Ray Charles and Gospel Music, Research Paper Example

Introduction

African-American gospel is a style of music practiced and enjoyed by thousands of churchgoers. Ray Charles is a soul music icon whose immense talents catapulted him to stardom. These two, the musical form and the artist, share traits that are truly remarkable for investigation, for gospel music influenced Charles and Charles influenced gospel music. This paper examines this relationship from several perspectives.

Gospel Music (African-American)

Where did African gospel music originate? Its roots are not well established. Only a few early recordings exist (Norris). We know, however, that it has been around for a long time and that it is a beloved form of music for many people. Over time, many of those who receive training in singing and playing in the sanctified church, find opportunities to shine in other musical genres too. They dance at church. They apply the dancing and swaying, learned at church, as they work in other forms of music as well. These performers elevate the importance of singing in the Spirit, genuinely feeling the songs and fervently believing the messages they convey with utmost heart and soul.

Those most adept at this musical style find that music makes possible their transport to another dimension of time and space. It is transcendental and full of intense emotion. It is the power of Black gospel music. This anointing allows performers to be intense and to transmit tons of energy. When it unfolds skillfully, other worshippers give shouts of praise and encouragement for the singer to continue.

Numerous people have advanced what we call traditional Black Gospel Music. A few pioneers of this genre include names that are new to younger generations. One is Thomas A. Dorsey, considered by many to be the Father of this musical style, as we know it. Another one is Willie Mae Ford Smith, who remained true to her gospel roots even though she could have made more money and received more fame if she had performed and recorded other styles. No list of greats would be complete without Mahalia Jackson, the unofficial singer of the Civil Rights movement and a close friend of Martin Luther King, at whose funeral she sang in 1968. Choirs have made an impact as well as have soloists and small groups. The Fisk University Singers introduced Negro spirituals to White audiences as early as the 1870s.

Ray Charles

A Georgian by birth, Ray Charles Robinson knew hardship and poverty from an early age in the post-Depression Deep South. He witnessed his brother’s drowning when he was five. His father was never around for long at a time. When he was seven, he lost his eyesight because of what some believe was a severe case untreated, recurring eye infections. Later he moved Florida, without his mother, to be educated at a school for the blind. By the time he reached his fifteenth birthday, both of his parents had died. He struck out on his own.

His musical gifts received notice when he was still very young. At his school, he developed his talent for playing piano and learned to play the clarinet and saxophone (Kennedy Center). He supported himself by playing piano in Tallahassee area clubs and hotels. Thereafter, he moved to Seattle, where he began to record and to establish his reputation as a bluesy, soul singer.

Relationship of Topic to Course Objective

This course exists for the purpose of multicultural inquiry within a context that is highly focused –music. The work represented here does just that as it treats the medium and message of traditional Black Christian worship music with an artist, Ray Charles, who grew up in that tradition, took lessons from it, and developed a new sound that was an amalgam of several musical influences of interest to him. By so doing, the researcher and the reader become more aware of the interwoven practices that a singular musician, Ray Charles, laced throughout his storied career of more than fifty years as his R&B output remained informed by gospel roots. As Holland has observed, “No one before had dared to adorn pop tunes with the raiment of black gospel so unabashedly. His fervid performances crumbled the wall separating secular and religious expression. Generations of performers followed in his footsteps (¶ 1).”

Historical/Cultural Analyses

Church has traditionally continued as important to the African-American community from the times of enforced slavery. For Blacks, church attendance is a time of celebration of faith as well as a time of socialization with friends and neighbors. A historical analysis of gospel music pays tribute to this. The number of artists who have come out of this tradition is legion. The diva, Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, and the daughter of a minister, is an example of this assertion. Ray Charles inspired artists from within his own church style and race, but, in the 1960s, influenced White performers as well, like Joe Cocker (Heard) who imitated his style through the genre of Rock.

From a cultural standpoint, Black gospel music presents an uninhibited expression of devotion to God, sprinkled with bits of showmanship, to produce an atmosphere of deep feeling from among worshippers. Indeed, this brand of worship could hardly endure were it not for musicians who respond to the wide range of emotions that permeate a typical gathering. Church affords opportunities to discuss life, to promote and uplift successes, and to console. Indeed, African American churches are quick to voice how faith and life intersect, as evidenced by the freedoms that its ministers enjoy in working through political agendas, aloud, during times of praise. W. E. B. DuBois once spoke of this phenomenon: The Preacher is the most unique personality developed by the Negro on American soil. A leader, a politician, an orator, a ‘boss,’ an intriguer, an idealist –all these things he is, and ever, too, the center of a group of men, now 20, now 1000 in number (Kingman & Lorenzo, p. 207).

There can be no doubt that the young Ray Charles absorbed these and other themes as he attended church during his early years in Georgia and Florida, leading at least one critic to declare “[Ray Charles] performs with a gospel fervor that brings his concerts the atmosphere of a revival meeting. His style is true to a tradition rooted in the blues, spirituals, and Baptist gospel music of the Deep South (Walker, p. 24 ).”  We know that he was an established artist before the heyday of the Civil Rights movement and that he labored as one who performed for audiences of all colors, yet he endured racial road stories and refusals of service in identical ways as did others less famous, of his race. In 1961, he was the first major artist to perform for an integrated audience in a municipal auditorium, and he did in the South –Memphis, Tennessee.

