Directed and produced by Taylor Hackford. Written by James L. White.

Ray Charles

• [about his love for country music] I love the stories. You know about fallin' in love and have love knock you around, and then the pressures of the world on you so tough, it makes you feel small. You just want to give your soul to God. You might as well, your ass belongs to Him.

• George, I miss you. I miss you, George.

Others

• Aretha Robinson: Always remember your promise to me. Never let nobody or nothin' turn you into no cripple.

• Della Bea Robinson: [about one of Ray's sons] He isn't my gift to you, he's your son.

Dialogue

Quincy Jones: Say, daddy-o, what axe you play?

Ray Charles: Uh, piano. Just blew in from Tampa, Florida. Me and my partner, Gossie McGee, came here, you know, want to fatten up our style. Cop some licks from some more experienced cats, you dig?

Quincy Jones: You know what? Why don't you let me take you inside? You know, show you around.

Ray Charles: All right. Perfect gentleman.

Quincy Jones: Yeah, this is just like my place. So, what's your name?

Ray Charles: Ray Robinson.

Quincy Jones: I'm Quincy Jones.

Ray Charles: Could you do me a favor and close that bag?

Quincy Jones: What's wrong with you? You got two hands. You can close it yourself.

Ray Charles: I got two feet too. Could you close that bag?

Quincy Jones: [chuckling] I got it.

Gossie McGee: [about Jack Lauderdale] You need watching out for and he ain't got time to look after you the way I been looking after you.

Ray Charles: Is that what you been doing, Gossie, watching out for me? Is that why you get paid double what I do?

Gossie McGee: Who told you that?

Ray Charles: Well it's true, ain't it? You and Marlene been gaming me since I got here.

Marlene Andres: Ray, baby, listen...

Ray Charles: I ain't got to listen to you!

Gossie McGee: Listen Ray, I been meaning to talk to you about that.

Ray Charles: Then why aren't you talking?

Gossie McGee: Look Ray, let's do nothing stupid.

Ray Charles: I might be blind but I ain't stupid!

[Jerry and Ahmet listen to Ray perform "I Got a Woman".]

Jerry Wexler: Ahmet.

Ahmet Ertegun: Yeah?

Jerry Wexler: We gotta get this on wax.

Ahmet Ertegun: Oh, yeah.

Ray Charles: I hear like you see. Like that hummingbird outside the window, for instance.

Della Bea Robinson: [astonished] I can't hear her.

Ray Charles: You have to listen.

Della Bea Robinson: [closes her eyes and hears the hummingbird] Yes!

Ray Charles: Yeah. Yes, you can... Uh-oh. Did you hear that?

Della Bea Robinson: What?

Ray Charles: Her heart just skipped a beat.

Ray Charles: Miss Antoine, it's been two weeks.

Della Bea Robinson: It's been three.

[They kiss and she pushes him inside]

Ray Charles: Well, where's the preacher at and the wife?

Della Bea Robinson: They're in Dallas till Monday.

Ray Charles: Well, hallelujah!

[After Ray and Della Bea finish making love]

Ray Charles: I want you to promise me something. Promise me you're gonna always tell me the truth just like you did before. Don't feel sorry for me just because I'm blind.

Della Bea Robinson: How can I pity someone I admire?

George Robinson: I'm a giant! [falls into a washtub]

Young Ray Robinson: Some giant.

Aretha Robinson: Somebody'll fetch you when the bus gets to St. Augustine. When your there, show 'em this. [shows Ray a name tag] Tell them your name is Ray Charles Robinson. An' them sandwiches I made, don't eat them all at once... ya hear me?

Young Ray Robinson: [starting to cry] Mama... please don't make me go away. I'll keep up with the normal kids. I'll be good, just like George.

Aretha Robinson: This ain't got nothin' to do with George... I've taken you as far as I can, baby. The teachers at St. Augustine know things I can't teach you. An' you need an education in this world.

Young Ray Robinson: I don't want no education!

Aretha Robinson: Shh! don't say that!

Young Ray Robinson: I don't! I wanna stay here with you!

Aretha Robinson: Stop it, Ray! I won't have you livin' hand to mouth like me, you hear? [Ray nods] Now... If you wanna do something to make Mama proud, promise me you'll never let nobody turn you into no cripple... You won't become no charity case. An’ you will always stand on your own two feet.

Young Ray Robinson: I promise.

Aretha Robinson: I love you baby... I'm so proud of you.

Ray Charles: I have a question for all of you: How would like to go on the road with me?

Margie Hendricks: Um, how much are you gonna pay us?

Ray Charles: Ahmet takes care of all of that.

Margie Hendricks: You mean he don't listen to you?

Ray Charles: You better know he does. Don't worry about it. Brother Ray will take care of all of you.

Margie Hendricks: Well my mama taught me to take care of myself, honey.

Ray Charles: Well is your mother here?

Margie Hendricks: No she's not, but I speak for us.

Ray Charles: Okay Speak For Us, how about $20 a week?

Margie Hendricks: We'll take $40. Each.

Ray Charles: $40 each?

Margie Hendricks: You heard me.

Ray Charles: Naw! How about $25?

Margie Hendricks: We'll take $30.

Ray Charles: I better say yes before you talk me out of my drawers.

[The Cookies cheer and laugh]

Ray Charles: Is it a deal?

Margie Hendricks: Oh! Yeah!

