Rays Childhood; Category 1; Entry 3

Rays Eye Sight

                Ray starts to lose his sight at the age of five years old. He went completely blind by the age of seven, apparently due to glaucoma. His mother sent him to attend the Florida School for the Deaf and Blind in St. Augustine from 1937to1945. (Source found on page 2 of 13 printed from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Charles underneath Early Life: 1930-1945). It was at that school that Ray began to develop his talent for music. It was during that time that Ray performed on a radio in St. Augustine. While Ray was at the school he was only taught classical music, but his heart was in jazz and blues that he had heard on the family radio. Ray had become the schools premier musician while he remained at the school. (Source found on page 2 of 13 printed from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Charles in Early Life: 1930-1945). On Fridays one of the campuses would hold assemblies where Ray would play the piano and sing popular songs for the school. On special occasions such as Halloween or Washington’s Birthday the colored part of the school would hold get together where Mr. Charles would play for them. It was at the colored department of the school that Ray established “RC Robinson and The Shop Boys” and would sing his own little version of “Jingle Bell Boogie”. Ray spent his first Christmas alone at the school but later on the staff would pitch in the money so that Ray could return to his hometown as he did in the summer.