Biography:
Ray Charles (Ray Charles Robinson, Albany, Georgia, September 23, 1930 - Beverly Hills, California, June 10, 2004), was an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, and band leader.
As a rock and roll, rhythm & blues, soul, blues, jazz, country and pop musician he helped to shape the sound of rhythm & blues.
He brought a soulful sound to everything from country music ("I Can't Stop Loving You") to rock and roll ("Mess Around"), to pop standards to a now-iconic rendition of "America the Beautiful.
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Other songs:
- Baby Its Cold Outside
- Busted
- Crying Time
- Georgia On My Mind
- Hit The Road Jack
- I Can't Stop Loving You
- I Got A Woman
- If You Go Away
- Lonely Avenue
- Mess Around
- Unchain My Heart
- You Don't Know Me
- Aint That Love
- Am I Blue
- America The Beautiful
- Baby Dont You Cry
- Born To Lose
- Bulldog Bite Hunker Down Hairy Dawg
- Careless Love
- Carry Me Back To Old Virginny
- Come Back Baby
- Come Live With Me
- Come Rain Or Come Shine
- Do I Ever Cross Your Mind
- Dont Put All Your Dreams In One Basket
- Drown In My Own Tears
- Ellie My Love
- Funny But I Still Love You
- Good Love Gone Bad
- Hallelujah I Love Her So
- Hard Times No One Knows Better Than I
- Here We Go Again
- I Can See Clearly Now
- I Cant Stop Loving You
- I Dont Need No Doctor
- I Got A Woman Part 1
- If I Could
- If I Were You
- If You Were Mine
- Im Going Down To The River
- Just For A Thrill
- Lets Go Get Stoned
- My First Night Alone Without You
- My Heart Cries For You
- No Letter Today
- Rays Blues
- Shake A Tail Feather
- Sinners Prayer
- So Help Me God
- Sunshine
- Take These Chains
- Take These Chains From My Heart
- Tell All The World About You
- Thanks For Bringing Love Around Again
- That Lucky Old Sun
- That Spirit Of Christmas
- The Brightest Smile In Town
- The Jealous Kind
- Three Quarter Time
- Together Again
- Two Old Cats Like Us
- What Id Say
- What Would I Do Without You
- Without Love There Is Nothing
- You Always Miss The Water
- You Dont Know Me
- Your Cheatin Heart
Four years of hard work!This month of May we celebrated four years on the air. We continue working on the dissemination of this wonderful instrument, thank you for participating in our story!
America the Beautiful
Words by Katharine Lee Bates
Melody by Samuel Ward
Ray Charles Version
NOTES
_________________________________________________________________
*This is how I play the Ray Charles Version on piano. Some of
the chords may be more appropriately named in a different manner
but I use the naming conventions that make the most sense to me!
*The slash chords with out a chord in front of the
/ indicate a walking bass line using the same chord you
were already playing.
*Play this seemingly ridculously slow in 12/8 time
_________________________________________________________________
[Verse 1]
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
O beautiful for heroes proved,
Edim7 Fm7 /Ab/A Bb7 Eb Edim7 Bb/F Bb7
in liberating strife.
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
Who more than self their country loved,
Bb A Bb C7 F7 Bb7 Ab/C Bb7/D Bb7 /C
and mercy more than life!
Eb Gm7 F#dim7 Fm7 Bb7
America! America!
Ab/C /C# Bb/D Bb Ab/C Bb7/D Eb Eb7 /G
May God thy gold refine
Ab /Bb /C /C# /D Eb
Till all success be nobleness,
Fm7 Bb7 /D Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
and every gain divine!
[Verse 2]
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
O beautiful for spacious skies,
Edim7 Fm7 /Ab/A Bb7 Eb Edim7 Bb/F Bb7
for amber waves of grain
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
For purple mountain majesties,
Bb A Bb C7 F7 Bb7 Ab/C Bb7/D Bb7 /C
above the fruited plain!
Eb Gm7 F#dim7 Fm7 Bb7
America! America!
Ab/C /C# Bb/D Bb Ab/C Bb7/D Eb Eb7 /G
God shed his grace on thee
Ab /Bb /C /C# /D Eb
And crown thy good with brotherhood,
Fm7 Bb7 /D Eb (or end with whole step walk up after Bb to the Eb (B Db Eb))
from sea to shining sea!
Words by Katharine Lee Bates
Melody by Samuel Ward
Ray Charles Version
NOTES
_________________________________________________________________
*This is how I play the Ray Charles Version on piano. Some of
the chords may be more appropriately named in a different manner
but I use the naming conventions that make the most sense to me!
*The slash chords with out a chord in front of the
/ indicate a walking bass line using the same chord you
were already playing.
*Play this seemingly ridculously slow in 12/8 time
_________________________________________________________________
[Verse 1]
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
O beautiful for heroes proved,
Edim7 Fm7 /Ab/A Bb7 Eb Edim7 Bb/F Bb7
in liberating strife.
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
Who more than self their country loved,
Bb A Bb C7 F7 Bb7 Ab/C Bb7/D Bb7 /C
and mercy more than life!
Eb Gm7 F#dim7 Fm7 Bb7
America! America!
Ab/C /C# Bb/D Bb Ab/C Bb7/D Eb Eb7 /G
May God thy gold refine
Ab /Bb /C /C# /D Eb
Till all success be nobleness,
Fm7 Bb7 /D Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
and every gain divine!
[Verse 2]
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
O beautiful for spacious skies,
Edim7 Fm7 /Ab/A Bb7 Eb Edim7 Bb/F Bb7
for amber waves of grain
Eb Edim7 Bb7/F Bb7
For purple mountain majesties,
Bb A Bb C7 F7 Bb7 Ab/C Bb7/D Bb7 /C
above the fruited plain!
Eb Gm7 F#dim7 Fm7 Bb7
America! America!
Ab/C /C# Bb/D Bb Ab/C Bb7/D Eb Eb7 /G
God shed his grace on thee
Ab /Bb /C /C# /D Eb
And crown thy good with brotherhood,
Fm7 Bb7 /D Eb (or end with whole step walk up after Bb to the Eb (B Db Eb))
from sea to shining sea!
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