At the age of 15, Charles toured in the South on the “Chitlin’ Circuit”. When Charles decided to move to Seattle at 16, he met a lifelong friend in the music industry by the name of Quincy Jones. In the 1940’s Charles also performed with the McSon Trio. Ray’s distinct playing sound developed from influential artists such as Nat King Cole and Charles Brown. In 1949, his first single “Confession Blues” did well on the R&B charts. He continued to work very hard on his music and was soon signed to Atlantic Records by 1953 with whom he celebrated his first R&B hit single “Mess Around”. Ray’s advance in his musical style was recognized when he reached number 1 on the R&B Charts with his classic, “I Got A Woman”. In the late 1950’s, Charles began cutting records alongside the Modern Jazz Quartet. This all led to his well earned title of “The Genius” and “Father of Soul” due to his blended musical diversity. He even reached number 1 on the R&B chart and number 6 on the pop chart for his song “ What’d I Say”. In 1960, Ray was awarded with two Grammys for his hits “Georgia On My Mind” and “Hit The Road Jack”. Throughout his career, he maintained an authoritative position in the creative process of his music. As Ray’s music continued to evolve in the sixties he dismantled dividing lines between music genres with his album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music”. On this album, Charles created songs within the genre of R&B, pop, and jazz from different country, folk, and Western music standard classics.