RAY CHARLES IN CONCERT

Ray Charles in concert

In 1962 Ray Charles had one of his biggest hits--I Can't Stop Loving You.  We heard it all the time that summer on Jekyll Island.  And wonder of wonders, Ray Charles was giving a concert in Savannah near the end of that summer.  We were beyond excited.  I was asked to go with the golden boy of Jekyll, who looked like the Marlboro Man, only better.  Wayne was a tall, blond, tanned and muscular young man of 23 who was divorced!  These facts lent him a certain glamour and sophistication that the college boy lifeguards could not begin to approach.  In the winter Wayne worked in construction, but in the summer he and his brother ran a beauty salon.  If Wayne was having a slow day doing hair, he would run past our all glass restaurant in his electric blue bathing suit on his way to the pool.  Then my friend Jane and I would roll our eyes and sigh heavily, wishing we did not have to be good little girls until we got married.  But we did not want to get pregnant and Have To Get Married as a boy Jane was dating  had just done.  Although very taken with Jane this young man then heard that his former girlfriend was expecting and a quick wedding was arranged.  That's how thing were done in 1962.

We arrived at the concert late and realized all the seats were already taken by Black people which was only fair.  Then we saw that there were only four other White people at the concert.  The tables were turned; we were in the minority.  So we trudged up the stairs of some ancient bleachers and sat by ourselves.  When Mr. Charles, accompanied by the Raylettes, appeared, there was mass hysteria.  As he sang his hit songs, there was singing in the audience, there was dancing and clapping, there were screams of delight and joyous laughter.  We were all having a good old time with Ray Charles.  And when he sang I Can't Stop Loving You, we all went crazy.  Color lines disappeared.  We were just a bunch of people swaying to the music and falling in love with Ray.