Birthday celebration for Ray Charles - WALB.com, Albany News, Weather, Sports

Birthday celebration for Ray Charles

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Music lovers gathered in downtown Albany Sunday to celebrate the birthday of Ray Charles.

His daughter, Sheila Raye Charles sang in his honor at the event, which was held at the Ray Charles Plaza. 

People from all over South Georgia came to listen to music and join in on the celebration.

Sheila says coming to her father's birthplace is special and it's nice to see folks remembering her father, eight years after he died.  "The city is always out here, still giving honor and respecting my father and his legacy and all that he's done. And so I'm just grateful to be a part of it."

"My mother liked to play Ray Charles music. So I'm really not from here to know about what everybody from here knows, but I know his music as a person that has been a lover of music all my life," said Judith Hatch, a Ray Charles fan.

Today's celebration was the first part of a joint event.

The Albany Ray Charles Music Festival is scheduled for October 27th in downtown Albany. Part of the proceeds will go to the Cancer Coalition of South Georgia.

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