A Real American Hero Dies

Ray Charles has passed away. If there's an afterlife, a lot of folks will soon be hearing some fantastic music.

I've heard some stories about Mr. Charles--some good, some bad. For instance, once one of the Raylettes claimed that they were called the Rayletts because you had to "let Ray." Then again, I remember seeing him host Saturday Night Live many years ago. Ray allowed for some very funny if questionable jokes that evening--if anyone can find a script for this, check out "The Young Caucasians," Dan Ackroyd as Tom Snyder interviewing Ray, and Lorne Michaels presenting Charles with, IIRC, an "original Rembrandt" (which really was a blank canvas with the words "Please Don't Tell Him" printed on it).

Charles's music ranged from blues to soul to gospel to R & B and even country. I guess I'll be pulling out the box set of his music that I received as a gift some time back.

Rest in Peace, Mr. Charles.