This portrait is honor of the memory of the late, great Ray Charles, one of my all-time musical heroes.

When Jamie Foxx was interviewed after receiving the Oscar for portraying Charles in the film ‘Ray‘, he told an interesting story that illustrates part of the magic that was Ray Charles. Foxx, who began studying piano at the age of three, prepared for the

role of Ray Charles by rehearsing music with Ray Charles himself. The actor describes him as a tough teacher. ”We got a chance to sing the blues with each other, and I hit the wrong note, and he said, ‘why the hell would you do that?’ And I said ’I don't know

Ray‘. And he said, ’the notes are right underneath your fingers, and all you gotta do is take time out to find the right note. That's what life is, we all got notes underneath our fingers and we gotta take time to find the right notes, to come up with our own music.’”