Midnight Hour

Blind since the age of six (from glaucoma), Ray Charles studied composition and learned many instruments at the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and the Blind. His parents had died by his early teens, and he worked as a musician in Florida for a while before using his savings to move to Seattle in 1947. By the late '40s, he was recording in a smooth pop / R&B style derivative of Nat King Cole and Charles Brown. He is considered the musician most responsible for developing soul music, with his gospel-powered vocals and blending of contemporary jazz, blues and country. Includes "Mess Around", "I'm Sittin' On Top Of The World" and "The Midnight Hour".