Stylistic Analyses

Walker reported a quotation from the New York Times’ Jazz critic, John Wilson, in 1961, when he had this to say about the prolific Ray Charles, whose career was then in full swing. “Almost every aspect of ‘non-classical’ music is being blanketed by the various talents of a man named Ray Charles.” Jazz actually grew up alongside Black gospel music. Traditional New Orleans Jazz tunes such “When the Saints Go Marchin’ In” are nothing more than the “sanctified shouts” (Kingman & Lorenzo, p. 207) of Gospel.

Perspectives on Multiculturalism

Ray Charles became an international celebrity. It is instructive to know what an artist feels about his own, global work. Charles gave glimpses into his soul when he gave interviews. Ray Charles had this to say about people in other cultures who enjoyed his music:

I cannot understand how we as Americans, possessing such a rich heritage of music and the artists who play it, don’t recognize all those talented people…[Americans] basically created jazz in this country…we don’t have more extensive knowledge of that fact…In Europe, though, you find people who know all about our music. I’m talking about the average person. I’ve been to Europe and talked to people who have records of mine that I forgot I ever made! And I find that incredible (Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, ¶ 1).

Ray Charles’ Technical Relation/Musical Analysis With Gospel Music

Charles’ music was a blend of gospel and blues, and some considered blasphemous from among his own Black community early in his career. He took gospel music, mixed it with the blues, and added to it may of the rhythmic patterns contained in blues tunes. The result was a sound that probably originated in slave songs. The gospel tunes that ran through his head became fodder for new creations, borrowing heavily from the sounds of his church.

Gospel music relies on exuberant rhythms that make toes tap and hands clap. Similarly, it is impossible to listen to Ray Charles without feeling his music all the way to your soul. Gospel music exists in worship settings that are in sharp contrast to the decorum of mainline Christian traditions. Any person who has seen James Brown play the preacher in the Blues Brothers understands what this means.

With Blues music there is a basic chord progression that is followed regardless of the key. Harmonically, Black Gospel Music resounds with similar, predictable chords that repeat as patterns. Ray Charles championed this, essentially when he functioned, as a Gospel pianist would, while playing the Blues.

Of note is his persistent use of back-up singers for his concerts and recording sessions. This, too, is right out of the Black church where it is common to have a strong singer function as the leader and a swinging and swaying choir backs up the leader with musical fragments from the leader’s solo.

Ray Charles’ Impact on Various Musical Genres

It is informative to look at the instruments that Ray Charles liked to hear. Charles toured with lots of drums. We know that drums are an important historical legacy from African countries. He loved electric guitars, and guitars are integral to the success of multi genres of musical expression. He used horn sections frequently to bring a fullness of sound to his arrangements. He was a proficient reed player and used woodwind instruments to highlight counter melodies and various obbligato sections of his popular tunes.

It is also helpful to take an inventory of his vocal prowess. Just a jazz artist will take liberties with melodic passages, so would Charles embellish the sweet melodies of his most powerful ballads. His voice was hoarse sounding, a little raspy, and smoke filled, reminding his listeners of the many juke joints that nourished his early career. His ability to be convincing as a Black interpreter of Country & Western music is a credit to his versatility as an artist.

If Ray Charles liked a song, he knew how to make the song his very own. When he performed it, it was as if its origin began with him. A cursory glance at those who recorded with him shortly before his death reveals the widest range of permeable musical character that this country has ever known. He could sound good when singing with those like Elton John, Norah Jones, Willie Nelson, and Billy Joel.       

Ray Charles’ Style Relative to Gospel Music

If you listen carefully, in Black Gospel Music you can hear the struggle of the ages of people yearning to breathe free. The message, tied to salvation, says that life is hard here, but, in heaven, everything will be all right. An identical message winds its way through the powerful sentiments of Ray Charles when he sings and pounds away at the keyboard. Ironically, as Ray Charles’ career became more popular, so did the Gospel Music in which he learned his craft. It was as if his frequent use of Gospel riffs in his songs broke down some resistance of White audience perceptions of Black Church. Charles and Black Gospel music became more in the main than either of them could have ever imagined.

Examples of the Gospel Music of Ray Charles

His album, Ray Charles Celebrates a Gospel Christmas (With the Voices of Jubilation) found release in September 2004, three months after his death. Charles’s fiery passion for gospel music had peppered his music since the beginning of his career, so it was fitting that this album ran during the last Christmas he was alive in 2003. In this album, he revisits his Black gospel music roots and teams up with the 120 singers who form the Voices of Jubilation Choir. The same man who produced the film of Charles’s life, Ray, Stuart Benjamin, produced this project.

