<p>Black History Month Day 16 Ray Charles <p> <p>Ray Charles Was Born to a Teenage Mother in 1930 He Was Not Born Blind but Began Losing His Site at the Age of Four or Five Being Completely Blind by Age 7 Is Blindness Was Suspected to Be Due to Glaucoma<p> <p>His Mother Struggled to Find a School That Would Take a Blind African-American Child but Finally Got Him Enrolled in the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind in St Augustine From 1937 to 1945 He Had Already Begun Learning Some Boogie-Woogie Piano on an Old Upright When He Was Young and in School We Learned to Play Classical While Using Braille Music<p> <p>He Enjoyed Playing Classical but Really Loved Blues and Jazz After Being Expelled From School at Age 14 He Went From Place to Place Playing for Different Venues and Audiences Until Finally Signing on With a Record Label He Is Considered a Pioneer of Soul Music<p>