Brother Ray
Ray Charles' Own Story
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Narrated by:
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Andrew L. Barnes
About this listen
Overcoming poverty, blindness, the loss of his parents, and the pervasive racism of the era, Ray Charles was acclaimed worldwide as a genius by the age of 32. By combining the influences of gospel, jazz, blues, and country music, he invented, almost single-handedly, what became known as "soul". And throughout a career spanning more than a half century, Ray Charles remained in complete control of his life and his music, allowing nobody to tell him what he could or couldn't do.
The San Francisco Chronicle calls Brother Ray "an emotional blast as vivid and real, sweaty and straight talking as the man himself".
©1992, 2003, 2004 David Ritz; 1978 Ray Charles and David Ritz (P)2005 Blackstone AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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As a cofounding member of the Beach Boys in the 1960s, Wilson created some of the most groundbreaking and timeless popular music ever recorded. With intricate harmonies, symphonic structures, and wide-eyed lyrics that explored life's most transcendent joys and deepest sorrows, songs like "In My Room", "God Only Knows", and "Good Vibrations" forever expanded the possibilities of pop songwriting.
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Surviving the Minor Keys in Life - Love Overcomes
- By Russell on 12-01-16
By: Brian Wilson, and others
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Save Me from Myself
- How I Found God, Quit Korn, Kicked Drugs, and Lived to Tell My Story
- By: Brian "Head" Welch
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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In February 2005, more than 10,000 people in Bakersfield, California, watched as Brian “Head” Welch—the former lead guitarist of the controversial rock band Korn—was saved by Jesus Christ. The event set off a media frenzy as observers from around the world sought to understand what led this rock star out of the darkness and into the light.
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Another Way
- By jerry on 04-22-14
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Relentless
- The Memoir
- By: Yngwie J. Malmsteen
- Narrated by: Yngwie J. Malmsteen, Fred Berman
- Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Yngwie Malmsteen's revolutionary guitar style - combining elements of classical music with the speed and volume of heavy metal - made him a staple of the 80s rock scene. Decades later, he's still a legend among guitarists, having sold 11 million albums and influenced generations of rockers since. In Relentless, Malmsteen shares his personal story, from the moment he burst onto the scene seemingly out of nowhere in the early 80s to become a household name in the annals of heavy metal.
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Bloviations
- By David A. Kaplowitz on 12-29-19
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Mustaine
- A Heavy Metal Memoir
- By: Dave Mustaine, Joe Layden
- Narrated by: Tom Wayland
- Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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James Hetfield, with whom many years ago Mustaine founded a band known as Metallica, once observed, with some incredulity, that Mustaine must have been born with a horseshoe up his ass. That's how lucky he's been, how fortunate he is to be pulling breath after so many close calls. And Hetfield is right. Mustaine has been lucky. He has been blessed. But here's the thing about having a horseshoe lodged in your rectum: It also hurts like hell. And you never forget it's there.
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peace sells...I'm buying!!!
- By michael on 09-19-10
By: Dave Mustaine, and others
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Keith Richards
- The Unauthorised Biography
- By: Victor Bockris
- Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney
- Length: 20 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1992, Victor Bockris' celebrated biography was the first to recognize Richards' pivotal role in the legend of the Rolling Stones. Now that book on rock's most incredible survivor has been expanded. Here are the true facts behind Richards' battles with his demons: the women, the drugs and the love-hate relationship with Jagger. His struggle with heroin and his status as the rock star most likely to die in the 1970s. His scarcely believable rebirth as a family man in the 1980s. Illuminated with revealing quotes and thoughtful insights into the man behind the band that goes on forever.
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doesn't comapre to LIFE
- By A. Garofalo on 02-20-14
By: Victor Bockris
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My Life with Earth, Wind & Fire
- By: Maurice White, Herb Powell
- Narrated by: Dion Graham
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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The late Grammy-winning founder of the legendary pop/R&B/soul/funk/disco group tells his story and charts the rise of his legendary band in this sincere memoir that captures the heart and soul of an artist whose groundbreaking sound continues to influence music today. With a foreword by David Foster.
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Maurice--Earth, Wind and Fire
- By Linda Ealey on 02-28-17
By: Maurice White, and others
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My Cross to Bear
- By: Gregg Allman, Alan Light
- Narrated by: Will Patton
- Length: 10 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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As one of the greatest rock icons of all time, Gregg Allman has lived it all and then some. For almost 50 years, he's been creating some of the most recognizable songs in American rock, but never before has he paused to reflect on the long road he's traveled. Now, he tells the unflinching story of his life, laying bare the unvarnished truth about his wild ride that has spanned across the years.
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my cross to bear was awesome
- By the dude on 05-02-12
By: Gregg Allman, and others
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Hit Hard
- By: Joey Kramer
- Narrated by: Holter Graham
- Length: 6 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1997, amid Aerosmith's sold-out world tour and number one album release, Joey revealed in an interview his ongoing struggles with depression. The response from fans and people battling those same internal demons was overwhelming. Joey now tells the complete story: the early days of the band, glamorous drug-addled events leading up to their eventual sobriety, battles within his family and among bandmates, and the explosive internal dynamics in Aerosmith.
