Ray Charles Is In Town - Chronology 1982

Leon County Civic Center, Tallahassee. Photos by Mickey Adair / Getty.

These 4 fine photos, including the famous one where Ray makes the Victory sign, were shot by Mickey Adair, who remembers that "I asked him for one more and he agreed. I asked his assistant of he could stop him from spinning, which he did. So I moved the camera up to a more normal portrait distance. And there he was. Ray Charles sitting still. I thought somebody should get a picture of this. I asked him to make a peace sign. He said 'A what?' I said, 'Like V for Victory in World War II'. He shrugged his shoulders and his man fashioned his fingers into a peace sign" (see better photo reproductions and read Adair's funny story here).

1982

Regency Artists assigned as exclusive booking agent.
Some time during the year, Ray gave a concert in the UK (probably recorded at Capital jazz Festival, and entitled Ray Charles In The Spotlight; aired in 1983). See this,  this and this. 
He also featured in a production starring Buddy Rich, filmed during three days at the Statler Hotel in New York. See this.
Hallelujah Gospel was a tv special recorded at Crystal Cathedral this year; it first aired in 1983. See this.
And he was on The Woody Herman Show. See this.
Ray was an interviewee on the documentary Percy Mayfield: Poet Laureate Of The Blues. See this.


11 January 1982
Concert in Mexico City.

23 January 1982
Taping of show with Barbara Mandrell & her sisters (aired on 27 February). See this.


25 January 1982
Scheduled to appear at American Music Awards, to be broadcast by ABC, but highly uncertain if Ray made it. See this.

February 1982
Tribute to Count Basie in LA.


18 March 1982
 Concert at unidentified venue.

Photos Brian O'Connor.

30 March 1982
Starring In French TV Show With Michel Legrand (air date; title of the show probably was Le Grand Studio). See this.




2 April 1982
Dade County Youth Fair, Miami FL.

19 April 1982
Crazy Horse Steak House, Santa Ana CA.

23 April 1982
Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica CA.

28 April 1962
Donnelly Memorial Theatre in Boston MA ("He brings his entire aggregation," the Jewish Advocate announced).

30 April - 9 May 1982
Granny's Dinner Playhouse, Dallas TX.

11 May 1982
Lutcher Theater, Beaumont TX; tickets $14-$15.

13 May 1982
At Fifth Regiment Armory, Artscape '82, Baltimore MD.

15 May 1982
DeVos Hall, Grand Rapids MI.

16 May 1982
Concert at Berklee Performance Center in Boston was canceled. "Due to promoter's failure to pay necessary sums as per our agreement, the Ray Charles Show [...] is hereby canceled", Ray's booking agent wrote; conflicting reasons were cited; read this).

18 to 30 May 1982
Drury Lane Theater, Water Tower Place, Oak Brook IL; read this:
"The place was jammed. "Give me Ray Charles any time, even when he's 52 and going gray [...]". The show opened with a driving 17-piece band blasting out a medly of upbeat swing and bop. Tunes like Road Rat[s] and Woody ['n'] B[u]. There were 13 horns. They hit some gorgeous Miles Davis notes on Spain and then left it to the man.
Ray Charles came out in a plaid tuxedo, black patent leather shoes and the black, wrap-around sunglasses he always wore, greeting the crowd with that million-watt, wrap-around smile. Then he was led to a white grand piano, its top off. He began with Busted and Georgia On My Mind, Be Mine [sic? BS] and You Don't Know Me. It almost didn't matter what he sang. His direct emotional appeal was that overpowering.
You could hear the blues-shout style of the South, which was the deepest part of him. He knew city bebop as well, and country rhythms. He even put spice into a whitebread tune like Oh, What a Beautiful Morning. He mixed the foot-stompers with the ballads: Hit The Road Jack, I Can't Stop Lovin[g] You, Don't Change On Me. He even did a yodel or two.
Ray Charles sang 14 songs. He was gorgeous to watch. He never stopped enjoying himself. His feet never stopped moving. And his cracked voice stirred something beautiful in all of us that night."


June 1982
Capitol Music Hall in Nashville. Photo here.

On or around 8 June 1982
Kool Jazz Fest, somewhere in Florida.

11 June 1982
Tampa Theater, Tampa FL.

18 June 1982
W.P.B. Auditorium, West Palm Beach FL; tickets $9-$10.


22 June 1982
At Perkins School for the Blind 150th anniversary, Boston MA ("the man with the amazingly resilient vocal cords shouted, slid words, falsettoed, interpolated witty responses and got downright churchy while fingering articulate lines at the piano"; read this. Unconventional set of pics and docs here; see first three photos below.

Ticket.

Badge.

Photo by John Chase.

