Ray Charles, the “Genius”, started touring with Francesco Sanavio in 1977. That year he dod with him 10 concerts all over Italy: Milan, Sondrio, Treviso, Bologna, Florence, Rome, Napoli, Bari, Catania and Palermo.
“I will never forget the first time on tour with Ray Charles” says Francesco Sanavio. ” The man was on time by the second, not by the minute! We had to depart with the bus at 8 am and I was down in the lobby at 8.10 am. Ray Charles has been waiting for me for ten minutes and when he saw me he told to the bus driver to go and said to me to get a train to the next city, so next time I would have been for sure on time.
Here is another episode to know better Ray Charles character. We were in a large disco club in Santhia near Novara Italy. We had to do two shows, one at 5 pm and the second at 11 pm. WE were staying in hotel in Milan, which was one hour drive to the venue. Ray Charles at the end of the first show around 6.30 pm did not want to stay in the discotheque until 10.30 pm for the second show. He went back to Milan and then we had to drive back to the club after half hour. He always had to cover all his time, he could not stay doing nothing in the dressing room for half hour. The reason is because he was blind and for him the time was on his mind always, any minute of his life.
One day we did a concert in Malaga Spain and on the following day I was going to Los Angeles. In the morning I was at the airport in Malaga when I saw Ray Charles with his valet and all his luggages. I was very embarrassed because I knew that Ray Charles had a concert two days later in Trento Italy. That was one of my first tours with Ray Charles and I didn’t know the man very well, so with some gestures, because I didn’t want Ray to understand, I asked the valet: “Where are you going, home?” Of course Ray Charles was very sensitive and understood immediately that something was happening so he asked his valet about and the valet told him: Mr Charles, Sanavio is here at the airport and he wants to know were are you going”. Ray Charkes said “call Sanavio and ask him to come here”. Then Ray said to me “Mr. Sanavio is not your business where I’m going to, you don’t have to worry I will be on time at the show in Trento”. And I said “Ok Mr Charles”. Then of course Ray Charles was on time in Trento on the following day but I was scared when I saw him with all his bags. I thought he was going home. Later I found out that Ray was going to Bulgaria to meet one of his girlfriends and on the following day was perfectly on time at the show.
Here is another funny episode. We were at the Sanremo Festival in 1990. For that particular night I decided to be the valet of Ray Charles and I went on stage with Ray. The show was broadcasted live on Rai TV. At the end of the performance I went on stage to bring him back, but when he finished started a 10 minutes standing ovation in the theatre. Then Ray and I moved to the front of the stage and I was nodding with my head as to thank the audience and Ray said to me: “Sanavio, the applauses are for me, not for you, what the hell are you doing…?!”.
I think that all the tours I did with Ray all the shows were amazing, with standing ovation all the time! He was never doing more than one hour on stage, never! Ray Charles orchestra was opening the show for 20 minutes and then Ray for one hour. When I asked Ray why only one hour he said to me: “Sanavio next time you will see more people at my concert” and it was true. Never give too much time to the audience…just the Best!
This was the Genius!”
RAY CHARLES AND LUCIO DALLA – O’ SOLE MIO – LIVE AT THE GREEK THEATRE IN TAORMINA 2000
RAY CHARLES IN DUET WITH DEE DEE BRIDGEWATER – LIVE ON RAI TV
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