Man and Music
This is the first full-length biography of Ray Charles. He waged an incredible fight to fulfill his ambition to become a great musician. When 5, his brother drowned; at age 6 he went blind; & when he was 14 his mother died. But this driven youth talked his way into gig s at Jacksonville s toughest juke joints, learning from older musicians & writing dazzling arrangements. He struggled with heroin abuse & loved countless women. Veterans of the jazz scene — Quincy Jones, David Newman, & Leroy Cooper — became lifelong friends & collaborators. Charles negotiated an unheard-of arrangement with his record label, which gave him complete ownership of his master tapes & made him a millionaire.
