Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004), better known by his shortened stage name Ray Charles, was an American musician. He was a pioneer in the genre of soul music during the 1950s by fusing rhythm and blues, gospel, and blues styles into his early recordings with Atlantic Records. He also helped racially integrate country and pop music during the 1960s with his crossover success on ABC Records, most notably with his Modern Sounds albums. While with ABC, Charles became one of the first African-American musicians to be given artistic control by a mainstream record company. Frank Sinatra called Charles “the only true genius in show business.” Rolling Stone ranked Charles number 10 on their list of "100 Greatest Artists of All Time" in 2004, and number two on their November 2008 list of "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". In honoring Charles, Billy Joel noted: "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than Elvis Presley. I don't know if Ray was the architect of rock & roll, but he was certainly the first guy to do a lot of things . . . Who the hell ever put so many styles together and made it work?"

Filmography

• 2024CATFISH — Music
• 2008Jazz Evolution — Self - Piano, Vocals
• 2000Blue's Big Musical Movie — G-Clef (voice)
• 1996Spy Hard — Busdriver
• 1994Ray Alexander: A Taste For Justice
• The John Larroquette Show — Ray Charles
• The Nanny — Sammy
• 1990Lennon: A Tribute
• Wings — Ray Charles
• 1989Legends of Rock 'n' Roll — Ray Charles
• 1989Limit Up — Julius
• Moonlighting — Ray Charles
• 1984Salute to Lady Liberty
• Who's the Boss? — Ray Charles
• 1983Ray Charles: A Man & His Soul — Ray Charles
• St. Elsewhere — Arthur Tibbits
• 1980The Blues Brothers — Ray
• The Smothers Brothers Show
• Albert, the Rockefeller — Theme Song Performance
• 1967In the Heat of the Night — Vocals
• 1962Cosmic Ray — Music

Appearances as themselves (109)

