As Cosmik's crack investigative team of one here in Los Angeles, it was
natural to be tapped to cover the Big Story here in the Big House, the House
of Blues. It was a normal Monday evening in LA as I approached the Hollywood
Hills, parking on La Cienega two blocks down the hill from Sunset Boulevard.
I hoofed it the rest of the way so I could save the parking fee out of my per
diem. The House is not a big place, built to hold 500 or so on two levels. As
a newshound gumshoe, I was led to a dinner table on the second level, way in
back. I guess they figured seeing the show on one of the video monitors was
good enough for another hard bitten music critic like me. I didn't complain
though. I've seen worse dives, but the décor, mostly rustic wood, painted in
folksy primitive patterns with a psychedelic undertone didn't impress me all
that much. The roasted quarter chicken atop some sort of cornbread muffin
with the wine vinaigrette salad on the side was better, above any roadhouse
dinner I'd had before, but I wasn't here for the food. Ray Charles, The
Father of Soul, The Great Uncle of The Blues, The Deacon of Gospel and The
Lost Son of Country Western, was set to make a rare public appearance. Big
surprise, it was his birthday.
Enough with the Dashiel Hammett routine, I hear you say? Oh alright, this is
a music zine after all, not a detective novel.
And truth be told, Ray Charles is just about the farthest thing away from a
grimy crime story you can imagine. Because he's a man of so much love, talent
and dues-paid-long-ago stature, there isn't a music lover anywhere who
doesn't respect him. You couldn't think of anyone more deserving of a
Lifetime Achievement Award from the Blues Foundation. This wasn't just an
excuse to throw a birthday party, this was an obligation to show thanks for a
long, outstanding career. And what a party it was!
First up in the celebration was music in the form of a kickin' rendition of
Ray's 'What'd I Say' by the Sir Charles All-Star Youth Blues Band, featuring
kids and young adults from South Central learning to play the blues under the
tutelage of Dane Gillibrand. I didn't catch individual names but I'm sure
lots of these folks will graduate to bigger things and show up for years to
come.
Next up was John Cougar Mellencamp introducing Willie Nelson, who was in town
to pick up a Blues Foundation Hero Award. Willie sounded as if he was a
little embarrassed to get it on Ray's special night, saying he was "proud to
be in the same world as Ray Charles." He also said to vote for the man who
said "Family Farmers" most in the election, echoing his many years of work
for Farm Aid along with John and many others.
The celebration began in earnest after that, starting with Quincy Jones
introducing a video on Ray Charles's life, as if we were all at a
mini-political convention. It not only revealed that Ray's idol was Nat King
Cole, but it also showed that Quincy and Ray shared their rice-and-beans days
together in Seattle, and had great footage of Quincy at 15 playing a trumpet.
After the video Quincy pointed out that the chicken dinner was all wrong for
Ray asking, "where's the ham hocks?"
Quincy then told Ray's story, reading partly from a chapter Ray wrote for
Jones's own biography. Charles has been blind from age 6, but his Mom
promised him that in spite of his handicap, "you will never hold a tin cup
and beg." She died at 32 and soon after Ray took a lone bus trip to the
farthest point away from his old home that he could, ending up in Seattle.
That's where Quincy met Ray when he was 14 and Ray was 16 in 1947. "When you
are blind you are a soul reader," Quincy continued, telling how he and Ray
had experienced many a gig together growing up in the music business but
never with a contract of any sort. "If I had a dime, Ray had a nickel," he
said, "We can afford each other." In the old days they invented
number-nicknames for each other, Ray being "69" and Quincy "70." "But now
that Ray is 70 years old," Quincy promised, "I'm taking 69 back!" But in
spite of taking the number it was time to end the story and give Ray his due.
The House of Blues shook to the rafters with a standing ovation as Ray, all
snowy-haired and perhaps a little frail under his white suit coat,
enthusiastically accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award from his old friend.
[Pictured: Ashford & Simpson.]
After the presentation the house band came out onstage, veteran session men
all--Jim Cox on keyboards, Ricky Fataar on drums, Bob Groud on Bass and
Miles Joseph on guitar. They first backed up Diana Shuur. Also blind but
gifted with an Aretha-quality voice, Diana rocked the place. Especially great
was 'Talkin About You' from her new album, Friends for Shuur. Following Shuur
were Ashford and Simpson, who revealed just how much they owe to Charles.
They were big hit makers in the 70's, but in the mid-60's, just married, they
were living hand to mouth until Ray recorded their breakthrough song, 'Let's
Go Get Stoned'. They reprised "the song that took us off the street" of course
and then did 'I Don't Need No Doctor' and 'Ain't No Mountain High Enough', all of
which had Ray rocking at the table next to Quincy down front.
Next out was Billy Preston, former sideman to Ray and later the Beatles, who
started off saying "you GOTTA love Ray Charles" and thanking him for his own
big break in the music business. His trademark 70's afro is long gone but he
hasn't lost an ounce of showmanship, performing 'Nuthin From Nuthin' and
getting the crowd to sing along on 'You Are So Beautiful'. Switching from piano
to organ, he donned sunglasses and did a deadly impersonation of Ray on
Gershwin's Summertime, then ended up with 'Will It Go Round in Circles' and
dancing up a storm.
Last out was Willie Nelson who sang Crazy from his new Milk Cow Blues album,
a fine piece of work that will almost certainly show up in the Grammy
nominations next spring. Then he did one of Ray's standards, 'Georgia', which
featured a long acoustic blues solo. True to his years of touring and
saluting Ray's own monumental mileage he closed with 'On the Road Again'.
All in all, a fantastic night to remember. You couldn't ask for more. Well,
maybe not. I'm sure everyone's unspoken wish was for a couple songs from Ray
himself. But after SIX DECADES OF PERFORMING, of being a towering icon of
inspiration to others, he certainly deserves a night off. And a trainload of
thanks.
