Margie Hendrix facts for kids

Marjorie "Margie" Hendrix (sometimes Hendricks) (March 13, 1938 – July 14, 1973) was an American rhythm and blues singer and founding member of the Raelettes, who were the backing singers for Ray Charles, the father of her child, Charles Wayne Hendrix.

Early years and the Cookies

Margie Hendrix was born on March 13, 1938, in Statesboro, Georgia, the daughter of Kattie and Renzy Hendrix. She sang, played piano and directed her local church choir while in her pre-teens. In the early 1950s', she moved to New York City and signed a record deal with Lamp records and released her first singles "Everything", "Good Treatment", and "Every Time" in 1954, but they did not hit the charts and she left the label in 1955. In 1956, she replaced Beulah Robertson in the Cookies, joining existing members Dorothy Jones and Darlene McCrea. The group signed to Atlantic Records, and had a #9 hit on the R&B chart with "In Paradise". They also started working as session singers at Atlantic, where they were introduced to Ray Charles. The Cookies auditioned for Charles on the song "Leave My Woman Alone". In 1958, Margie and McCrea left the Cookies (who later went on to greater success with a different line-up), and later formed the Raelettes as Ray's backing singers.

The Raelettes and Ray Charles

In October 1958, Ray Charles recorded his first song with the Raelettes, "Night Time Is the Right Time", which reached #5 on the R&B charts. The song is widely known for Margie's powerful vocals. There was a mutual attraction and Margie and Ray began an affair, and had one son, Charles Wayne Hendricks (born October 1, 1959 in New York City) together. After she gave birth to Charles Wayne, she tried to convince Ray to leave his wife Della Beatrice Howard and live with her and their son, but Ray refused. ..... In 1964 the Raelettes released the single "A Lover's Blues" which featured Margie on lead vocals, but this was the last song that she recorded with Ray, because in July 1964 during a tour in Europe after a heated and possibly physically violent argument, Ray officially fired Margie from the Raelettes and sent her back to the United States.

Death

Hendrix died in New York, New York on July 14, 1973, (aged 35). The official cause of her death is unknown due to a lack of evidence, and no autopsy was performed. ..... Some sources also claim that she was facing poverty around the time of her death. She is buried at New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Register, Georgia. Her son Charles Wayne died in 2013 from unknown causes.

In popular culture

Margie was portrayed by Regina King in the 2004 film Ray. King received her first NAACP Image Award and Satellite Award for her performance.