American musical icon Ray Charles launched his career as a pianist, singer, composer, and bandleader, while residing on this block of West Church Street.

Ray Charles Robinson was born in Albany, Georgia on September 23, 1930. His parents were Bailey Robinson and Aretha (or Reatha) Robinson. Known by his friends as R.C., he lost his sight by the age of seven, while growing up in Greenville, Florida. He attended the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St. Augustine from 1937 to 1945.

Following his mother’s death in spring 1945, he quit school and moved to Jacksonville at the age of 15 with the intent to gain professional music experience in the big city. Living in LaVilla with Alfred and Lena Mae Thompson, R.C. memorized his way around town without using a cane or guide dog and would jam at any gig he could get.

His reputation as a talented musician grew after he began visiting the office of the Jacksonville Local 632 of the American Federation of Musicians daily, which was in the Clara White Mission. Occasionally playing with bands at the Lenape and famous Two Spot club, he eventually changed his name to Ray Charles to avoid confusion with boxing champion “Sugar Ray” Robinson. In 1945, Charles left Jacksonville to continue his career. By the time of his death at age 73 in 2004, Charles had become known as “The Genius of Soul” and one of the world’s most loved entertainers.