A strong image surfaces after listening critically to each of these songs. Charles, the award-winning artist, does something for the first time –he performs a live, televised, holiday concert. As unbelievable as it is, Charles had never done a project like that before. Here is a listing of the 10 song tracks on this album and a brief commentary on each:

1. What Kind of Man Is This?

Ray Charles delivers. His voice, raspy and ancient, has the uncanny ability to take a basic sentiment and turn it into a straight-form-the-heart force. This is rare. He makes performing appear effortless. As if to say, “There’s nothing to this,” Charles makes it comfortable to join in the miracle of his music.

2. The Christmas Song

The voice is unmistakable. Two, maybe three notes into it, you know who it is. There are dramatic pauses. His voice is sometimes pianissimo, sometimes forte. He uses rubato and legato. This is fabulous and a favorite of mine.

3. All Night, All Day

As the song goes, “Angels watching over me, my Lord,” I am thinking of Ray Charles as a boy. He probably learned this in his formative years. His treatment of the song is touching as he sails through it sotto voce.

4. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

This is the Ray Charles club sound at its best. All of his years as a solo performer pay off with a song like this. Charles does not need any other instrument or any other voice to pull it off with panache. I wonder how many performers sound interesting when they are all alone on stage. Not many, I would guess.

5. Oh, Happy Day

The Chorus really gets in to this one. This is a staple Black gospel song, widely known and widely performed. The feeling that Ray Charles puts into this is amazing. He sings, the Voices of Jubilation answer him, and the result is happy and uplifting.  

6. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

His avuncular style on this one is sure to be a favorite for children of all ages. A classic tune by the late Gene Autry, Rudolph is the most fun piece on the album and a nice contrast to the other selections, which makes for excellent concert programming.

7. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

For this one, Charles is the Right Reverend Ray Charles. He and the Chorus have “Church” in the African-American style. This is the audience sing-along piece. It is good to think of your audience when you perform, remembering that audiences love to join in with the music making when they know a song well.

8. Silent Night

This is one of the most beloved and most recorded songs from the holiday literature. Charles does his usual magnificence with it. A simple song, written by a German minister and originally performed to solo acoustic guitar accompaniment, Silent Night is a good track for this album.

9. Little Drummer Boy

The intriguing thing about listening to this is this: Here is Ray Charles, an R&B singer, singing a Gospel song, with a hint of Country (the instrumentation), and moving through the vocal as would a Jazz performer. We are reminded that Jazz takes its roots from African music (Brocklehorst). The result is spellbinding. The listener cannot help but ask, “How does he do that?”

10. America, the Beautiful

In this arrangement, Charles takes an old, familiar song of patriotism and turns it into something new. His impeccable timing on phrases and liberties with the melody, infuse the song with heartfelt, stirring emotion. Maybe his ability to do this kind of thing with songs is responsible for why some people call him The Genius. Over time, this will come to be among the highest, critically acclaimed songs that he ever recorded.

Conclusion

Ray Charles was a force that could light up a room. Even though he could not physically see how bright his light was, I am sure that he felt that intensity in his heart. He knew who he was, a child of gospel music who learned to take his church lessons and apply them to all styles of music to the absolute delight of millions of people. In his voice, you could hear the pain. In his voice, you could feel the credibility of his messages. In his voice, you could swear you could hear your own. Preach on, Ray!

Works Cited

Brocklehorst, Brian. Response to Music: Principles of Music Education. London: Taylor & Francis (1971).

Gerome, John. “Ray Charles Turned Gospel Song Into Classic.” The Toronto Star Associated Press 19 Apr 2007           <http://www.thestar.com/entertainment/article/205296>

Heard, Chris. “Lasting Influence of Legend Charles.” BBC News 14 Feb 2005. 29 Apr 2009 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment3797311.stm>

Holland, Bill. “Not Just Any Pianist: Ray Charles Transformed the Keys With His Gospel Inflected Pop.” BILLBOARD Video and Digital Entertainment 116     (26 Jun 2004): 10.

Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. “About the Artist.” Biography of Ray Charles < http://www.kennedy-       center.org/calendar/index.cfmfuseaction=showindividual&entitY_id=3706&source_type=A>

Kingman, Daniel, and Lorenzo, Calendaria. “Urban Revivalism & Gospel Music.” American Music: A Panorama. 2^nd Concise ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning (2003): 195-214.

Maultsby, Portia. “The Impact of Gospel Music on the Secular Music Industry.”Signifyin(g), Sanctifyin’ & Slam Dunking: A Reader in African American Expressive Culture. G. D. Caponi, Ed. Amherst: MA: University of Massachusetts Press (1999).

Norris, Michelle. ‘A History of Gospel Music.” National Public Radio 17 Dec 2004 <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4233793>           http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4233793

Raycom Media. “Late Ray Charles Leads Grammys With 8 Awards.” WIS Channel 10 14 Feb 2005 Columbia, SC           <http:///www.wistv.com/Global/story.asp?S=2660274>

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. “Induction Ceremony.” Induction Facts. 1986 <http://www.rockhall.com/inductee/ray-charles>

Walker, Linda. “Developing a Gospel Choir.” Music Educators Journal Jan (2003): 23-28.