Usher Raymond in the News

Ray Charles Tribute

Night and Ray

Tribute concert honors late, great Charles.

Posthumous tribute concerts, particularly those produced for network television, while admirable, are difficult to pull off. Slick production and artists' showboating can sap an event of its intended sincerity and render performances flat, flagrantly self-promoting or downright hokey. But last Friday's "Genius: A Night for Ray Charles" left all in attendance genuinely convinced of the love and respect that participating artists and the entertainment industry at large have for the late singer.

Perhaps that's because the star-studded event, which will air Oct. 22 on CBS to coincide with the nationwide release of the new Ray Charles biopic "Ray" on Oct. 29, was actually organized before the singer's death last June of liver failure.

"You know, Ray was supposed to perform tonight," said Randy Phillips, one of the producers of the event, a fund-raiser for the non-profit Charles founded in 1987, the Robinson Foundation for Hearing Disorders.

The idea for Friday night's concert, explained Phillips, was conceived several months ago during an advance screening of "Ray." He was so moved by Charles' story and by Jamie Foxx's performance (critics predict that Foxx's portrayal of the singer will garner him an Oscar nomination), that he immediately began shopping the idea for a tribute concert to the networks.

"Of course, then Ray passed away and the event suddenly took on a whole new meaning," added Phillips.

But as Charles' longtime friend, producer Quincy Jones, told the sold-out crowd on Friday, his buddy Ray wouldn't have wanted a "pity party."

"Ray knew how to live," said Jones. "And he could probably out-party every male in this audience."

That explains the prevailing party atmosphere inside Los Angeles' Staples Center. Seats didn't stay warm for long because, for most of the night, the audience wasn't in them.

The Rev. Al Green's tent revival rendition of "What'd I Say," for instance, not only had the crowd on its feet but had them literally dancing in the aisles. And when Green shouted "baby, shake that thing right now," they did.

The old school rubbed shoulders with the new school, legends such as Elton John, Stevie Wonder and B.B. King joining legends-on-the-rise Usher, Norah Jones and Mary J. Blige to honor not only the work of a groundbreaking artist, but also the accomplishments of a truly exceptional man.

"He helped make America a more beautiful and just nation," said guest presenter Tom Cruise, referring to the part Charles and his music both played in black Americans' fight for civil rights.

The overall diversity of Friday night's lineup was a resounding testament to the lasting influence Charles has had on American culture and to his unique ability to reach, with his music, listeners of every color, race, background and age.

"My name is Usher Raymond IV," announced the 25-year-old R&B superstar (as if he needed any introduction), before blowing the audience away with a big-band version of one of Charles' best-recognized tunes, "Georgia on My Mind."

"This was a pretty special night," said Phillips after the show. "Sometimes, not very often, all the stars just align. And tonight was definitely one of those nights."

Genius: A Night For Ray Charles

Source: San Francisco Examiner