2009.02.12: February 12, 2009: Headlines: Figures: COS - Bolivia: Movies: Hollywood: Variety: Taylor Hackford on Ray Charles
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2009.02.12: February 12, 2009: Headlines: Figures: COS - Bolivia: Movies: Hollywood: Variety: Taylor Hackford on Ray Charles
Taylor Hackford on Ray Charles
By the time I began to work on the film "Ray," R.C. had already accomplished great feats of genius. He was used to doing things one way, his way, and working with him was not easy. However, he gave me an incredible gift. Most famous people want to control what's said about them; they often want to sugarcoat their lives for posterity. Ray was something entirely different. He told me, "Taylor, just tell the truth. I can live with that." He was indelible. Movie Producer Taylor Hackford ("Ray," "An Officer and a Gentleman") served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Bolivia in the 1960's.
Taylor Hackford on Ray Charles
Taylor Hackford on Ray Charles
Ray Charles was a wonderful songwriter, but his most famous songs, except for "What'd I Say," were not his own. He had that unique talent that all great singers possess: He could recognize a great song and then create the definitive version of it. The difference between other great singers and R.C. is that he could deliver those definitive versions in completely different styles: gospel-blues, country/Western, jazz or pop. What a gift to songwriters Ray Charles was. I often wonder what Hoagy Carmichael must have thought when he first heard Ray's version of "Georgia on My Mind." Or Ted Daffan when he heard Ray sing "Born to Lose." Or when Percy Mayfield, a great singer in his own right, when Ray recorded "Hit the Road, Jack." I'll bet their combined reactions were "It don't get any better than that." Ray is at the top of the list -- everybody else should sign in below.
By the time I began to work on the film "Ray," R.C. had already accomplished great feats of genius. He was used to doing things one way, his way, and working with him was not easy. However, he gave me an incredible gift. Most famous people want to control what's said about them; they often want to sugarcoat their lives for posterity. Ray was something entirely different. He told me, "Taylor, just tell the truth. I can live with that." He was indelible.
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Headlines: February, 2009; RPCV Taylor Hackford (Bolivia); Figures; Peace Corps Bolivia; Directory of Bolivia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Bolivia RPCVs; Movies; Hollywood
When this story was posted in February 2009, this was on the front page of PCOL:
Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers
| Director Ron Tschetter: The PCOL Interview Peace Corps Director Ron Tschetter sat down for an in-depth interview to discuss the evacuation from Bolivia, political appointees at Peace Corps headquarters, the five year rule, the Peace Corps Foundation, the internet and the Peace Corps, how the transition is going, and what the prospects are for doubling the size of the Peace Corps by 2011. Read the interview and you are sure to learn something new about the Peace Corps. PCOL previously did an interview with Director Gaddi Vasquez. |
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Story Source: Variety
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Figures; COS - Bolivia; Movies; Hollywood
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