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Rating: 4 out of 5
I can distinctly remember the first time I ever saw Ray Charles. The first was in the film The Blues Brothers. I actually didn’t know who Ray Charles was at the time, nor knew he was blind. I also thought at the time he was just some old dude that could sing. I was like five or six when I first saw this film. I remember in the movie, Ray Charles was playing the piano, everyone dancing around, and Ray singing the song “Shake a Tail Feather.” Side Note: Shake Ya Tailfeather by P. Diddy, Nelly & Murphy Lee is also a great song.
The second time I remember was when Ray Charles played “America the Beautiful” at the 2001 World Series after the horrific attacks. Now there have been many, many, many versions of “America the Beautiful.” Still, the one thing that is constant is that Ray Charles’ version is always in the top 3 best versions ever. Ray Charles’ version will give anyone chills. It was a gospel version that has such a calming melody and sound to it. Like you were in a black church, and everything is okay. Charles’s version seems to embody all the fullness of American life: from the good, the bad, and everything involved in it.
Written, produced, and directed by Taylor Hackford. Hackford gives the world the biography of Ray “The Genius” Charles. The movie focuses on the many trials and tribulations of this great musician. Now with so much to learn from one character, the film tries its best to capture the full scope of the legendary singer. We get a glimpse into his childhood, where his little brother dies of drowning. This has a significant effect on Ray as he is constantly haunted by the death of his brother, which is shown with scenes of water in places they shouldn’t be or feeling a hand. The death of his brother seems to accelerate the cause of his blindness as his mama tells him he won’t be able to see anymore. One scene is when he tripped and fell. He called out to his mama, but she didn’t help him. She watched as Ray learned how to deal with his blindness at a very young age.
The film also shows the many relationships that Ray had and his drug use that took a toll on his family and career. Now, as the great Temptations’ song, “Papa was a Rolling Stone.” Now Ray sure did mess when he was younger until he found the love of his life Della Bea Robinson (Washington). Yet this didn’t stop Charles from having some affairs. The film shows his two key affairs with Ann Fisher (Ellis), a blues singer, and Margie Hendricks (King), a member of his backup group, The Raelettes. Now I don’t know why and how Della Bea stated with Ray for so many years. In the film, Ray was pretty upfront with it but also, at the same time, wanted to keep it a secret. Now his affair with Hendricks was pretty extreme and help write the song “Hit the Road Jack.” Now I don’t know about you, but the way Hendricks was staring at Charles was priceless. You could tell she was PISSED and that she wanted to cut Charles.
Ray’s drug use was also a significant influence in his life. We first see him trying weed to calm his nerves before playing. Nothing wrong with something to calm you down, but Ray goes full-blown into drugs when he gets that heroin. Heroin almost jacked his whole career up. Now he going cold turkey is pretty extreme. Now I will say this, his mom was a strong black woman! Gotta give it up to mama. In the film, she was his rock as his flashbacks always seem to feature her giving advice. One of the significant scenes that this shows is when he finally kicks his drug habit. Ray dreams of himself with his mama again, along with being able to see. Like a good mama state, she tells him that she was always around and that it was time to do better.
The most significant area the film showcases is the music that he made. We see the humble beginnings of being a nightclub piano player where he meets the iconic Quincey Jones (Davis) to rolling with a white country band and then to another group. It wasn’t until a man from Atlantic Records discovers him. At first, Ray was trying to sing like Nat King Cole, but it wasn’t working quite well. There is only one Nat King Cole. The man tells Ray he should loosen up and sing a song that he wrote, “The Mess Around.” The song becomes Ray’s first hit, and a new star is born. The film proceeds to Ray producing more soulful songs like “I Got a Woman,” “(Night Time Is) The Right Time,” “What’d I Say,” “Georgia on My Mind, and a few others. While the music business is tough, we see Ray negotiate his way to owning his own masters when he leaves Atlantic for ABC for a better deal.
The biggest shout out must be given to Jamie Foxx! Foxx won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of the legendary singer. Even with being an accomplished singer, Foxx didn’t sing any of the songs. What Foxx did so well was embodied the mannerisms and feel of Ray Charles. The way he swung his head when singing and playing the piano was truly masterful. Foxx also seemed to get the voice of Charles down that made you believe he put in a lot of time with Ray Charles before his death.
Foxx delivers in this emotional film that explores the life and times of the one they called “The Genius.” From his humble beginnings to being a superstar and an American Icon, Ray is a worthwhile film to watch. If not, then as the great song states, Hit the road Jack and don’t you come back no more, no more, no more, no more!
