| RANDB | Ray Charles' genre, and a hint to the answers to starred clues |
| HEAVYMETAL | Rock genre ... and a hint to the starts of the answers to starred clues |
| SOULMUSIC | Ray Charles genre (4,5) |
| WILKIE | David, Scottish genre and portrait painter and court painter to William IV (6) |
| WELLS | Pioneer of the sci-fi genre and author of The Invisible Man, HG ... |
| AUTEUR | Film director thought of as the creator of a particular genre and showing his unique personal style (6) |
| RAPCAVIAR | Selection of curated Spotify tracks whose first three letters are a genre and whose last six letters are a fish egg delicacy |
| EMO | Music genre and aesthetic related to punk |
| PROGRESSIVEROCK | Experimental music genre, and what can be found in this puzzle's circled letters? |
| RAP | Music genre and this puzzle's theme |
| COUNTRY | Music genre, ... and western |
| DRUM | Music genre, and bass (4) |
| JIMHENSON | Puppeteer who "took a simple song and a piece of felt and turned it into a moment of great power," per Ray Charles |
| LETIT | "Oh the weather outside is frightful; But the fire is so delightful: And since we've no place to go; ... snow," crooned The Ray Charles Singers (3,2) |
| HIT | What Jack should do to the road, according to Ray Charles? (3) |
| REDDRESS | "What'd I Say," Ray Charles: "See the girl with the..." (3, 5) |
| MESS | - Around, 1953 Ray Charles hit that has been covered by The Animals and Squeeze (4) |
| IONLY | Ray Charles affirmed, "I never wanted to be famous. ... wanted to be great" (1,4) |
| UNCHAIN | ___ My Heart: 1961 song by Bobby Sharp which was a hit for Ray Charles and Joe Cocker (7) |
| GEORGIA | In 1979, which US state adopted a song recorded by Ray Charles as the official state song? (7) |
