Who Is Vincent Kotchounian? Meet Ray Charles’ Son and His French-Armenian Mother, Arlette

Ray Charles is one of the most loved singers in music history. Most people know his songs, his piano playing, and his big family. But many fans do not know much about his children. One of them is Vincent Kotchounian.

Vincent does not give interviews. He is not active on social media, and he does not use his father’s fame to get attention. Because of this, there is not a lot of information about him. In this article, we look at what reliable sources say about his family, his background, and his life today. We also point out where sources disagree, so you get a clear and honest picture.

Quick Bio

Detail	Information
Full name	Vincent Kotchounian
Known as	Son of Ray Charles and Arlette Kotchounian
Father	Ray Charles (singer, pianist, and songwriter)
Mother	Arlette Kotchounian (French singer, songwriter, and photographer)
Birth year	1976 or 1977 (sources do not agree)
Birthplace	Los Angeles, California, USA
Heritage	African American on his father’s side, French-Armenian on his mother’s side
Languages at home	English with his father, French with his mother
Education	University of Southern California (USC), according to AfroTech and other reports
Reported work	Fitness training
Brothers and sisters	11 half-siblings on his father’s side
Public profile	Very low, with almost no social media activity

Who Is Vincent Kotchounian?

Vincent Kotchounian is one of the 12 children of Ray Charles. His mother is Arlette Kotchounian, a singer, songwriter, and photographer from France. He was born in Los Angeles, and he is the only person in the family with this mix of African American and French-Armenian roots.

Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia, on September 23, 1930. He became famous around the world as a soul, R&B, and jazz star. He had 12 children with 10 different women. The oldest, Evelyn, was born in 1949. The youngest, Ryan Corey Robinson Den Bok, was born in 1987. Vincent is one of the younger children in this large family.

The Birth Year Question

If you search for Vincent’s age, you will find two different answers. The Mirror-Spectator, an Armenian-American newspaper, says he was born in 1976. Some other sites, including Blavity and Hello! magazine, say 1977. There are even a few websites that give other years, but they are not trustworthy.

Because Vincent keeps his life private, there is no official source that settles this. The safest way to write it is “1976 or 1977.” In this article, we use that range and avoid giving an exact age.

His Mother, Arlette Kotchounian

To understand Vincent, it helps to know his mother. Arlette Kotchounian is a talented woman who has worked in music and photography. During her career she also used the names Arlette Avedian and Ann Grégory.

She started her singing career in 1963 and recorded her first single that year. Later she wrote songs for other singers, such as Eddy Louis and Martine Clémenceau. In 1973, she took part in the Eurovision song contest with a song called “Sans Toi,” which means “Without You.” She wrote the words for it.

In 2018, the Mirror-Spectator interviewed her in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. She was 76 at the time and was visiting Armenia for the first time. She talked about her life, her family, and her time with Ray Charles.

How Arlette Met Ray Charles

The story of how Vincent’s parents met is about music. Arlette had written the English words for a song called “The Sun Died.” A singer friend had recorded it. Arlette took the record to meet Ray Charles at his hotel. He liked the song and became interested in her.

Ray Charles’ biographer, Michael Lydon, wrote about this meeting in the book Ray Charles: Man and Music, which came out in 2004. Lydon mentions Arlette’s name six times in the book. The song “The Sun Died” later became part of Ray Charles’ music. The two also worked together on an album called Would You Believe.

Their friendship lasted for many years. According to the Mirror-Spectator, Arlette gave birth to their son Vincent in 1976, and he was based in Los Angeles. Arlette has said that she only worked as a songwriter with Ray Charles. She also took photos of other famous jazz players, such as Miles Davis and Keith Jarrett.

Vincent’s Armenian Roots

Vincent’s mother comes from an Armenian family with a painful past. Her parents both escaped the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Arlette said that her grandparents were killed, and one of her grandmothers died on the way when the family was forced to leave.

Her mother, Manouchag Avedissian, grew up in a Muslim family in Mosul and only learned at about age 19 that she was Armenian. She then searched for her brothers and finally moved to Paris. There she met Arlette’s father, Simon Kotchounian, who had moved to France from the city of Alexandretta.

Arlette said that her son knows he is Armenian. He knows a few Armenian words. He spoke English with his father and French with his mother. She also shared that Vincent became more curious about the family story in recent years. He asked her why she had never told him about her mother’s life. She answered that she had, but he was not ready to listen at that time.

