Petition To Put Ray Charles On The $10 Bill

I was browsing for some info on something i heard jello biafra saying an an old spoken word disk and i stumbled upon this article. Kind of made me chuckle a bit....


Petition To Put Ray Charles On The $10 Bill

We are signing this petition as an appeal to place the image of Ray Charles on the U.S. Treasury's ten dollar bill. Upon Mr. Charles' recent passing, we are reminded of the impact this great American had on the development of American culture and music.

Known as "The Genius" since the early 1950s, Ray Charles is a founding father of modern rhythm and blues, jazz, rock and gopsel music. In the course of his remarkable life and career, Mr. Charles overcame personal adversity in the forms of blindness, extreme poverty, racial oppression and drug-addiction to become one of the most innovative and respected musicians of the 20th century. In doing so, he embodies the most cherished ideals of the American character: self-reliance, courage and sacrifice.

We credit the position of cultural esteem our country enjoys today to the innovations of artistic visionaries like Ray Charles; and we should recognize him as an exemplar of his profession. Building on the jazz tradition -- America¹s classical music and our greatest contribution to world culture -- Mr. Charles fused all genres of our country¹s roots music -- including blues, gospel, folk and country -- into a recognizable whole; a unique music called "soul." His soul music has proved capable of reaching across class, race, religious and social lines to touch all Americans on an emotional level. His songs "Hit the Road Jack" and "What'd I Say" have become American classics; his rendition of "Georgia On My Mind" has been designated the official State song of Georgia; and his recording of "America the Beautiful" has become a modern hymn, if not the unofficial national anthem of the United States.

Born Ray Charles Robinson on Sept. 23, 1930 in Albany, GA, he was raised in extreme poverty in Greenville, Florida at the height of the Great Depression. Mr. Charles lost his sight at the age of seven, and was sent as a charity case to the Florida State School for the Blind at St. Augustine where he was taught basket weaving and allowed to pursue music. While at the school his mother died, and Charles was orphaned. Soon after, he left the school to pursue a career in music.

From these humble beginnings, Mr. Charles went on to spend more than 50 years in show business. He built a career that defied genre, bringing his soulful voice, keyboard prowess and songwriting and arranging talent to the pop, country and R&B charts. Among his innumerable awards, he has been the recipient of the National Medal of Arts (from President Clinton); the Kennedy Center Honors; membership in the Rhythm & Blues, Jazz and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame; 12 Grammy Awards, including the Lifetime Achievement Grammy; the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame distinction; and the Commander of Fine Arts and Letters from the French government.

We enthusiastically encourage the United States Treasury to place the image of the incomparable American musician Ray Charles on its ten dollar bill. In conjunction with the Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea dollars, this new bill would show that our country has begun to make a concerted effort to honor Americans of distinction who have lived and worked outside the political realm.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned:

The Derek Trucks Band: Derek Trucks, Yonrico Scott, Kofi Burbridge, Todd Smallie and Mike Mattison
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