He was referring to his first single, 'Confession Blues.' Because that was the thing that got me known.' And if you ever want to say where I got my start, you have to say that. 'Seattle is the town where I made my first record. 'Remember, people don't have to take to you, they don't have to like you. The people were friendly, the people took to me right away. 'I met a lot of very good friends here,' he told me in a 1981 interview between sets at Parker's on Aurora. The blind singer-pianist lived here only three years, from 1948 to '50, but he always acknowledged that the city, its musicians and its welcoming atmosphere helped shape his groundbreaking musical style and his philosophy of life. Ray Charles, The Genius of Soul, who died yesterday of liver disease at his Beverly Hills home at the age of 73, began his career in Seattle when he was just 17. EMP's Jackson Street Jazz showcase, featuring Ray Charlesįrom Ray Charles' site: 'When I first got to Seattle'
