Quotes by Ray Charles - Page 2 | QuoteForever

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Rhythm and blues used to be called race music. ... This music was going on for years, but nobody paid any attention to it.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Race
Rhythm And Blues
Years
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Many times during auditions, I was told that I couldn't carry a note with a bucket, and that I sure couldn't play the piano.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Buckets
Piano
Play
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There's nothing written in the Bible, Old or New testament, that says, 'If you believe in Me, you ain't going to have no troubles.'
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Believe
Bible
New Testament
Testament
Trouble
Written
Believe Me Nothing
Says
Troubles
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I did it to myself. It wasn't society... it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Society
Black
Blind
Poor
Did
Doing
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You never can overwhelm an instrument. You will never get out all that's in an instrument. An instrument will bring you to your limits.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
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My mom taught me a lot. A lot about minding your own business and leaving other people's business alone. And let them think what they want.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Mom
People
Thinking
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Women anchor me. They're there when I need them. They're sensitive to me, and I'm sensitive to them. I'm not saying I've loved that many women.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Anchors
Needs
Sensitive
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What makes my approach special is that I do different things. I do jazz, blues, country music and so forth. I do them all, like a good utility man.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Men
Approach
Country
Different Things
Jazz
Special
Utility
Good Music Man
Blues
Country Music
Forth
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I never said I was a genius. I never said I was a cornerstone. I've never said I'm a legend in my own time. You never heard me say nothing like that.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Genius
Legends
Said
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Any artist, when he goes in to record, should have the feeling that any song he records can be a hit. This may sound egotistical, but it makes sense.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Egotistical
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I think that most great artists who are extremely known, as I am, would intimidate a lot of people. I don't want to do that to people, but I know I do.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Artist
People
Thinking
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I cant retire from music any more than I can retire from my liver. Youd have to remove the music from me surgically—like you were taking out my appendix.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Like You
Remove
Retiring
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Crying's always been a way for me to get things out which are buried deep, deep down. When I sing, I often cry. Crying is feeling, and feeling is being human.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Emotion
Feelings
Way
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[On his heroin addiction:] I did it to myself. It wasn't society...it wasn't a pusher, it wasn't being blind or being black or being poor. It was all my doing.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Addiction
Black
Blind
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Nowadays they say you need a special chip to put in the TV so kids can't watch this and that. In my day, we didn't need a chip. My mom was the chip. End of story.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Inspirational
Kids
Mom
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People couldn't understand why my mama would have this blind kid out doing things like cutting wood for the fire. But her thing was: He may be blind, but he ain't stupid.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Blind
Cutting
Fire
Mama
Stupid
Wood
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Now Listen You know I work so hard, all day long Everything I try to do, Seem to always turn out wrong That's why I wanna stop by on my way home and say Let's go get stoned
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Home
Long
Weed
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I always stay out of the rehearsal room you know when they first come in. Then once they had chance to play a little bit, then I walk in. Because I've seen guys fall apart.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Fall
Guy
Play
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Affluence separates people. Poverty knits 'em together. You got some sugar and I don't; I borrow some of yours. Next month you might not have any flour; well, I'll give you some of mine.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Affluence
Flour
Giving
Might
Next
People
Poverty
Sugar
Together
Month
Borrow
Mine
Separates
Yours
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Before I begin, let me say right here and now that I'm a country boy. And, man, I mean the real backwoods! That's at the start of the start of the thing, and that's at the heart of the thing.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Country
Heart
Real
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I know it sounds strange - a blind teenager buzzin' round on a motorcycle - but I liked that; that was me. I had always been nervy, and I always had a lot of faith in my ability not to break my neck.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Faith
Motorcycle
Teenager
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When I'm having a rehearsal and there are new guys who come in to try out for the job, I always let my conductor rehearse them. Because I don't want the guy to get bent out of shape, because I walk in.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Jobs
Guy
Trying
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I'm not a jazz singer, blues singer or country singer. I'm a singer that can sing rhythm & blues, that can sing jazz, that can sing country. There's a big difference. In other words, I'm not a specialist.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Country
Differences
Singers
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You got to set your mind right and the rest will come to you naturally. No restrictions, no hang-ups, no stupid rules, no formalities, no forbidden fruit - just everyone getting and giving as much as he and she can.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Generosity
Giving
Stupid
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I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me-like food or water.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Inspirational
Inspiring
Music
Food
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I'd like to think that when I sing a song, I can let you know all about the heartbreak, struggle, lies and kicks in the ass I've gotten over the years for being black and everything else, without actually saying a word about it.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Lying
Song
Struggle
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I was born with music inside me. Music was one of my parts. Like my ribs, my kidneys, my liver, my heart. Like my blood. It was a force already within me when I arrived on the scene. It was a necessity for me - like food or water.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Music
Blood
Born
Force
Heart
Liver
Ribs
Scene
Water
Inside
Within
Arrived
Necessity
Parts
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I'm a firm believer in God himself, but that's as far as I can go. I'm not any denomination. I'm not Catholic or Presbyterian or Baptist or Methodist or Jewish or Muslim. I'm none of those things. And I'm sure that's just fine with God.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Baptists
Believer
Catholic
Fine
Methodists
Jewish
Sure
As Far As
Baptist
Presbyterian
Denomination
Far
Firm Believer
Himself
Methodist
Muslim
None
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I met Quincy Jones in Seattle. We were kids together... liked each other when we met and have been close ever since. He wasn't writing when we met - in fact, I more or less started him off to write; voicing, harmony, and stuff like that.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Harmony
Seattle
More Or Less
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My version of 'Georgia' became the state song of Georgia. That was a big thing for me, man. It really touched me. Here is a state that used to lynch people like me suddenly declaring my version of a song as its state song. That is touching.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Men
Declaring
Georgia
People
Song
Touched
Used
Man Me People
Man Me Song
Version
Became
Big Thing
Suddenly
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I don't know about other writers, but for myself, to write I must be relatively quiet - it's very difficult to write with the telephone and the doorbell ringing and conversation going on; I'm not that good a writer to write through all that!
