Ray Charles, born September 23, 1930 in Albany, Georgia, led a extraordinary life, probably unlike any other popular artist of his time. He grew up in the deep South in utter poverty without a father. He lost his eye-sight at the age of seven, and his mother, who meant everything to him, at age 15. Alone and blind, without family and under the yoke of brutal racism he struggled his way through early youth, and through years on the road under segregation, as an unusually talented pianist, song-writer, arranger and singer to be acclaimed a musical genius at the age of 32.

„He will take gospel-songs - the rythmic hot-blooded spirituals he loves best - and change the words. Man will replace God. Sweet baby will stand for the blessed Madonna...and if he’s going back, he might as well go back all the way - back home to the church, the country blues, to the very beginning in Greenville, Florida, where his deepest and most passionate relationship to music was forged“ (from the autobiography „Brother Ray“ by Ray Charles and David Ritz)

„Ron Williams, the Californian living in Munich, Germany, after his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King jr. seems to have found the second greatest role of his life as Ray Charles in „Play It Again, Ray!“. Down to the smallest details of the walk, speech and mimic of the legendary blind musician, he seems to have captured the essence of the man who never considered himself a cripple and who was determined to live his life independently and absolutely without the help of strangers. So impressive this metamorphose is optically - it is even more acoustically. Ron really does sound like Ray! Supporting Williams is an astounding cast of performers and stars like Lacy Darryl Phillipps and the soulful-powerhouse voices of Linda Field and Gina Dunn, two of the Raellettes, backed up by the exhilarating sound of a 15-man black and white big-band. The heart-wrenching highlight was Elton John’s „Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word“ in a scene between ‘Ray’ and ‘Bee’ where the absolute misery of his then heroin addiction is manifested.“
(Westfälische Rundschau)

RonWilliams as Ray is perfect casting. Born in Oakland, California, USA he discovered his fascination for music at age 7 and his love of R&B/ Soul at 12. Ray Charles and his music are part of his musical life. At 21, he started his career as a professional singer - actor, radio-DJ, TV-host and entertainer. He has appeared in more than 900 TV-shows including over 300 of his own. In acknowledgement for his personal engagement in the media against racism and xenophobia, and his „Tour for Tolerance“ in more than 80 German High-Schools, he received the Federal Cross of Merit in 2004 from the President of the Federal Republic of Germany.

His Life And His Hits
Resurrection of a legend - Ovations for Ray and Ron!

The „Rayincarnation“