Marjorie Hendrix (sometimes Hendricks) (March 13, 1935 – July 14, 1973)^[1] 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.

She sang lead and background on several of Charles's hit songs of the late 1950's and early 1960's, but after she was ejected from the group in 1964 she attempted a solo career with the labels Mercury Records and Sound Stage 7 before she was dropped from both of them due to her music not charting. She experienced alcoholism, heroin addiction, depression, and poverty until she died in mid 1973 at the age of 38.

Early years and the Cookies

Hendrix was born on March 13, 1935, in Bulloch County, Georgia, to Kattie and Renzy Hendrix.^[1] 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 when she was 18 and signed a record deal with Lamp records and released her first 3 singles, which were "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 No. 9 hit single on the R&B chart called "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, Hendrix and McCrea left the Cookies and later formed the Raelettes as Charles's backing singers.^[2]

The Raelettes and Ray Charles

In October 1958, Charles recorded his first song with the Raelettes called "Night Time Is the Right Time", which reached No. 5 on the R&B charts. The song is widely known for Hendrix's powerful vocals.^[3] There was a mutual attraction between Hendrix and Charles as they started to spend more time with each other and soon they began an affair while Charles was still married. Hendrix eventually became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Charles Wayne Hendricks, on October 1, 1959.^[2][4] After she gave birth to Charles Wayne, she tried to convince Charles to leave his wife Della Beatrice Howard and live with her and their son, but Charles refused. Hendrix and the Raelettes continued to perform on several of Charles's songs, but during the early 1960's, Hendrix's relationship with Charles began to fall apart and she later started to use alcohol and heroin, and her career began to suffer. Her drug use started to affect her appearance and behavior with the Raelettes, like picking fights during recording sessions, not showing up to performances, and showing up to performances drunk. In early 1964 the Raelettes released the single "A Lover's Blues" which featured Hendrix on lead vocals, but this was the last song that she recorded with Charles, because in July 1964 during a tour in Europe after a heated and possibly physically violent argument, Charles officially fired Hendrix from the Raelettes and sent her back to the United States.^[5]

Unsuccessful solo career and drug addiction

After leaving the Raelettes, in 1965 Hendrix signed a record deal with Mercury Records and she released five singles, but the singles failed to hit the charts and an album was later shelved causing an increase in her use of alcohol and more damaging drugs.^[2] In 1966, Hendrix married jazz singer Robert Fulson, who was the brother of singer Lowell Fulson.^[6] On September 7, 1967, while driving in Texas, Hendrix was involved in a car accident with Fulson, when their car was struck by a lumber truck. They both survived, but Hendrix suffered neck injuries and slight loss of hearing in her right ear.^[7] She was dropped from the Mercury label in late 1967 due to her music failing. Hendrix and Fulson divorced in 1968.^[8] Hendrix later signed her second record deal with the Sound Stage 7 label that same year and released two singles, but they also failed and she was dropped from the label in 1970.^[2] In 1971, she became mentally unstable, faded away from the public eye, quit singing, and continued to use drugs and alcohol for the remainder of her life.^[9]

Death

Hendrix died in New York, New York, on July 14, 1973 (aged 38). The official cause of her death is unknown due to lack of evidence and no autopsy having been performed. Most sources say her death was caused by a heroin overdose,^[10] but there are rumors that she died in a car crash or from cancer and some sources also say that she was facing poverty around the time of her death.^{[citation needed]} She is buried at New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery in Register, Georgia.^{[citation needed]} Her son Charles Wayne died in 2013 from unknown causes.^{[citation needed]}

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.