I remember, as a teenager firmly embroiled in the punk-rocker pose, picking a Ray Charles greatest hits CD from my mom's collection and listening to the tracks with such quiet excitement. I had heard one of his tracks somewhere, perhaps in a movie, maybe on the radio in my parent's car or something, but it spurred me to try to find the track. Sure, I played drums in the high school jazz band, but his music, his voice really sent chills down my spine.
I saw Ray Charles in person when I was 18, on my first day of interning at NBC Studios Burbank, as he walked down the hall to appear on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". I thought "Now I'm in the big leagues". Of course, I wasn't, but he was an amazing musician, with such an aura of greatness and respect around him, and I'm sad to see him go.
