Ray Charles brought increased attention and respect to country music with his widely popular renditions of classic country songs. Though known as the “Genius of Soul,” Charles made country songs a significant part of his repertoire from the 1960s onward. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame on Sunday. Born in Albany, Georgia, on September 23, 1930, he lost his sight by age seven. Enrolled in the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind, he learned to read and write music in Braille,

Modern Country Starts Here: 5 LPs, remastered and restored to their original form, four of Ray Charles' classic country recordings including 'Modern Sounds In Country and Western Music (Vol 1 2)', 'Crying Time', 'Country & Western Meets Rhythm & Blues', plus an all-new collection of the most iconic songs from Ray Charles' country repertoire, 'Best of Country & Western'. With these recordings, Ray Charles created a new kind of American music, expanding the sound of “country” in ways that allowed

RAY CHARLES recorded the Tony Joe White country classic ‘3/4 TIME’ for his album, “Wish You Were Here Tonight” back in ‘83. Here he is nearly 20 years later performing it with country recording artist Travis Tritt on CMT Crossroads. During the show, Tritt pointed at Ray and said, “This is as good as it gets for me”. | Ray Charles