You Don't Know Me: Reflections of My Father, Ray Charles
- ISBN-10
- 0307462951
- ISBN-13
- 9780307462954
- Series
- You Don't Know Me
- Category
- Biography & Autobiography
- Pages
- 288
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2010-06-08
- Publisher
- Crown
- Authors
- Mary Jane Ross, Jr., Ray Charles Robinson
Description
A deeply personal memoir of the private Ray Charles - the man behind the legend - by his eldest son. Ray Charles is an American music legend. A multiple Grammy Award-winning composer, pianist, and singer with an inimitable vocal style and a catalog of hits including "What I Say," "Georgia on My Mind," "Unchain My Heart," "I Can't Stop Loving You," and "America the Beautiful," Ray Charles's music is loved by fans around the world. Now his eldest son, Ray Charles Robinson Jr., shares an intimate glimpse of the man behind the music, with never-before-told stories. Going beyond the fame, the concerts, and the tours, Ray Jr. opens the doors of his family home and reveals their private lives with fondness and frankness. He shares his father's grief and guilt over his little brother's death at the age of five — as well of moments of personal joy, like watching his father run his hands over the Christmas presents under their tree while singing softly to himself. He tells of how Ray overcame the challenges of being blind, even driving cars, riding a Vespa, and flying his own plane. And, in gripping detail, he reveals how as a six-year-old boy he saved his father's life one harrowing night. Ray Jr. writes honestly about the painful facts of the addiction that nearly destroyed his father's life. His father's struggles with heroin addiction, his arrests, and how he ultimately kicked the drug cold turkey are presented in unflinching detail. Ray Jr. also shares openly about how, as an adult, he fell victim to the same temptations that plagued his father. He paints a compassionate portrait of his mother, Della, whose amazing voice as a gospel singer first attracted Ray Charles. Though her husband's drug use, his womanizing, and the paternity suits leveled against him constantly threatened the stability of the Robinson home, Della exhibited incredible resilience and inner strength. Told with deep love and fearless candor, You Don't Know Me is the powerful and poignant story of the Ray Charles the public never saw — the father and husband and fascinating human being who also happened to be one of the greatest musicians of all time.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2021-12-02
- 400 pages
- Paperback
- Penguin UK
Similar books
-
You Don't Know Me
By David KlassFourteen-year-old John creates alternative realities in his mind as he tries to deal with his mother's abusive boyfriend, his crush on a beautiful, but shallow classmate, and other problems at school.
-
You Don't Know Me But You Don't Like Me: Phish, Insane Clown Posse, and My Misadventures with Two of Music's...
By Nathan RabinA writer's journey with the fan bases of Phish and Insane Clown Posse describes his unexpected discovery of how both groups have tapped the human need for community, a finding that coincided with his diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
-
I Don't Know what You Know Me from: My Life as a Co-star
By Judy GreerYes , we all want to be the star , we want to be the girl who gets the guy in the end , but the more realistic scenario is that we could maybe , actually be that person's best friend . Movie stars have to have best friends too , don't ...
-
You Don't Own Me: The Life and Times of Lesley Gore
By Trevor Tolliver, Assembled over five years of research and interviews, this is the first and long overdue biography of Lesley Gore, one of pop music's pioneering Mothers, which chronicles her meteoric rise to fame, her devastating fall from popularity and ...
-
You Don't Know Me
By Sophia BennettWhat happens if you betray your best friend on TV in front of millions?
-
You Don't Even Know Me: Stories and Poems About Boys
By Sharon FlakeThese and other unforgettable characters come to life in this collection of urban male voices. Sharon's G. Flake's talent for telling it like it is will leave readers thinking differently, feeling deeply, and definitely wanting more.
-
Untitled 3
By Mary Higgins Clark, Alafair BurkeThe extraordinary new novel from the grande dame of suspense, Mary Higgins Clark, and Alafair Burke. Mary Higgins Clark published her first suspense thriller in 1974, and has been writing ever since.
-
You Don’t Know Me
By Sara FosterTom Carruso hasn’t been home in over a decade. He left soon after Lizzie disappeared under a darkening cloud of suspicion, and now he’s back for the inquest into Lizzie’s disappearance—intent on telling his side of the story.
-
YOU DON’T KNOW ME
By Donna L Prince-BaylisYOU. DON'T. KNOW. ME. You see my clothes, my hair, My job and my car. But not the broken heart, the memories, Nor under my clothes, the scar. You don't know me. You hear me speak, hear me laugh, My steps with purpose, strong and tall.
-
If You Don't Know Me
By Mary B. MorrisonAfter her husband, Roosevelt "Chicago" DuBois, is nearly killed by her lover, Madison tries to stave off divorce by winning Chicago back, but Sindy Singleton, eager to make Chicago her own, stands in her way.