• 2025Ladies & Gentlemen... 50 Years of SNL Music — Self (archive footage)
• 2025Merci Dorothée ! — Self (archive footage)
• 2025Quincy Jones, Music Man — Self (archive footage)
• 2024The Greatest Night in Pop — Self (archive footage)
• 2023Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love — Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
• 2023Sunday Best: The Untold Story of Ed Sullivan — Self (archive footage)
• 2023They All Came Out to Montreux — Self (archive footage)
• 20222022 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Louis Armstrong's Black & Blues — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Piano Greats at the BBC — Self (archive footage)
• 2022Rat Pack — Self (archive footage)
• 2021Like a Rolling Stone: The Life & Times of Ben Fong-Torres — Self (archival footage)
• 2014Face of Unity — Self
• Cachitos de hierro y cromo — Self (archive footage)
• 2012Jazzline - Ray Charles & Orchestra — Self
• 2011Ray Charles - Live in France 1961 — Self
• 2009O Melhor do Flash Back - 92 Clipes Para Recordar — Self (archive footage)
• 2008Ray Charles: Live At Montreux 1997 — Self
• 2008Ray Charles: The Legend Lives On — Self
• 2007Atlantic Records: The House That Ahmet Built — Self
• 2007Fats Domino: Walking to New Orleans — Self
• 2007Fats and Friends — Self
• 2007Glen Campbell | Good Times Again — Self
• 2007Rolling With the Blues — Self (archive footage)
• 2006Burt Sugarman's The Midnight Special: 1976 — Self
• 2006Ray Charles with the Voices of Jubilation Choir — Self
• 2006Ray Charles: Live at the Olympia — Self
• Soul Deep: The Story of Black Popular Music — Self
• 2005The Blues Brothers: Transposing The Music — Self (archive footage)
• 2004Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues — Self (archive footage)
• 2004Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company — Self
• 2004Ray Charles: O-Genio - Live In Brazil 1963 — Self
• 2004Ray Charles: Soul of the Holy Land — Self
• 2004Rockin' Pianos — Self
• 2004TV in Black: The First Fifty Years — Self (archive footage)
• 2004Tom Dowd & The Language of Music — Self
• 2003Piano Blues — Self
• The Blues — Self
• 2003Willie Nelson & Friends: Live and Kickin' — Self
• CMT Crossroads — Self
• 2002Ray Charles: Live: Montreux Jazz Festival — Self
• 2002The Willie Nelson Special - With Special Guest Ray Charles — Self
• 2001Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration — Self
• 2001Ray Charles - In Concert — Self
• Star Academy — Self
• 2001The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 1 — Self (archive footage)
• 2001The Best of Bob Hope: 50 Years of Laughter — Volume 2 — Self (archive footage)
• 1998Quincy Jones... The First 50 Years — Self
• Saturday Live — Self
• 1995Sinatra: 80 Years My Way — Self - Performer
• 1994Love Affair — Self
• 1994Sesame Street | All-Star 25th Birthday: Stars and Street Forever! — Self (archive footage)
• 1994The World of Jim Henson — Self (archive footage)
• 1993Sesame Street's 25th Birthday: A Musical Celebration — Self (segment "Monster in the Mirror")
• 1993Willie Nelson: The Big Six-O — Self
• 1991A Party For Richard Pryor — Self
• 1991Montreux Jazz Festival 1991 — Self
• 1990Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones — Self
• 1990The Muppets Celebrate Jim Henson — Self
• 1989Sesame Street: 20 Years & Still Counting! 1969-1989 — Self
• 1988Irving Berlin's 100th Birthday Celebration — Self
• Le monde est à vous — Self (archive footage)
• Sacrée soirée — Self
• Super Dave — Self
• 1987The Beach Boys: 25 Years Together - A Celebration In Waikiki — Self
• Téléthon — Self
• 1986Billy Joel: Building the Bridge — Self
• 1986The Muppets: A Celebration of 30 Years — Self (archive footage)
• 1985The Statue of Liberty — Self - Composer
• Victoires de la musique — Self
• 1985We Are the World: The Story Behind the Song — Self
• 1984I Love Quincy — Self
• 1983Hallelujah Gospel — Self
• Champs-Elysées — Self
• 1981Lynda Carter's Celebration — Self
• 1981Ray Charles Live - In Concert with the Edmonton Symphony — Self
• Barbara Mandrell and the Mandrell Sisters — Self
• 1980John Schneider: Back Home — Self
• 1980Ray Charles At The North Sea Jazz Festival — Self
• 1979Ray Charles: Angels Keep Watching Over Me — Self
• 197850 Years of Country Music — Self
• Bio’s Bahnhof — Self
• 1978NBC Salutes the 25th Anniversary of the Wonderful World of Disney — Self
• The Kennedy Center Honors — Self
• 1978The Second Barry Manilow Special — Self
• 1977The Beatles Forever — Self
• Cher — Self
• Saturday Night Live — Self - Host & Musical Guest
• 1973Barbra Streisand... and Other Musical Instruments — Self
• Musikladen — Self
• The Midnight Special — Self
• The Flip Wilson Show — Self
• The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour — Self
• The Johnny Cash Show — Self
• Unsere kleine Show - Musik zur blauen Stunde — Self
• 1968Ray Charles - La Salle Pleyel, Paris — Self
• The Dick Cavett Show — Self - Guest
• The Carol Burnett Show — Self - Guest
• 1965Ballad in Blue — Self
• 1965The Big T.N.T. Show — Self
• Shindig! — Self - Singer
• The Hollywood Palace — Self - Singer
• The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson — Self
• 1961Swingin' Along — Self
• The Mike Douglas Show — Self - Co-Host
• Kraft Music Hall — Self
• The Dinah Shore Chevy Show — Self
• The Ed Sullivan Show — Self
• Say Hello to Our Good Friend Paul Shaffer — Self (archive footage)