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A birthday tribute to Ray Charles takes place in his childhood hometown this Friday

A bronze statue of Ray Charles graces Greenville's city park. Nearby is his childhood home, as shown by these exterior and interior views.
Images courtesy of Visit Florida
A bronze statue of Ray Charles graces Greenville's city park. Nearby is his childhood home, as shown by these exterior and interior views.

The world-famous musician known as Ray Charles died in 2004 and would have been 92 years old this Friday. In his memory, 2 Tallahassee musicians will celebrate Ray Charles' birthday in the town where he grew up.
One half of the duo Hot Tamale, Adrian Fogelin thinks Ray Charles deserves the greatest admiration.

"I think he's one of those musicians who becomes part of the bloodstream of the country. And the fact that he's from this area." she exclaimed.

Charles, while born in Albany, Georgia, grew up in Greenville, Florida, just 40 miles east of Tallahassee. There's a bronze statue of Charles in the town square. And that's where Hot Tamale's Craig Reeder said the party will take place this Friday evening at 6:00 p.m.

"We're going to play acoustically - without amplifiers - all the Ray Charles songs we know. We also expect a couple of our musician friends to show up and we're welcoming any other musicians that want to come and join us."

A fitting tribute to the musician so many called "The Genius."

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Tom Flanigan has been with WFSU News since 2006, focusing on covering local personalities, issues, and organizations. He began his broadcast career more than 30 years before that and covered news for several radio stations in Florida, Texas, and his home state of Maryland.

Find complete bio, contact info, and more stories. here.