24 June 1982
Festival Pavillion, Lake Ontario ON (8,000 fans). From the review in the Globe and Mail:
"Actually, Ray did a lot of laughing last night. He seemed to be in a fine mood, and it seems the older he gets, the more animated. Last night, he almost looked like a caricature of the classic Ray Charles. His hands and legs pumped furiously, like a puppet gone mad. He thrust his head and shoulders back in the classic Ray Charles howl. He bounced up and down on his piano stool as if it was covered with stinging insects. In short, he provided more energy all by himself than the entire Ray Charles Orchestra and The Raylettes put together - and that is not intended as a slur on any of them.
About the only fault I could find in the evening was in Mr. Charles' rather animated tuxedo. Again, as in last year's performance, it looked as if it had been cut from an oriental carpet. But I guess you can't have  everything. Ray Charles gave the audience a dose of classic r&b, soul, jazz and gospel, served up in his own inimitable style. He may no longer be the creative musical force he once was, but he still puts out in the classic style that influenced everyone from Wilson Pickett to Joe Cocker. Long may he bounce."

25 June 1982

Versailles Room at Holiday Inn, Bethesda MD.

29 June 1982

Performing at Jazz Festival at Jardin des Plantes in Montauban.

30 June 1982

Palau Blaugrana, Barcelona.

1 July 1982

Palacio de los Deportes, Madrid. Read review here and here.

2 July 1982

El Gallo Rojo, Alicante.

3 July 1982

Velódromo de Anoeta, San Sebastian.

Ray Charles at (possibly this) concert in San Sebastian.

6 July 1982

On B.A. In Music. See this.

7 or 8 July 1982

Concert in Vienne. See this.

9 July 1982

Auditorium, Palma de Mallorca.
Interviewed (for BBC?) by Ben Wright (starts at 17:25):
Interviewed by Ben Wright:

12 - 14 July 1982
Three days of performances in Israel.
On the 12th at the Sultan's Pool, Mount Zion, Jerusalem.

18 July 1982

At the 13th Festival of the Vieille Ville, Place de l'Hôtel de Ville, Annecy.

20 July 1982

Jazz à Juan, Antibes. See this.

22 July 1983

Lakeside Country Club, Camberley.

23 July 1983

Brighton Centre, Brighton.

24 July 1982

Capital Jazz, Knebworth Park, Knebworth; recorded for TV. See this.

Photos by Brian O'Connor.

Photo Derick A, Thomas (Corbis).

Summer 1982

Signs new record distribution contract with CBS.

.

7 August 1982
Cowboys Inc, Tullahoma TN.

8 August 1982

Garden State Arts Center, Holmdel NJ.

10 Aug 1982
Westin Hotel Terrace, Detroit MI.

2 September 1982

Summer music festival in Santa Fe Springs CA.

4 September 1982

Winter Park Jazz Festival "Jazz In The Rockies", Winter Park CO.

5 September 1982

Big Texas Round-up at Astrohall, Houston TX; with Doc Severinsen.

17 September 1982

Performing Arts Center, Milwaukee WI. ("He showed off while warming up by cramming a swirl of blue notes into a chorus of When the Saints Go Marchin In"; read review here).

Photo by Dale Guldan / Milwaukee Sentinel.

18 September 1982
High School Gym, Dwight IL.

21 to 26 September 1982

Parker's Ballroom, Seattle WA.

27 September 1982

Laxson Auditorium, Chico CA.

9 October 1982

Masson Vineyards, Mountain Winery, Saratoga CA.

23 October 1982

Beacon Theater in New York City NY, with Jean Carn; tickets at $10-$15.

From New York Times, Oct. 15.

Boycott scene at Beacon Theater, from New York Amsterdam News, Oct. 30, 1982. 

24 October 1982

Township Auditorium, Columbia SC.

29 to 31 October 1982

Holiday House (Star Music Theater), Merrillville IN ("the falsetto wail, the gospel fervor, the down-home moans are vintage quality"; read review here).

Late October or early November 1982

Fund-raiser An Eveneing To Remember at Genesis Convention and Exposition Center in Chicago IL.

November 1982

Release of the single Born to Love Me / String Bean.

1 November 1982

NBMA pays tribute to Ray prior to his performance at Constitution Hall, Wadhington DC. The show was televized by TBS; see this.

Clipping from Billboard, Nov. 20.

4 November 1982

Trinity's, Baton Rouge LA.

5 to 7 November 1982

Rockefeller's, Houston TX.

14 November 1982
Pops Unlimited Series, Johnny Mercer Theatre, Savannah.

21 to 23 November 1982

Tangier, Akron OH.

From Cleveland Plain Dealer, 12 Nov.

7 December 1982

At event in LA with Quincy Jones. Photo here.

14 December 1982
Start of tour with George Yanagi at Mitagi-Ken Sports Center, Sendai.

16 December 1982
With George Yanagi at Aichi-Ken Tahkukan, Nagoya.

17 and 18 December 1982

Collection Dean Congin.

Rehearsals for one of the concerts in Japan.

At the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, with George Yanagi (a combination of the two shows was televized). See this.

21 December 1982
With George Yanagi at Festival Hall, Osaka.

22 December 1982

With George Yanagi at Kyuden Tahkukan, Fukuoka.

31 December 1982

On Takin' It From The Top, at the 95th floor of the John Hancock's Center, in Chicago IL. See this.

1982 or 1983

Benefit, probably end of September, titled Ear International 2nd Annual Ray Charles Birthday Celebration, LA. See this.

Unidentified event, 1982.

Portrait, unknown location and date, 1982.