How Critical and Cultural perspectives influenced a specific Music Essay

How Critical and Cultural perspectives influenced a specific Music artistgenre of the 1960's - Essay Example Ray Charles was enrolled at the Saint Augustine School for the Blind in Florida, where he learnt Braille. He also learnt to play the piano and clarinet/saxophone. He had to rely heavily on his excellent memory for music as he did not have the advantage of sight. Ray Charles also had a gift of perfect pitch, which greatly aided his musicianship. At only 15, he lost his mother and after two years, his father also passed on. His suffering inspired him to greater heights. He graduated from St. Augustine School an started traveling with country music road bands. This enriched his quality of music when he later added western music to his repertoire. He also toured with rhythm and blues bands as an instrumentalist. Among the instruments he played are the piano, clarinet and saxophone. He also an arranger and composer. His early influences as a singer were: blues singers, Guitar Slim and Parcy Mayfield. Lloyd Glenn influenced his piano. Eventually, it was his mixed styles, his voice texture and his versatile falsetto range and his emotional appeal that combined to bring out a unique vocal artistry. (UXL Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2003) In the late 2005, John Burk, Concord Records A & R chief and producer of Ray Charles Grammy Award wining blockbuster album "Genius Lovers Company" came upon some tapes recorded in the 70s, apparently concert tapes. The tapes were made by the legendary impresario producer Norman Granz. (All About Jazz, 2006). Though the tapes recovered were not the greatest quality, the music was recorded to produce a beautiful, authentic and irreplaceable work of music. His music from the 60s combines with the latest technology to bring about yet another astounding performance from Ray Charles. Whatever beauty the technology in the 60s couldn't capture, the new technology has been able to capture and in the process, still manage to show the uniqueness of Ray Charles' genius. Ray Charles once said that in music, there's only either good or bad music. That also, in music you just can't escape when something is good (Ray Charles Biography 2004). Ray Charles set the aesthetic standards for more than 50 years across the board; Blues, R&B, Country. He has inspired many in the music industry as no other can. Indeed he has fans even out of the entertainment industry inspired by him. In an answer to those who thought that his being influenced by both secular and gospel music was sacrilegious, Ray said that one could not run away from themselves. He was brought up in the church, but at the same time, he would listen to secular music from jukeboxes. It was this open mindedness in music that led him to pioneer a new style in music hence opening the door for many young performers to follow. He has inspired many new stars in the music industry who admired his talent and independent spirit. Growing up in the south in the 50s and 60s where racism was deeply rooted, Ray fought racism and against its divisions. Once he was booked to perform in a concert. He had no idea it was going to be segregated. The white members of the audience were downstairs while the black fans sat upstairs. He told the music promoter he didn't mind performing, as long the black people sat downstairs, closer to him. (Ray Charles: A giant of American Music 2004). In his efforts against