IM - 2004 - Ray Charles defined "soul" as "when you take a song and make it part of you, a part that's so true, so real, people think it must have happened to you. Soul is like electricity, like a spirit, a drive, a power." For millions of listeners, the sound of Ray Charles was the definition of "soul." His voice, a midnight fog that could envelop any lyric in mellow sadness or bring the promise of a sunny new morning, was unmistakable. His blend of musicianship, his ear for composition and arrangements, his innate sense of swing, and his ability to make almost any song or style his own were all unequaled. And his death from liver cancer at age 73 a week ago Thursday, after a year of health problems including hip-replacement surgery, removes a cornerstone from the foundation of American popular music.
Famous Friends 
