MUSICIAN

Ray Charles

1930 - 2004

Photo of Ray Charles

Icon of person Ray Charles

Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Genius". Among friends and fellow musicians, he preferred being called "Brother Ray". Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Ray Charles has received more than 16,983,958 page views. His biography is available in 85 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 84 in 2019). Ray Charles is the 19th most popular musician (down from 17th in 2019), the 149th most popular biography from United States (down from 121st in 2019) and the 6th most popular American Musician.

Ray Charles was most famous for being a singer and pianist. He was also a singer of rhythm and blues, jazz, gospel, and country music. He was born in 1930 and died in 2004.

Memorability Metrics

  • 17M

    Page Views (PV)

  • 73.50

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 85

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 6.51

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 5.15

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among MUSICIANS

Among musicians, Ray Charles ranks 19 out of 3,175. Before him are Madonna, George Harrison, Leonard Cohen, Jeff Beck, Władysław Szpilman, and Arcangelo Corelli. After him are Ringo Starr, Bon Scott, Mark Knopfler, Jean-Michel Jarre, Cat Stevens, and Eric Clapton.

Most Popular Musicians in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1930, Ray Charles ranks 11. Before him are Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, Helmut Kohl, Warren Buffett, Pierre Bourdieu, George Soros, and Jacques Derrida. After him are Jean-Luc Godard, Mobutu Sese Seko, Hafez al-Assad, Baudouin of Belgium, Steve McQueen, and Buzz Aldrin. Among people deceased in 2004, Ray Charles ranks 6. Before him are Yasser Arafat, Ronald Reagan, Marlon Brando, Ahmed Yassin, and Jacques Derrida. After him are Juliana of the Netherlands, Francis Crick, Françoise Sagan, Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, Czesław Miłosz, and Henri Cartier-Bresson.

Others Born in 1930

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 2004

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United States

Among people born in United States, Ray Charles ranks 149 out of 20,380. Before him are Alan Alda (1936), Henry Fonda (1905), Johnny Depp (1963), Harvey Weinstein (1952), Carl Rogers (1902), and Stan Lee (1922). After him are David Letterman (1947), Steven Seagal (1952), John Adams (1735), Tom Selleck (1945), Francis Ford Coppola (1939), and J. D. Salinger (1919).

Others born in United States

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among MUSICIANS In United States

Among musicians born in United States, Ray Charles ranks 6. Before him are Michael Jackson (1958), Louis Armstrong (1901), Bob Dylan (1941), Jimi Hendrix (1942), and Madonna (1958). After him are Scatman John (1942), Frank Zappa (1940), Brian Wilson (1942), Chuck Berry (1926), Ronnie James Dio (1942), and Miles Davis (1926).

American born Musicians

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous