by Mike Boehm Los Angeles Times Staff Writer - Aug. 11, 1990

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Ray Charles doesn't work long, and he certainly doesn't work cheap, but his work was something close to perfection Thursday night at the Coach House.

Charles, who will turn 60 next month, was in startlingly good voice throughout his early show, the first of four sold-out performances in a two-night stand (that's about 1,500 tickets sold at $39.50 a shot, the bulk of which probably goes to Charles for the sort of payday that can really make a guy look like a genius).