Charlie Gracie - Citizendia

Charlie Gracie (born Charles Anthony Graci on May 14, 1936 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an American rock pioneer and singer. Events 1264 - Battle of Lewes: Henry III of England is captured in France making Simon de Montfort the Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African

His father encouraged him to play the guitar. The guitar is a Musical instrument with ancient roots that is used in a wide variety of musical styles Charlie's musical career started at the very early age of 14 when he appeared on the Paul Whiteman television show. Paul Whiteman ( March 28, 1890 &ndash December 29, 1967) was an American orchestral Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic

Career

Gracie performed at weddings, local restaurants, and parties, and on local radio and television. He also won many regional talent contests. The little money and prizes he received were turned over to his mother to help support the family.

the owner of Cadillac Records heard one of Charlie's early radio performances, contacted the young musician and signed him to a contract. This association yielded the single, Boogie Woogie Blues backed with I'm Gonna Sit Right Down And Write Myself A Letter. The record led to Charlie's first appearance on Bob Horn's "American Bandstand" television program. American Bandstand was a Television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 hosted from 1957 until its final season by Dick Clark (This was four years before Dick Clark became the host)

After cutting two more singles for Cadillac, Charlie moved on to 20th Century Records where he put out another four sides. Richard Wagstaff "Dick" Clark (born November 30, 1929) is an American Television, Radio personality, Game show host 20th Century Records, also known as 20th Fox Records and 20th Century-Fox Records, began in 1958 was a subsidiary of film studio 20th Century Fox. The discs he made embraced a wide variety of styles: jump blues, gospel, and country boogie with the influences of Big Joe Turner, B.B. King, Louis Jordan, Roy Acuff, and Hank Williams. Jump blues is a type of Up-tempo Blues music influenced by Big band sound Gospel music is Music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life as well as (in terms of the varying music styles to Boogie is a repetitive Swung note or Shuffle Rhythm, "groove" or pattern used in Blues which was originally played For the Ice hockey player see Joe Turner Big Joe Turner (born Joseph Vernon Turner Jr B B King (born Riley B King, September 16 1925 is an American Blues Guitarist and Singer-songwriter. Louis Jordan ( July 8, 1908 – February 4, 1975) was a pioneering American Jazz, Blues and Rhythm & blues Roy Claxton Acuff ( September 15, 1903 &ndash November 23, 1992) was an American country Musician known Hank Williams ( September 17, 1923 – January 1, 1953) was an American Singer-songwriter and Musician who has

Between 1951-53, Charlie Gracie was experimenting with many types of music, years before many rock heroes had ever set foot inside a recording studio.

By 1956, Philadelphia had given birth to the new Cameo record label. Philadelphia (ˌfɪləˈdɛlfiə Cameo and its sister label Parkway were major Philadelphia -based Record labels from 1956 through 1967 Its founders, in search of a strong talent signed Charlie later that year. With a $600 budget, this new union went into the studio to record a single that would forever change their lives. The record, Butterfly backed with Ninety Nine Ways became a monster hit, reaching the number one position all across America. " Butterfly " is a popular Song written by Bernie Lowe and Kal Mann and published in 1957. Charlie received a gold disc for the two million plus sales and became the first native Philadelphia rock star to achieve international success. Other substantial sellers followed: Fabulous, Wandering Eyes, and Cool Baby. The financial success of these hits bankrolled the Cameo label, which became a dominant force in the recording industry for several years.