Ray Charles: From now on you guys are gonna be called the Raylettes.

Margie Hendricks: Does that mean we have to "let Ray"?

Ray Charles: Oh, what am I gonna do with you?

Margie Hendricks: I'm sure you'll think of something.

Della Bea Robinson: [just discovered Ray's drug problem] That stuff kills people, Ray. Now you've gotta stop it.

Ray Charles: I don't have to do a GODDAMN thing!

Ray Charles: Margie is drunk, Jeff. You should go home and sleep it off.

Jeff Brown: Margie, come on now, let me take you home.

Margie Hendricks: No, I'll leave when I'm good and goddamn ready to!

Ray Charles: She's good and goddamn ready right now.

Margie Hendricks: Why don't you make me leave this, sucker! Teach you to treat me like some piece of meat!

[Ray is recording "Georgia on My Mind".]

Margie Hendricks: Listen to that crap. I thought you said ABC wasn't gonna force that nothing on him.

Jeff Brown: They didn't. It was Ray's idea. Something new.

Margie Hendricks: Well, what are we then, Jeff? Something old?

Fathead Newman: Yeah, what about us? We got to eat too.

Ray Charles: You know what they're saying about me? Said I lost something. Said I've gone middle-of-the-road. They might as well say the same thing about you. You were the soul of this band, now every time you're around, you're just drunk. The drunk soul of a blind junkie. What a lovely couple. Why don't you just get outta here?

Margie Hendricks: I ain't drunk, Ray. I'm pregnant. Yeah, that's right. I'm having your baby.

Ray Charles: There's some things you're not understandin'...

Della Bea Robinson: Well, make me understand, Ray!

Ray Charles: Baby, when I walk out that door, I walk out alone in the dark! I'm trying to do something that ain't nobody ever done in music and business. But I can't do it if I'm alone everwhere I go. I don't want to be alone here, Bea. Not in my own home. Look, Bea, if you don't understand me, then who will?

Della Bea Robinson: I don't know, Ray.

Fathead Newman: Ray, this fool, Joe Adams, is trying to fine for me for being late.

Ray Charles: What time did you get here?

Fathead Newman: What? Just now. The band's still setting up. Jeff never...

Joe Adams: I'm not Jeff.

Fathead Newman: That's a fact, Jack.

Jeff Brown: Ray, you said the band was my thing.

Ray Charles: That's right, I did.

Jeff Brown: Fathead, you go on back to rehearsal.

Fathead Newman: Ray! You know how it is, you've been there.

Jeff Brown: Fathead, go on now. I'll take care of this. Ray, you want to tell me what the hell is going on.

Joe Adams: I'm not doing anything I haven't been asked to do. Ray's running a business. He shouldn't have to waste time hearing why people were late.

Jeff Adams: I'm not talking to you, Joe. I'm talking to Ray.

Ray Charles: [accuses Jeff of stealing] Promoters swear that you did side deals so that you could strip my overages. How could you do that? We've been through so much. We were like brothers.

Jeff Brown: You know, Ray... if we were like brothers, why are you paying Joe more than you're paying me?

Ray Charles: Damn all that. You broke my heart, man.

Jeff Brown: You know what, Ray? You broke mine a long goddamn time ago.

Ray Charles: Well, there it is.

Jeff Brown: [walks away] You know something, Ray? You're gonna get yours one day. And I pray to God he has mercy on you soul, you son of a bitch!

Joe Adams: [walks out of his office] Everything all right, Ray?

Ray Charles: How the hell do you think it is?

Della Bea Robinson: The only thing that can help you is God, Ray!

Ray Charles: Don't you talk about God! You have any idea how it feels to go blind and still be afraid of the dark? And every day, you stand and pray just for a little light, and you don't get nothing. Cause God don't listen to people like me.

Della Bea Robinson: Stop talking like that, Ray.

Ray Charles: As far as I'm concerned, me and God is even, and I do what I damn well please. And goddamnit, if I wanna shoot, I'm gonna shoot up.

[Della Bea talks about Ray's drug problem.]

Della Bea Robinson: You have got to stop this now.

Ray Charles: No, don't say that, Bea. You know I love more then anythin'.

Della Bea Robinson: There is something that you love more then me and them boys, more then all the women you ever slept with on the road, more then all the dope you ever took.

Ray Charles: What are you talkin' about?

Della Bea Robinson: [shouts] It's your music! And if you keep usin' that needle, they're gonna take away your music and put you in jail. [starts to cry] Is that poison worth losin' everything?

[last lines]

Della Bea Robinson: If only your mama was here.

Ray Charles: She's here. She ain't never left.

[last title card]

Title card: Ray kept his promise. He never touched heroin again.

Title card: As celebrated as he became, he never forgot his roots, contributing over $20 million to African-American Colleges and charities for the deaf and blind.

Taglines

• The extraordinary life of Ray Charles. A man who fought harder and went further than anyone could imagine.

• The one thing more extraordinary than the music is the man behind it: Ray Charles.

Cast

• Jamie Foxx - Ray Charles
• Sharon Warren - Aretha Robinson
• Kerry Washington - Della Bea Robinson
• Regina King - Margie Hendricks
• Larenz Tate - Quincy Jones
• Curtis Armstrong - Ahmet Ertegun
• Richard Schiff - Jerry Wexler
• C.J. Sanders - Young Ray Robinson