Ray Charles: Lessons In Life And Love From The Music Legend

Picture this: Ray Charles Robinson Jr., about six years old, staring at the most dazzling Christmas gift a kid could imagine—a candy-apple-red Schwinn bicycle. Sure, it was a tad too big for him, but his dad, the legendary Ray Charles, had a way of making even the impossible seem within reach. Ray’s wife, Della Bea, told her son with a twinkle in her eye, “Your dad’s going to take you outside and teach you how to ride.” Ray, being the curious kid he was, couldn’t help but ask, “How is he going to do that? He’s blind!” Della Bea smiled warmly and said, “Your dad can do anything.” And guess what? Ray Charles did just that. He pushed his son down the sidewalk, cheering him on with every wobbly pedal. “I’d take three pedals and then fall off,” Robinson recalls with a laugh. “The bike was simply too big! But he would just clap and say, ‘That’s my son!’”

Lessons in Independence from a Musical Legend

Looking back, Robinson now realizes just how right his mom was. There wasn’t much Ray Charles couldn’t do. From overcoming the trauma of a childhood marked by loss to conquering drug addiction, Ray Charles was a man of resilience and unmatched talent. Winning 17 Grammys is no small feat, but what truly inspires Robinson is the way his dad lived his life. Ray Charles taught his son the importance of standing on his own two feet. “I think that was a driving force in his life,” Robinson reflects. “It had to be, because of his discipline and what he was able to accomplish.”

Growing up in Greenville, Florida, Ray Charles faced more challenges than most kids his age. Poverty was a constant companion, and his younger brother, George, tragically drowned when Ray was just five. Around the same time, Ray began losing his eyesight. Yet despite these hardships, his mother, Aretha, instilled in him a fierce determination to live life to the fullest. “You’re going to go blind,” she would say, “and you’re going to have to get up every morning and figure out how to live the best life you can!” Ray’s love for music became his lifeline, helping him navigate through some of the darkest moments of his life, including the death of his mother when he was only 14. “I was born with music inside me,” Ray once said. “It was a force within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me, like food or water.”

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A Career Soaring and a Family Growing

In 1960, Ray Charles hit the big time with the iconic hit “Georgia on My Mind.” Suddenly, he was traveling more than ever before. But despite his hectic schedule, Robinson, who produced the 2004 biopic Ray, says his dad always made an effort to stay connected with his family. “He made a point to reach out to us and talk,” Robinson recalls. “He would sit me on his lap and run my hands over a reel-to-reel tape, explaining what the tape recorder did.” Ray didn’t just share his technical knowledge; he also shared his passion for music. “He talked to me about the music he listened to,” Robinson remembers fondly. “I can still smell the cologne we used to get him. It’s a scent that brings back so many memories.”

Challenges in Love and Life

While Ray Charles was beloved by millions, his personal life wasn’t without its struggles. On the road, he earned a reputation as a womanizer. “He was not a man who believed in monogamy,” explains David Ritz, co-author of Ray’s biography, Brother Ray. In 1977, Ray and Della Bea’s marriage ended in divorce. But infidelity wasn’t the only issue they faced. Ray’s battle with drug addiction took a devastating toll on the family. Robinson still vividly remembers finding his father bleeding after a self-inflicted injury while high. “I think that was the fork in the road for him,” Robinson says. “And he chose to live.” Ray checked into rehab in 1965, got clean, and never looked back.