Honoring the life and accomplishments of Ray Charles, recognizing his contributions to the Nation, and extending condolences to his family on his death.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 449, which honors the life and accomplishments of Ray Charles, recognizes his contributions to the Nation, and extends condolences to his family on his death earlier this month on June 10, 2004.

Born in 1930, in Albany, Georgia, Ray Charles (nee Ray Charles Robinson) entered this world handicapped by racial segregation, poverty, and later blindness at age 6. Yet, these crippling circumstances conversely empowered the young Charles as he rose to be one of the most prominent icons in popular culture. Spanning over three decades of success, Ray Charles inspired all Americans, especially those in the African American community, to persist and aspire despite adversity.

Mr. Speaker, Ray Charles revolutionized music through his unique ability to interweave the cultural rhythms of soul music, the harmonies of jazz, and the sentiment of country-western. This exceptional fusion offered the mainstream audience an opportunity to partake in a truly moving musical experience that defied the boundaries of genre specific music. His talent and foresight were justly rewarded with three number one hits, twelve Grammys, a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jazz Hall of Fame, as well as the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame. However, the accolades are merely a superficial indicator of the far-reaching implications of Ray Charles' life.

Mr. Speaker, Ray Charles was an advocate of civil rights for all, not only through his music but also through his political actions. Mr. Charles joined Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in his fight for civil equality and saw himself ``carrying the cross'' for all African Americans. In 1962 he became the Honorary Chairman for the National Association for Sickle Cell Disease, and in 1975 was this organization's first, ``Man of Distinction''. Additionally, around this time, Ray Charles began to expand his sphere of influence as he supported anti-apartheid movements in South Africa, and participated in meetings with leaders like, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion to discuss the status of Jews in Israel.

These activities show that Ray Charles enriched our lives in ways beyond his memorable songs like ``Georgia On My Mind''--one of my favorites, and many recognized his efforts. In fact, in 1983 the NAACP honored him with an induction into their Hall of Fame noting his outstanding contributions to the African American community. He also participated in the historic, ``We are the World'' recording, which supported funding for the starving children in Africa. In 1986, Mr. Charles was doubly honored, first when he was made the Commander of Fine Arts and Letters by the French Government and second in Washington DC, when he was recognized in the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors ceremony.

Mr. Speaker, in April 1987, Ray Charles expounded upon his advocacy work, with a personal endowment of one million dollars to the Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders--a move that solidified his genuine philanthropic interests. In the following years these genuine interests were rewarded with honors such as: The National Medal of Arts from former President Clinton, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Black Achievement Awards committee, as well as the Helen Keller Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind.

It is with bittersweet emotions that I stand in front of you today. Bitter as I mourn the loss of an American treasure, and send condolences to his family--sweet as I remember the legacy of a man who changed the lives of Americans forever.

I want to thank my esteemed colleague from the state of Georgia, Representative Max Burns, for his leadership in sponsoring this important piece of legislation.

Once again, I urge all of my colleagues to support passage of H. Con. Res. 449.

Mr. Speaker, what a great day this is for this House of Representatives to set this moment in time aside to honor one of the world's most distinguished citizens. Born into searing, piercing poverty in 1930 at the start of the Great Depression; born when he could fully see, but by the time he was 7 years old he was completely blind; lost his brother at age 5, his mother at age 15, his father absent, Ray Charles, alone in the world.

But he had a genius. He had a gift deep inside of him. And his mother had the good fortune of placing him in the Florida School for the Blind, and there Ray Charles found his way to a piano. And then he learned how to play the guitar, the saxophone, the drums. What a musical genius. The hits came: ``Hit the Road, Jack,'' ``That Lucky Old Sun,'' ``I Can't Stop Loving You.'' All of these great songs were manifested by the arena and the environment in which Ray Charles grew up. He got the gospel from the church. He got the blues from the honky tonks and the juke joints. He got his classical training where he could play Chopin, Strauss, and Beethoven. No musical genre did Ray Charles not capture. The beauty of it all was that Ray Charles transcended racial lines, economic lines, so that no matter where your standing in life, when you heard Ray Charles' voice, you felt it deep in the marrow of your bones.

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased and so delighted to be here to join with my other colleagues in giving this genuine hero, who survived and achieved in spite of the odds, his due recognition. So many songs he sang, ``That Lucky Old Sun'' and, of course, ``America the Beautiful'' which touched everyone; but there was no song that captured Ray Charles as much as ``Georgia on My Mind.''

I first met Ray Charles as a member of the House of Representatives. We invited him on the floor and he had that piano there because in 1979 when I was in the Georgia House, we passed a resolution not just honoring Ray Charles but making ``Georgia on My Mind'' our State song. I can see Ray Charles there now at that piano stool, swaying to and fro and saying:

Georgia, Georgia, a song of you

Comes as sweet and clean as moonlight through the pines.

Other arms reach out to me

Other eyes smile tenderly

Still in peaceful dreams I see

The road leads back to you.

Georgia, Georgia, no peace I find

Just an old sweet song keeps Georgia on my mind.

Just an old sweet song will forever keep Ray Charles on our minds and in our hearts, for he has left us a rich legacy of music, of culture, of art that will live on forever. It was Frank Sinatra, Old Blue Eyes himself, Chairman of the Board, who said it best about Ray Charles: ``Ray Charles is the only genius in our business.'' No more apt words coming from Frank Sinatra himself.

Mr. Speaker, Ray Charles was not just an American treasure. Ray Charles is and will forever be a world's treasure. We thank God Almighty for blessing us mightily by sending Ray Charles our way. God bless Ray Charles, and we thank Ray Charles.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 449) honoring the life and accomplishments of Ray Charles, recognizing his contributions to the Nation, and extending condolences to his family on his death.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their remarks on H. Con. Res. 449.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. I rise in strong support of H. Con. Res. 449.

