IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 677 
Honoring the life and tremendous artistic and social contributions of Ray 
Charles, one of the world’s most influential and prolific musicians. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 16, 2004 
Mr. BISHOP of Georgia (for himself, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. MEEK of Flor-
ida, Mr. JEFFERSON, Mr. WYNN, Mr. CLAY, Ms. WATSON, Ms. LEE, Mr. 
DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. OWENS, Ms. KIL-
PATRICK, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, Mr. THOMPSON of 
Mississippi, Ms. WATERS, Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. CLYBURN, Mr. 
SCOTT of Virginia, Mr. WATT, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Ms. NORTON, 
Mr. CUMMINGS, and Mr. PAYNE) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
RESOLUTION 
Honoring the life and tremendous artistic and social con-
tributions of Ray Charles, one of the world’s most influ-
ential and prolific musicians. 
Whereas Ray Charles was born Ray Charles Robinson on 
September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia, to Bailey and 
Aretha Robinson; 
Whereas Ray Charles grew up extremely poor, and saw his 
younger brother and parents die before he reached the 
age of 16; 
Whereas, at age 6, Ray Charles began to lose his eyesight 
from glaucoma;
•HRES 677 IH 
Whereas Ray Charles attended the St. Augustine School for 
the Deaf and Blind from 1937 to 1945, where he ex-
celled, learning piano, clarinet, saxophone, and how to 
read and write music in Braille; 
Whereas, over the course of his 58 year career, Ray Charles 
expressed himself through music and pioneered the 
genres of soul, pop, R&B, rock and roll, jazz, swing, and 
country, but ultimately broke ground by applying gospel 
techniques to blues music; 
Whereas Ray Charles recorded dozens of hit records over the 
course of his career, including ‘‘Baby Let Me Hold Your 
Hand’’, ‘‘I’ll Be Good to You’’, ‘‘I’ve Got a Woman’’, ‘‘A 
Fool for You’’, and ‘‘Drown In My Own Tears’’, but per-
haps none more definitive than his 1961 hit ‘‘Georgia On 
My Mind’’, which became the Georgia State song in 
1979; 
Whereas, in 1985, Ray Charles was instrumental in the re-
cording of the ‘‘We Are the World’’ single for famine re-
lief in Africa; 
Whereas, over the course of his life, Ray Charles believed in 
the promise of education, giving $3 million to his home-
town school Albany State University, as well as addi-
tional financial and other support to other institutions, 
including Morehouse College where the Tribute to Ray 
Charles supports student scholarships and helps build the 
$15 million Ray Charles Performing Arts Center; 
Whereas Ray Charles worked with Dr. Martin Luther King, 
Jr., advancing the cause of civil rights through non-vio-
lent struggles, and, having triumphed over personal and 
social adversity, moved the social discourse through his 
music and his actions;
•HRES 677 IH 
Whereas Ray Charles has been recognized for his great social 
and cultural contributions by his peers, receiving 12 
Grammy Awards, being inducted into the Blues Founda-
tion’s Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 
the Songwriters Hall of Fame, the Georgia Music Hall of 
Fame, and the Florida Artists Hall of Fame; 
Whereas Ray Charles also received a Lifetime Achievement 
Award from the Black Achievement Awards, a star on 
the Hollywood Walk of Fame, the Morehouse College’s 
Candle Award for Lifetime Achievement in Arts and En-
tertainment, the Helen Keller Personal Achievement 
Award from the American Foundation for the Blind, as 
well as honorary doctorates from Albany State Univer-
sity, Morehouse College, and the University of South 
Florida in Tampa; 
Whereas Ray Charles also performed at the Republican Na-
tional Convention and at President Reagan’s inaugural 
ball in 1985, received the Kennedy Center Honors, and 
was the recipient of the National Medal of Arts by Presi-
dent Clinton in 1993; and 
Whereas Ray Charles died on June 10, 2004, at the age of 
73: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) mourns the loss of Ray Charles and ex-
presses its deepest condolences and sympathy to his 
family; and 
(2) recognizes and honors the tremendous artis-
tic and social contributions of Ray Charles, who lost 
his eyesight as a child but never lost his vision to
•HRES 677 IH 
expand hope and increase the circle of human dig-
nity through peaceful musical expression. 
Æ