Saya mau tau 1971–1983: Penurunan Komersial dari Ray Charles

Keberhasilan chart yang diperbarui Charles, bagaimanapun, terbukti berumur pendek, dan pada tahun 1970-an musiknya jarang diputar di stasiun radio. Munculnya psychedelic rock dan bentuk musik rock dan R&B yang lebih keras telah mengurangi daya tarik radio Charles, begitu pula pilihannya untuk merekam standar pop dan cover rock and soul kontemporer hits, karena penghasilannya dari memiliki masternya telah menghilangkan motivasi untuk menulis materi baru. Charles tetap memiliki karier rekaman yang aktif. Sebagian besar rekamannya antara 1968 dan 1973 menimbulkan reaksi keras: orang-orang sangat menyukainya atau sangat tidak menyukainya. Albumnya tahun 1972, A Message from the People, menyertakan versinya yang dipengaruhi Isinya yang unik "America the Beautiful" dan sejumlah lagu protes tentang kemiskinan dan hak-hak sipil. Charles sering dikritik karena versinya "America the Beautiful" karena sangat drastis berubah dari versi aslinya. Pada tanggal 14 Juli 1973, Margie Hendrix, ibu dari putra Ray Charles Wayne Hendrix, meninggal pada usia 38 tahun karena overdosis heroin, yang mengejutkan Ray.

In 1974, Charles left ABC Records and recorded several albums on his own label, Crossover Records. A 1975 recording of Stevie Wonder's hit "Living for the City" later helped Charles win another Grammy. In 1977, he reunited with Ahmet Ertegun and re-signed to Atlantic Records, for which he recorded the album True to Life, remaining with his old label until 1980. However, the label had now begun to focus on rock acts, and some of their prominent soul artists, such as Aretha Franklin, were starting to be neglected. In November 1977 he appeared as the host of the NBC television show Saturday Night Live.

In April 1979, his version of "Georgia on My Mind" was proclaimed the state song of Georgia, and an emotional Charles performed the song on the floor of the state legislature. In 1980 Charles performed in the musical film The Blues Brothers. Although he had notably supported the American Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1960s, Charles was criticized for performing at the Sun City resort in South Africa in 1981, during an international boycott protesting that country's apartheid policy. He later defended his choice of performing there after insisting that the audience of black and white fans would integrate while he was there.