Mr. Speaker, this resolution recognizes the musical genius of one of Georgia's and America's greatest entertainers. It also recognizes the heroic struggle that Ray Charles Robinson began at the age of 7 to overcome the obstacle of blindness and to go on to become an international music superstar. But perhaps more importantly it also places in the Congressional Record for posterity his contribution to Dr. Martin Luther King's drive to end segregation, his worldwide campaign against apartheid and against anti-Semitism.

It is particularly significant to me that Ray Charles' greatest recorded public stand against segregation took place in the heart of the 12th District of Georgia. In Augusta, Georgia, Ray Charles' concert had separated black and white fans and suggested that they had to be seated in different areas of the concert hall. Ray refused. He refused to play unless folks were allowed to sit where they wanted. He was sued. He broke his contract and lost a lot of money. But he stood firm. He stood firm for his beliefs, and he stood firm in Georgia. Today we can all sit together in that same theater because of the courage and conviction of Americans like Ray Charles and Martin Luther King and my friend and colleague from Georgia, John Lewis.

For many Americans like me, it is amazing to hear Ray Charles sing ``Georgia on My Mind'' and ``America the Beautiful.'' He sings it with conviction, affection and style, that no one else ever has and no one else ever will. In spite of the offense of segregation and bigotry, he kept his love of State and of Nation while working to make both of them a better place. Ray Charles had already arrived where the rest of us needed to be.

With this resolution, we recognize not only a great musician and a great entertainer but a great Georgian and a great American.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, it gives me great pleasure to yield such time as he may consume to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Scott), someone who worked diligently to recognize Ray Charles in the State House of Georgia.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Ray Charles was a musical genius, a great American, someone who stood for the rights of others. His life and his work will live forever through his music and through his legacy.

I urge my colleagues to support H. Con. Res. 449 honoring the life and service of Ray Charles Robinson.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Georgia and the gentlewoman from California for bringing forth this very supportive resolution. And I speak this morning to pay tribute to one of the greatest singers, songwriters, and composers of the 20th and the 21st Century, Ray Charles. I must tell the Georgians that California also claims Ray Charles as a native son.

Ray Charles, born Ray Charles Robinson on September 23, 1930, in Albany, Georgia, started his interest in music at the young age of 3 and eventually learned to read and write music in Braille, as well as play a number of instruments including the trumpet, organ, alto sax and the piano.

He scored his first big hit in 1959 with the song ``What I'd Say'' and went on to win 12 Grammy Awards, with nine awards between 1960 and 1966.

Of course, Ray Charles would record many hit records during the course of his career, including ``Hit the Road Jack''; ``I Can't Stop Loving You,'' ``Busted''; ``Born to Lose''; ``Take These Chains from My Heart; and the State song of Georgia, ``Georgia on My Mind.''

His version of ``America the Beautiful,'' like most of his songs, will be considered America's classic for generations to come. He won his last Grammy in 1993 for ``A Song for You.''

Ray Charles was a unique musician, Mr. Speaker, because of his ability to cross musical genres to create a fresh and exciting new sound. Not only did his music and words reach all types of audiences, he also commanded a strong stage presence with his personality and infectious smile warming our hearts.

He was so popular, in fact, that he became a television spokesman for a soft drink company telling viewers they picked the right choice and they picked the right one with the familiar ``uh huh'' refrain.

Mr. Speaker, Ray Charles was inducted into the Blues Foundation's Hall of Fame in 1982 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll's Hall of Fame in its inaugural year 1986. And I was honored last year to be at the NAACP Gala in Los Angeles when they gave him the highest award, the America's Outstanding Citizen and Entertainer of the Decade Award.

I would like to extend my condolences to the family, friends and fans of Ray Charles. Oh, how beautiful America was with the genius of Ray Charles.

Ray Charles, ``I Can't Stop Loving You.''

I support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 449 and commend my friend and colleague, Mr. Burns of Georgia, for bringing this resolution, honoring the life and many accomplishments of the late Ray Charles, to the House floor for consideration today.

Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia on September 23, 1930. When he was only seven, he lost his eyesight to glaucoma. As a teenager, his family sent Ray to the St. Augustine School for the Deaf and Blind, where he learned to read and write music in Braille.

At the age of 15, Ray graduated from St. Augustine and went out on the road as a traveling musician. Throughout the 1950s, his young career began taking off, as evidenced by the fact that during this period of his career, he played at Carnegie Hall and the Newport Jazz Festival.

From 1960 to 1966, he won 9 of his 12 Grammy awards, as he forged a unique style, incorporating elements of jazz, blues, country and western, swing, and gospel. In addition he was a very talented pianist, who could also play the saxophone and had a voice that was distinctive in both tone and range.

A few of his major hits include ``What'd I Say,'' ``Hit the Road, Jack,'' ``I Can't Stop Loving You,'' and ``Georgia on My Mind,'' which became the state's official song as he made it one of his signature performances.

Amazingly enough, his popularity continued well into the 1990s, almost 40 years after he started. In 1993, he won his last Grammy for ``A Song For You.''

Sadly, Ray Charles died earlier this month, at the age of 73 on June 10, 2004 after a lengthy illness.

Ray Charles once stated ``I just want to make my mark, leave something musically good behind.'' It is certain that he left more than something ``musically good behind''--he left behind a legacy as one of the finest and greatest American musicians of the late 20th century. He will be sorely missed.

I urge all of my colleagues in the House to join me in approving this measure.