President Obama Leads Singalong at Ray Charles Tribute
President Obama couldn't resist “What'd I Say."
— -- Despite a promise earlier in the evening that he would use the microphone strictly for speaking, President Obama couldn't help but channel his inner Ray Charles during a tribute event at the White House.
Obama and the first lady joined celebrities Usher, Demi Lovato, Leon Bridges and the Band Perry in a Wednesday performance of Charles' classic song “What'd I Say.”
The “In Performance” concert event, taped by PBS and airing on the network this evening, is the final one of Obama's presidency.
In remarks earlier in the evening, Obama praised Charles, who died in 2004, as "one of the most brilliant and influential musicians of our time."
"No matter the feeling -- whether it was love, longing or loss -- Ray Charles had the rare ability to collapse our weightiest emotions into a single note," Obama said. "And from the tiny clubs in which he started out to the arenas that he eventually filled, Ray was an electrifying performer.
“He couldn’t see us, but we couldn’t take our eyes off of him."