by erin thursby scopes1925@msn.com
What: I Can’t Stop Loving you
When: January 25th @ 7:30PM
Where: UNF Fine Arts Center
This tribute to Ray Charles is more focused on the music itself, the successful part of Charles’ life, rather than the bleak realities of his heroine addiction or the trail of illegitimate children he fathered. He’s remembered by fans for the good he did in the world, for the soul he put into the music, for the love of music so intense that it was expressed in every note, even when he was singing about heartache. People remember that he stood up for world peace and against segregation. Despite the fact that Jamie Foxx’s Ray brought all his demons to the fore of the public consciousness, the most important thing has always been, and always will be, his incredible musical talent.
EU spoke by phone to Regi Brown, one of the singers in the show and a former Raelette who traveled with the late Ray Charles. As she speaks about Ray, there’s a respect and fondness in her voice. When I asked her why she thought he had such an impact on music, Brown replied: “You feel Ray. You know there’s singers that perform and they sound good, but you don’t feel them in your heart…I think…you feel him through his lyrics, through his delivery, the way he would express a song and internalize it…People make love to [Ray’s songs], they propose [to Ray’s songs] and they change their lives…He has a healing property and Ray had that effect on people. Wherever we toured, all over the world, people just loved him.”
The show began playing to West End audiences in England for 3 months, with an overseas tour of 6 months. The tribute has now hopped back across the pond, with a few modifications, and will be touring the country through May. After a short hiatus, the show will again be playing to audiences for a 5 month Monte Carlo run. With energetic dance numbers, a 15 piece orchestra and singers that can really belt it out, this show is sure to have the audience clappin’ and toe-tappin’.
Brown has plenty of “Ray stories,” though she coyly says she “can’t give up all the secrets.” But, she recounts her audition with “Mr. Ray” and proudly speaks of his compliments of her voice as though they are well worn memories that will forever be keepsakes in her mind. She also told a story that illustrated how much of a stickler Ray could be when it came to music.
“It was a televised program, and Ray, in the middle of the show, pushes his finger down on the piano ‘ding, ding, ding’ and he said (not to me, to one of the other performers) ‘Baby, I can’t hear this note. You ain’t singin’ your note loud enough, sing it out!’ In the middle of a television performance! He didn’t care; he wanted it to be right. He was a perfectionist.”
Of the 33 songs that are featured in the piece, Brown most certainly has a favorite, ‘Unchain My Heart.’
“It’s moments in the show where the Raelettes are featured (doing background of course) but they’re featured in that stance—you know the Raelettes used to sing in huddle…It gives me goose bumps because it reminds me of that time when I was singing with the girls.”
I Can’t Stop Loving You will only be in Jacksonville for one night, on the 25th. Call (904) 620-2878 or go to www.unf.edu/fineartscenter/performances for ticketing info.
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