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Conversation
Quiet
Relatively
Ringing
Telephone
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Music's been around a long time, and there's going to be music long after Ray Charles is dead. I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind. If it's a big record, that's the frosting on the cake, but music's the main meal.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Cake
Long
Long Time
Mark
Rays
Time Good Music
Behind
Charles
Dead
Leave
Record
Main
Meal
Musically
Ray
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Mama was a country woman with a whole lot of common sense. She understood what most of our neighbors didn't - that I shouldn't grow dependent on anyone except myself. 'One of these days, I ain't gonna be here,' she kept hammering inside my head.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Common
Common Sense
Dependent
Mama
Understood
Inside
Except
Hammering
Neighbors
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When I was going blind, I didn't turn to God. It didn't seem to me then - and it doesn't seem to me now - that those items were His concern. Early on, I figured I better begin to learn how to count on myself, instead of counting on supernatural forces.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Blind
Prayer
Supernatural Forces
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Do it right or don't do it at all. That comes from my mom. If there's something I want to do, I'm one of those people that won't be satisfied until I get it done. If I'm trying to sing something and I can't get it, I'm going to keep at it until I get where I want it.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Mom
People
Trying
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You ask me what I'd like to do that I haven't done and I say 'Nothin'!' I haven't any mountains to climb or oceans to swim. I've been an extremely blessed individual. ... I'm not clamorin' for more trinkets. If I were to die tomorrow, I could say I've had a good life.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Ocean
Blessed
Good Life
Swim
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I am very into lyrics. I start with what the words are saying, what the storyline is saying, like a good script. It should really capture me, do something for me. If I don't get it, it's not going to move people, and if it's not going to move people, it's not going to happen.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Capture
Storyline
Words
Good I Am Me
Good Start I Am
Good Script
Happen
Saying
Script
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With singing, the name of the game is to make yourself believable. When somebody hears you sing a song, and they say, 'Oh, that must have happened to him,' that's when you know you're transmitting. It's like being a good actor. You make people feel things, emotions and what not.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Believable
Good Actor
Hears
They Say
Transmitting
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I'm not into the money thing. You can only sleep in one bed at a time. You can only eat one meal at a time, or be in one car at a time. So I don't have to have millions of dollars to be happy. All I need are clothes on my back, a decent meal, and a little loving when I feel like it. That's the bottom line.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Money
Clothes
Sleep
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When I started to sing like myself - as opposed to imitating Nat Cole, which I had done for a while - when I started singing like Ray Charles, it had this spiritual and churchy, this religious or gospel sound. It had this holiness and preachy tone to it. It was very controversial. I got a lot of criticism for it.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Religious
Singing
Spiritual
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I suppose I've always done my share of crying, especially when there's no other way to contain my feelings. I know that men ain't supposed to cry, but I think that's wrong. Crying's always been a way for me to get things out which are buried deep, deep down. When I sing, I often cry. Crying is feeling, and feeling is being human. Oh yes, I cry.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Being Human
Buried
Cry
Deep Down
Share
Oh
Contain
Crying
Deep
Wrong
Feeling
Men Me Always
Suppose
Sing
Yes
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I never considered myself part of rock 'n' roll. My stuff was more adult. It was more difficult for teenagers to relate to; my stuff was filled with more despair than anything you'd associate with rock 'n' roll. Since I couldn't see people dancing, I didn't write jitterbugs or twists. I wrote rhythms that moved me. My style requires pure heart singing.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Heart
Teenager
Writing
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I used to sing like Nat King Cole. I mean he was the guy when I was comin' up, and you know, man, people used to say of me, "Damn, he sure do sound like Nat King Cole." But there was a day, and luckily for me it was early, when I woke up and asked myself, "Well, when are the ask me to sing because I sound like me?" So my advice is, never do anything that you don't like.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Kings
Men
Mean
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The words to country songs are very earthy like the blues. They're not as dressed up and the people are very honest and say, 'Look, I miss you darlin', so I went out and got drunk in this bar.' That's the way you say it. Where in Tin Pan Alley they would say, 'Oh I missed you darling, so I went to this restaurant and I sat down and had a dinner for one.' That's cleaned up now, you see? But country and blues tells it like it is.
Ray Charles / Singer-Songwriter
Country
Song
Tin Pan Alley
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