--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at…" description: "\"Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at the beginning, Ray Charles changed American music, not once but twice.\" — Taylor Hackford" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/taylor-hackford-17500_american-music_ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at_1638479.jpg" --- # Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at the beginning… ![“Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at the beginning, Ray Charles changed American music, not once but twice.” quote by Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/taylor-hackford-17500_american-music_ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at_1638479.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/taylor-hackford-17500_american-music_ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at_1638479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/taylor-hackford-17500_american-music_ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at_1638479.jpg) > “Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at the beginning, Ray Charles changed American music, not once but twice.” [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Ray Charles reshaped American music twice, showing his unique influence. **In simple terms:** Ray Charles changed music twice. Key Takeaway Recognize and celebrate transformative artists. Themes music innovation legacy Mood admiring reflective Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - music history - education - cultural studies Key Concepts cultural impact artistic evolution Questions to Reflect On - How does one measure artistic influence? - What defines a 'revolution' in music? A Different Perspective His impact may be overstated compared to peers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-music/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) ## Related quotes > [I know that what's happened in the election has changed American reality, and I understand that I have to change with it. 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It made possible American cultural milestones like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barr/the-great-migration-changed-american-history-not-just-for-the/) [William Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barr/) > [“A half-century later, Mark Twain would say that the gold rush drastically changed the American character, ending the tradition of patient apprenticeships, the gradual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hamill/a-half-century-later-mark-twain-would-say-that-the-gold-rush/) [Pete Hamill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hamill/) > [One day, I'll be listening to a bunch of Ray Charles, the next day it's nothing but Red Hot Chili Peppers. The next day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole-2/one-day-i-ll-be-listening-to-a-bunch-of-ray-charles-the-next-day-it-s/) [J. Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole-2/) > [The church didn't know what to do with Ray Charles or Al Green. And so they were kind of ostracized.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/the-church-didn-t-know-what-to-do-with-ray-charles-or-al-green-and-so/) [LeCrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/) > [I grew up listening to a lot of Ray Charles and '60s rock, thanks to my father, and then my brothers got me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avicii/i-grew-up-listening-to-a-lot-of-ray-charles-and-60s-rock-thanks-to-my/) [Avicii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avicii/) > [I knelt at the altar of Ray Charles for years. I worked at a restaurant, and that's all there was on the jukebox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-knelt-at-the-altar-of-ray-charles-for-years-i-worked-at-a/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I would like to be able to do a song with Ray Charles, before we both get too old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-cocker/i-would-like-to-be-able-to-do-a-song-with-ray-charles-before-we-both/) [Joe Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-cocker/) > [God bless Ray Charles. It was such an honor to meet him and sing with him and actually just to watch him sing from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-jones/god-bless-ray-charles-it-was-such-an-honor-to-meet-him-and-sing-with/) [Norah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-jones/) > [Well I don't think I've scored my life exclusively to Ray Charles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/well-i-don-t-think-i-ve-scored-my-life-exclusively-to-ray-charles/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) > [When Ray Charles is concentrating he's like a piece of granite, nothing twitches, nothing, ... He sat for 25 minutes solid like that, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/when-ray-charles-is-concentrating-he-s-like-a-piece-of-granite/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) > [Ray Gomez is truly an unsung hero in American music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-clarke/ray-gomez-is-truly-an-unsung-hero-in-american-music/) [Stanley Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-clarke/) > [I don't think I've met anyone with a stronger work ethic than Ray Charles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/i-don-t-think-i-ve-met-anyone-with-a-stronger-work-ethic-than-ray/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) ## More by Taylor Hackford > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) > [It's very clearly stated in the film: You make your own choices, and what you're always fighting is ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/it-s-very-clearly-stated-in-the-film-you-make-your-own-choices-and/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) > [This devil loves mankind because men are going to always make the choice that will send him into ascendancy. 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It's aberrant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/i-make-films-about-working-class-people-all-my-films-have-always-been/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) > [My creative partner is a writer, and he's got an executive producing credit on this film. We've made three films together and I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/my-creative-partner-is-a-writer-and-he-s-got-an-executive-producing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Explore all 37 Taylor Hackford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) ## More American music quotes > [Since I was a kid, I've had an absolute obsession with particular kinds of American music. Mississippi Delta blues of the Thirties, Chicago blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-plant/since-i-was-a-kid-i-ve-had-an-absolute-obsession-with-particular/) [Robert Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-plant/) > [ Britney and I wore matching denim outfits \[to the 2001 American Music Awards\]. Yeah, another bad choice. I’d probably pay good money to get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-timberlake/britney-and-i-wore-matching-denim-outfits-to-the-2001-american-music/) [Justin Timberlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-timberlake/) > [Of course when you are a kid you listen to what your parents had around. A lot of gospel, jazz. Now when I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorma-kaukonen/of-course-when-you-are-a-kid-you-listen-to-what-your-parents-had/) [Jorma Kaukonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorma-kaukonen/) > [It's a really unfair world because life is, where I am; all day long we listen to American music. 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I think that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-tate/what-appeals-to-me-about-an-american-music-directorship-is-the/) [Jeffrey Tate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-tate/) [Browse all 132 American music quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-music/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at the beginning, Ray Charles changed American music, not once but twice.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Taylor Hackford" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at-the-beginning-ray-charles/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American music" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at-the-beginning-ray-charles/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/taylor-hackford-17500_american-music_ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at_1638479.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/taylor-hackford-17500_american-music_ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at_1638479.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/971/taylor-hackford-17500_american-music_ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at_1638479.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ray Charles, in his own way, it's like at the beginning, Ray Charles changed American music, not once but…” — Taylor Hackford", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Taylor Hackford", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ray Charles, in his own way,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at-the-beginning-ray-charles/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/ray-charles-in-his-own-way-it-s-like-at-the-beginning-ray-charles/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```