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Ray Charles Robinson, Jr. describes his childhood as a Norman Rockwell painting with African-American faces. As the eldest son of iconic musician, Ray Charles, Robinson Jr. lived a life of privilege. One that was also marred by struggle--his father's drug abuse and extramarital affairs, and Robinson Jr.'s subsequent turn to drugs to escape reality. All the while, a son yearned for a relationship and acceptance from his famous father who died six years ago this month.

In his new memoir, You Don't Know Me: Reflections of My Father, Ray Charles, Robinson, Jr. reconciles the joys and pains of father and son, in attempt to fill in the blanks of what wasn't seen in Ray, the movie he co-produced, or voiced in his father's memoir Brother Ray.

Now, as a 55-year-old father of two daughters, who now works as an executive at a California-based mortgage bank, Robinson, Jr. has moved on. His book serves as notes about his journey.

TheGrio.com conversed with Robinson, Jr. about forgiveness, his first bike, and the power of choice.

The Grio - This didn't seem like it was an easy book to write. How was the experience of putting pain to paper?

Robinson, Jr. - It was extremely difficult. I had to relive my life all over again, both the successes and failures. But to take the power out of anything you have to expose it. I found a lot of peace writing this book.

You wrote that it was both an honor and a burden to carry your father's name. What has this dichotomous experience been like for you?

It's great being Ray Charles Robinson, Jr. Has it been a lot of pressure? Yes. Most sons of famous individuals and or "juniors" experience tremendous pressure. My father was extremely famous at an early age, and I was aware of it as a child. Through my teens, it was very difficult because I didn't know who was around simply because I was Ray Charles Robinson Jr. It was also very hard, because of the many traumatic things going on within our family.

Often though, the challenges are inside our head: what we have to leave up to, what we feel we have to do, what others expect of us. There may be pressure to follow in your father's footsteps. I truly wanted to be a musician, but at the time, it was intimidating because of the greatness of my father.

Read the entire interview at TheGrio.com.