1. Ray Charles Eddie F. and Jaden C. Mrs. Hart 4 th grade

2. Early Life And Family  Ray was born September 23, 1930 in Georgia.  Ray started playing piano when he was age 4.  Mr. Wylie Pitman taught Ray to play the piano.  Ray’s mom wanted him to know lots of religions.  Ray started to go blind when he was five years old.  Ray had a daughter named Evelyn.  Evelyn was born in Tampa, Florida in 1950.  In 1955, Ray Jr. was born.  Ray’s mom died when she was 32 years old.  Ray’s brother died when he was 4 years old.  Ray died June 10, 2004.

3. Education  In 1937, Ray went to a school for the blind called St. Augustine.  The school was 160 miles away from his home.  Ray went on a train to St. Augustine.  Ray cried most of the way.  Kids teased Ray because Ray was blind.  Ray liked to run the schoolyard.  There were three pianos at Ray’s school.

4. Interests/Hobbies  Ray liked to play in the woods with his brother, George.  Listening to the radio.  Playing the piano  Singing

5. Problems/Obstacles  Ray was blind so it made it hard to walk, perform and see how many people came to his concerts.

6. Why Ray Is Famous  Ray is famous because he was a blind performer who didn’t use a cane or a trained dog. He found a way to get around on his own and play the piano and sing.  Ray is also famous because he wrote all sorts of different music.

7. Interesting Facts  Ray wrote 600 songs.  When Ray was a kid, he chopped down trees.  At his school he went to a music class.  In 1946, Ray got an offer to play some gigs in Orlando.  Sometimes Ray went days without food.  Ray always asked to be paid in single dollar bills so he could not get tricked in his payment.  Ray died in 2004.

8. Bibliography  Beyer, Mark. Ray Charles. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing Group, 2003. Print.  "Ray Charles." Fact Monster. n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2013..