The Piano Legend

Rating: 7/10 (17 June 2015)

The story of the life and career of the legendary rhythm and blues musician Ray Charles, from his humble beginnings in the South, where he went blind at age seven, to his meteoric rise to stardom during the 1950s and 1960s.
Early on, we run into Quincy Jones, who I would not have guessed had any connection to Ray Charles. Of course, not really knowing much about either of them, that is not surprising.
I love the conflict of Gospel music and a more upbeat sound, that somehow changing the music to the words makes it "devil music". How realistic this was as a criticism is not known to me. It seems silly, but then again, the 1950s were a silly time.
And who knew Charles was a junkie? Maybe not as bad as some, but it is crazy to think that heroin was just as much a part of the music scene then as it was in other times (such as 1990s Seattle). I had assumed it was more obscure, with folks like William S. Burroughs being the primary users.