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The things we never knew
- By bluestar on 08-22-18
By: Joey Kramer
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Remembering Whitney
- My Story of Love, Loss, and the Night the Music Stopped
- By: Cissy Houston
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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On the eve of the 2012 Grammy Awards, the world learned of a stunning tragedy: Whitney Houston, unquestionably one of the most remarkable and powerful voices in all of music, had been silenced forever. Over the weeks and months that followed, family, friends, and fans alike tried to understand how such a magnificent talent and beautiful soul could have been taken so early and so unexpectedly. Honest and heartbreaking, this is a mother's story of tears, joy, and her greatest love of all: her daughter, Whitney.
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Nobody Knows Whitney Better Than Mama
- By Kimberly Davis on 04-20-14
By: Cissy Houston
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Anger Is an Energy
- My Life Uncensored
- By: John Lydon
- Narrated by: Derek Perkins
- Length: 18 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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John Lydon is an icon - one of the most recognizable and influential cultural figures of the last 40 years. As Johnny Rotten, he was the lead singer of the Sex Pistols, the world's most notorious band. The Pistols shot to fame in the mid-1970s with songs such as "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen". So incendiary was their impact at the time that in their native England, the Houses of Parliament questioned whether they violated the Traitors and Treasons Act.
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I Just Can't
- By notamatopoeia on 12-30-15
By: John Lydon
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Got The Life
- By: Fieldy
- Narrated by: William Dufris
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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By all appearances, Fieldy had the life. But he was on the dark path of excess, alienating friends, families, and loved ones, nearly destroying himself and the band. It took an unexpected tragedy to straighten him out: the death of his father, a born-again Christian, to a mysterious illness. Following his father's dying wish, Fieldy found God. Filled with the spirit of his new faith, Fieldy quit drugs and drinking cold turkey, and found the best part of himself.
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Good story, poor Narrator!
- By Aaron on 11-01-11
By: Fieldy
What listeners say about Brother Ray
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Janice h
- 12-11-24
his life was amazing
a lot of cursing! very graphic..I enjoyed it very much!..if you are a fan of Ray you will love it
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- Liz Hicks
- 03-05-24
Strength
This was an excellent book about Ray Charles...the determination and strength that he had throughout his life. a must read!
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- Charles
- 04-26-12
Very Candid
Recommended if you really want to know Brother Ray, but be prepared for his candor. He makes no excuses and offers no apologies for his choices. His was a fascinating life and he was an amazing talent. I thought I knew something about him, but how little I knew was revealed with this memoir.
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- Harry McCoy
- 01-13-21
GREAT book. Terrible read.
The book is a must read for anyone who wants to know about Ray Charles. He told his own story in his own voice and wow, he didn't pull any punches. And sure, he's been dead for a long time now and can't read it himself, but this read is awful. There are paragraphs that have obviously been pieced together from different takes, sentences that the narrator is evidently reading for the first time, and name pronunciations that are plain embarrassing (Ahmet Ertegun & Dinah Washington are rolling in their graves).
Absolutely recommended to read a hard copy yourself, avoid this audio slap-dash-to-make-another-buck-offa-Brother Ray.
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- Janet
- 10-28-05
Very enlightening
This book was very interesting if a bit graphic. I had seen the movie & it got me interested to learn more about Ray Charles & this book satisfied my curiosity. Great narrator.
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- Notsokeen
- 10-15-20
I appreciate his gifts...
Ray Charles was undoubtedly a gifted, driven person. He grew from a childhood rich in love, poor in material security. He rose above the challenges life presented him. He lived life on his own terms and with total disregard of the people in his life that lived him. I did not like the guy. His objectifying and verbiage describing women is disgusting and vile. The other painted a clear picture of this very human man.
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- Benjamin Button
- 02-02-23
Extraordinary life story
Loved this autobiography about Brother Ray. He was truthful and honest about his life, including his opinions about the world and ideas for the future.
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- AngieGirl
- 05-02-21
ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS
I truly enjoyed this book. I felt like some of the more "juicier" details of his life were omitted, but that was "their right". The most memorable part to me was the way the author described the end of Ray's life.
Ray's strength in face of adversity should motivate others to do more to advance in life.
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- ThatGuyHerb
- 12-09-22
Awesome!!
I love Ray Charles’ music. This book made me miss him. I should have read it years ago. So glad I made it part of my weekly listening time. Brother Ray was indeed one of our great American treasures. So glad he shared his talent and love of music with us. Continue to have a great rest my friend.
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- Cust with 1st review
- 04-20-23
THAT WAS GREAT!
Waaay better than the movie! Most books are. Learned waaaaay more. What an adventure! I love that he wasn’t scared to follow his heart and he is continuously himself, unapologetically, right or wrong. A book I’d read/listen to again 🙌😮💨
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