"Everybody's doing the mess around..." - #raycharles #messaround - 📷 via Gamma-Rapho | Ray Charles

Ray Charles' first hit for Atlantic Records, "Mess Around", was actually written by Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun under a pseudonym. Inspired by boogie-woogie piano, the song became a massive success, reaching number two on the charts. Brother Ray was influenced by music of all different styles, and boogie-woogie was one of the first - at the age of 3, Ray used to listen to a man by the name of Wylie Pitman at the Red Wing Cafe, where he would play boogie woogie on an upright piano. Mr.

On this day in 1992, Ray Charles performed live on the Johnny Carson Tonight Show | Ray Charles