Some websites say that Vincent speaks Armenian well. The mother’s own interview says he knows only a few words, so we trust that version more.

Education and Work

Not much is written about Vincent’s career. Here is what a few sources say.

AfroTech reports that he studied at the University of Southern California, also called USC. This is a well-known private university in Los Angeles. After his studies, he worked as a fitness trainer. A news site called Amomama reports that his Facebook page shows he worked at a gym in Los Angeles and also trained there.

The same site says he may have a creative side. It reports that he took and designed the cover photo for one of his father’s albums released in 1989. This claim is hard to check, and the date would make him very young, so it is best to treat it with care.

A Quiet Life Away from the Spotlight

Many children of famous people try to build a name from their parent’s fame. Vincent chose a different path. Reports say his Facebook page has not had a new post since 2012. He has an Instagram account, but it has no public posts.

This does not mean he has no connection to his father’s legacy. It just means he prefers to keep his life private. This is also the reason there are very few photos and interviews of him. Any website that claims to know details about his money, his home, or his relationships is probably guessing.

Vincent and the Charles Family

Vincent has 11 half-siblings. Some of them are more public, such as Ray Charles Robinson Jr., who worked on the film Ray and wrote a book about his father. Others, like Sheila Raye Charles, spoke openly about their lives. Sheila passed away in 2017.

In late 2002, Ray Charles invited his children to a meeting at a hotel near the Los Angeles airport. He told them he was very sick. Reports say he placed $500,000 in a trust for each child, to be paid over several years. Ray Charles died in June 2004 at the age of 73.

After his death, some of the children were involved in legal fights about his estate and about the rights to his songs. According to reports from Amomama, which refer to the Hollywood Reporter, Vincent was not among the children who took part in the copyright case. This fits with his private style.

Why Do People Search for Vincent Kotchounian?

There are a few reasons. First, people who love Ray Charles often want to know more about his family. Second, the name Kotchounian is unusual, so people want to know where it comes from. It comes from his mother’s Armenian family. Third, the 2004 film Ray made many people more curious about the singer’s private life and his many children.

Vincent is not a public figure in the usual sense. He is not an actor, a singer, or a media personality. He is simply the son of a famous man and a talented mother, and he seems to prefer it that way.

What We Know and What We Do Not Know

To make this clear, here is a short summary.

What we know:

• He is a son of Ray Charles and Arlette Kotchounian.
• He was born in Los Angeles, in 1976 or 1977.
• He has French-Armenian roots through his mother.
• He is one of Ray Charles’ 12 children.
• He lives a private life with little social media use.

What we do not know for sure:

• His exact birth date.
• His current job and where he lives today.
• His personal life, such as marriage or children.
• The exact level of his involvement in his father’s music.

If a website gives a lot of detail about these topics without naming a source, it is better not to trust it.

Final Thoughts

Vincent Kotchounian is a good example of a person who has famous parents but keeps his own life quiet. His father, Ray Charles, changed music forever. His mother, Arlette, built her own career as a singer, songwriter, and photographer, and she comes from an Armenian family with a strong and sad history.

The facts we can trust are simple: he is the son of these two artists, he was born in Los Angeles in the 1970s, and he has a mixed African American and French-Armenian background. Everything else is mostly private. That is a choice we should respect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Vincent Kotchounian really Ray Charles’ son?

Yes. Several sources, including the Mirror-Spectator and AfroTech, say he is the son of Ray Charles and Arlette Kotchounian. He is one of Ray Charles’ 12 children.

Who is Vincent Kotchounian’s mother?

His mother is Arlette Kotchounian, a French singer, songwriter, and photographer with Armenian roots. She wrote the English words for “The Sun Died,” a song linked to Ray Charles.

When was Vincent Kotchounian born?

Sources do not agree. Some say 1976 and others say 1977. He was born in Los Angeles, California.

Is Vincent Kotchounian famous?

Not in the usual way. He keeps a very low profile, gives almost no interviews, and has not posted on his Facebook page since 2012, according to reports.

Was Vincent Kotchounian Ray Charles’ only son?

No. This is a common mistake. Ray Charles had several sons, including Ray Charles Robinson Jr., David Robinson, Robert Robinson, Charles Wayne Hendricks, and Ryan Corey Robinson Den Bok.