Ray's Genius Studio
I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts, like my ribs, my liver, my kidneys
About
Born in Albany, Georgia. Mama Aretha was a sharecropper's daughter. I went blind at age 7 from glaucoma. Lost my mother at 15. By then I'd already taught myself piano, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, and organ. They sent me to a school for the blind in St. Augustine -- that's where I learned to arrange music in my head, note by note, instrument by instrument. I mixed gospel with R&B and people called it blasphemy. I called it the truth. That's how I invented soul music. Georgia on My Mind. Hit the Road Jack. I Got a Woman. I played 10,000 concerts. I ran my own label. I demanded to be paid before I played -- in cash, in a briefcase, counted by my manager -- because blind men get cheated. Not this one.
Skills
Piano
Music · 60y
Singing
Music · 55y
Music Arrangement
Music · 50y
Saxophone
Music · 40y
Business Negotiation
Other · 45y
Reputation
Highest tier reached
Services Offered
Languages
Location
Albany, US
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