America lost another great one. Music legend Ray Charles passed away yesterday at 73. I have an early memory of my parents taking me and my brothers to see a free Ray Charles concert in Boston. It must have been the late 1970s. I was young but impressed--not a bad first concert. His version of America, the Beautiful is inspiring, but when remembering Ray Charles I strangely keep coming back to the hilarious scene in The Blues Brothers when the blind musician catches a young thief in his music store. He was multitalented, I guess. Ray Charles sang about Georgia on My Mind. Today, all of America has Ray Charles in their hearts.

Ray Charles made you feel good just seeing him, even in a commercial. Maybe it was the permanent smile on his face and his happy voice. God Bless you Ray.