The great Ray Charles died today at his Beverly Hills home at the age of 73.
My own favorite memory involving Charles is, I suppose, an odd one. He was to be a guest on a Barry Manilow TV special several years ago, as part of which he was to do one of Manilow's songs. It seems that during rehearsals, Manilow's mother turned to him and said "I'm sorry, Barry, but he sings it so much better than you do."
He was to my mind by no means a great singer in the classic sense of the term, but the expression, the pacing, the intonation, the style turned an ordinary voice into an instrument of moving quality.
Footnote: I watched the special (Yes, I was a Barry Manilow fan and don't give me any guff about it. I take my politics straight and hard so as a balance I take my music sometimes sappy.) and sing it better? Oh, my, did he ever.
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