Ray Charles Net Worth

The late singer and recording artist Ray Charles is one of the most revered musicians of the 20th century, and he had an estimated net worth of approximately $100 million to go along with his vaunted reputation. But he didn't always have a net worth like that – in fact, he came from incredibly humble and impoverished beginnings before he found huge success in the music industry. Due to glaucoma, Charles was completely blind before his 8th birthday. This didn't prevent him from getting an early start in music, though – he began playing in a band known as The Florida Playboys in Orlando and Tampa, FL. After this phase of his life, he eventually moved to Seattle (because it was the large city he considered farthest away from his Florida home). It was in 1953 that he scored his first big hit single after signing with Atlantic Records. "Mess Around" was not only popular in its day, but remains one of Charles' most popular songs. From there, Charles continued to get bigger and bigger, eventually being one of the first artists to have real crossover success in pop music. His star didn't stop rising there, though, eventually going on to host Saturday Night Live and appear in The Blues Brothers. While his personal life, as shown in the popular movie Ray, was not free of tumult, it's his music that will be most remembered as the years go on.

Ray Charles Articles

• Who are the richest people in the world?
• Sugar Ray Leonard Net Worth
• Benny Medina Net Worth
• James Brown Net Worth
• Billy Joel Net Worth
• Musiq Soulchild Net Worth

Brian Warner

Prior to launching Celebrity Net Worth, Brian spent seven years as the Managing Editor of one of the largest entertainment portals on the internet. Before that, Brian attended Georgetown University where he double majored in finance and marketing. A native of Northern California, Brian currently resides in Los Angeles. Follow him on Google+.