Ray Charles honoured with stamp |
Georgia-born Charles, who died aged 73 in 2004, was a singer and songwriter who pioneered the soul and rhythm and blues genres.
Events are being planned in Atlanta and Los Angeles to celebrate Charles's inclusion in the stamp series.R&B singer Ashanti and the Morehouse College Glee Club are scheduled to perform at the Atlanta school's Ray Charles Performing Arts Centre, and Chaka Khan is headlining an event at the Grammy Museum.
The artwork for the stamp is based on a photograph by Yves Carrère and the design was done by Ethel Kessler and Neal Ashby.
The release of the postage stamp coincides with a new compilation album, Ray Charles Forever, which features a previously-unreleased recording of They Can't Take That Away From Me, a song he frequently performed in his live shows.