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

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    A statue of a person sitting on a bench

    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.”