Come in Ray Charles the High Priest

Ray Charles died Thursday. Although I would not call myself a "big fan" I have some of his CDs and certainly appreciated his artistry. But Ray Charles is beyond about being a fan. In American music, he is an historical figure who should be on the Mount Rushmore of music.

So I certainly do appreciate his influence on those of whom I am a big fan, say Stevie Wonder, or say Van Morrison. In a Rolling Stone article this year Van had this to say:

There's a reason they called Ray Charles "the Genius." Think of how he reinvented country music in a way that worked for him. He showed there are no limitations, not for someone as good as he is. Whatever Ray Charles does, whatever he touches, he makes it his own. He's his own genre. It's all Ray Charles music now.

And in a more lyrical mode, from Van Morrison's "Got To Go Back:"

When I was a young boy
Back in Orangefield
I used to gaze out
My classroom window and dream
And then go home and listen to Ray sing
"I believe to my soul" after school,
Oh that love that was within me
You know it carried me through
Well it lifted me up and it filled me
Meditation contemplation too

This truly deserves a National Day of Mourning.