Ray Charles' Own Story. }Ray Charles has led one of the most extraordinary lives of any popular musician. Overcoming poverty, blindness, the loss of his parents, and the prevailing racism of the time, by the age of thirty-two Ray Charles was acclaimed worldwide as a genius. By combining the influences of gospel, jazz, blues, and even country music, he invented, almost single-handed, what became known as soul. And over a career spanning close to fifty years, Ray Charles has remained in complete control over his life and music, allowing nobody to tell him what to do. Brother Ray was first published to great critical acclaim in 1978, and has since attained the status of a classic. In an inimitable and unsparing voice, Ray Charles here tells his whole story, from the details of his sex life and drug use to the chronicle of his musical development. Supplemented with a new epilogue updating his story to the present day, and including a complete discography, Brother Ray is as engaging, frank, funny, and soulful as Ray Charles's enduring music. }