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Everyone felt like they knew Ray Charles and in a way they did, because he was embodied by his music.

My dad has always been a big Ray Charles fan, and I've grown up listening to all kinds of music.

Ray Charles' revolutionary approach to music was also reflected in his politics and his deep and abiding commitment to Martin Luther King and the plight of African-Americans. Ray Charles may not have been on the front lines, but he put his money where his mouth was.

If nothing else, we grew up loving the old blues artists and Ray Charles.

Ray Charles has always been a big part of my life.

Guys like me and Ray Charles, when we was coming up through our days, country music and soul music was just a very thin line between the two.

The first piece of music that captured my imagination was probably Ray Charles Live At Newport.

When you listen to Ray Charles, there's never any doubt whose voice that is.

God bless Ray Charles. It was such an honor to meet him and sing with him and actually just to watch him sing from just two feet away.

I remember working with Ray Charles when I was quite young, and I would wonder, 'Why would he sing 'Georgia On My Mind' and 'I Can't Stop Loving You' every night?' I said, 'Oh my God if I have to sing these songs, if I have to sing 'I Can't Stop Loving You' one more night, I'm going to fall out.' Of course, I was young and I didn't understand.