Visionary Leadership Project in Los Angeles on October 16, 2002. He was also honored by the organization at the Kennedy Center on October 17, 2003, but was not able to attend due to illness.