He pioneered the genre of
soul musicduring the 1950s by combining
blues,
rhythm and blues, and
gospel styles into the music he recorded for
Atlantic Records.
[4][5][6] He also contributed to the integration of
country music, rhythm and blues and
pop music during the 1960s with his
crossover success on
ABC Records, most notably with his two
Modern Sounds albums.
[7][8][9] While he was with ABC, Charles became one of the first black musicians to be granted artistic control by a mainstream record company.
[5]
Charles cited
Nat King Cole as a primary influence, but his music was also influenced by country,
jazz, blues, and rhythm and blues artists of the day, including
Louis Jordan and
Charles Brown.[10] He became friends with
Quincy Jones. Their friendship lasted until the end of Charles's life.
Frank Sinatra called Ray Charles "the only true genius in show business," although Charles downplayed this notion.
[11]
In 2002,
Rolling Stone ranked Charles number ten on its list of the "
100 Greatest Artists of All Time",
[2] and number two on their November 2008 list of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time."
[12] Billy Joelobserved, "This may sound like sacrilege, but I think Ray Charles was more important than
Elvis Presley".
[13]