Charlie's personal appearances grew until he performed and headlined some of the biggest venues of that time: Alan Freed's rock and roll shows at the Brooklyn Paramount, The Ed Sullivan Show, Dick Clark's "American Bandstand" and the 500 Club in Atlantic City. Alan Freed (December 15 1921 &ndash January 20 1965 also known as Moondog, was an American Disc-jockey who became The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television Variety show that ran from June 20, 1948 to June 6, American Bandstand was a Television show that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989 hosted from 1957 until its final season by Dick Clark He appeared in the 1957 film Jamboree [1], and toured with the likes of Chuck Berry, The Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley and his close friend, Eddie Cochran. Jamboree (known as Disc Jockey Jamboree in the United Kingdom) is the name of a black and white 1957 Rock 'n' roll motion Charles Edward Anderson "Chuck" Berry (born October 18 1926 in St The Everly Brothers ( Don Everly, born Isaac Donald Everly February 1 1937 Brownie Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Bo Diddley ( December 30 1928 &ndash June 2 2008, born Ellas Otha Bates) was an original and influential American Raymond Edward "Eddie" Cochran ( October 3, 1938 He took music lessons in school but quit the band to play drums

Charlie became only the second American, guitar-toting rock and roller to bring this new art form to the British concert stage. His two extensive tours in 1957 and 58 were a whirlwind, topped off by headlining the Palladium and the Hippodrome in London. Palladium (pronounced \pəˈleɪdiəm\ is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal that was discovered in 1803 by William Hyde Wollaston, who named it palladium after the The Hippodrome is a building on the corner of Charing Cross Road and Leicester Square in the City of Westminster, London. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. He played to packed houses and drew rave reviews. In the audiences, among Charlie's fans and admirers, were future rock greats: Graham Nash, members of the Beatles and Rolling Stones, Joe Cocker and Van Morrison. Graham William Nash (born 2 February 1942) is an British-American Singer-songwriter known for his light tenor vocals and for his songwriting contributions The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Joe Cocker OBE (born 20 May 1944 is an English rock / Blues Singer who came to popularity in the 1960s and is most known for his gritty George Ivan Morrison OBE (generally known as Van Morrison) (born 31 August 1945 is a Grammy Award -winning Northern Irish Singer, These performers and many other well-known acts have credited Charlie as an influence. George Harrison referred to Charlie's guitar technique as "brilliant" in a March 1996 interview with Billboard Magazine; Paul McCartney invited Charlie to the premiere party of his 1999 release which paid tribute to the early pioneers of rock music. George Harrison, MBE (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001 was an English rock Guitarist Singer - Songwriter, Author See Billboard (Turkish magazine Billboard is a weekly American Magazine devoted to the Music industry Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer,

Charlie found himself somewhat miscast at Cameo. He moved on to other labels such as Coral, Roulette, Felsted, and Diamond, performing more of the R&B he preferred. Even if success slowed, Charlie continued to perform in clubs, theaters, and resorts, from the 60's through the 90's. He still enjoys a loyal following in Great Britain, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Charlie is a devoted family man, married 40 plus years to his first and only wife, Joan. They have two children, a son and a daughter.

During the late 1990s, Charlie was introduced to Quentin Jones, a guitarist, studio owner and label head. Quentin had a strong background in roots music, having played in a rockabilly band produced by Stray Cat, Lee Rocker. Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of Rock and roll music and emerged in the early 1950s He also played lead guitar on Robert Gordon's 1996 self titled CD. Charlie and Quentin met at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The Village of Valley Forge is an unincorporated settlement located on the west side of Valley Forge National Historical Park at the confluence of Valley Creek and They hit it off so well they decided to record an album together. Quentin, acting as producer decided to record Charlie as a current act as opposed to an "oldies artist". He brought in bandmate Dave Ferrara to play drums. Quentin took up bass duties and some guitar, combining them with Charlie's outstanding guitar and vocals. The chemistry worked so well that Charlie invited Quentin and Dave to back him when Van Morrison commissioned the pioneer rocker to open his 2000 West Coast U. S. tour.

With Charlie, Quentin and Dave comprising the nucleus, a common thread ran through each song. Quentin used his producer skills to give each number a distinctive feel. For example, Hank William's Kaw-Liga received an updated sound with a touch of "psychobilly. Kaw-Liga () is a Proto - Rockabilly song written by Hank Williams and Fred Rose. " Lover Boy was recorded with a retro feel. The Gracie original, Times Are Changing is laden with late 60's studio techniques while I'm Confessing has that feel of musicians playing late in a smoked-filled studio, The Beatles' Get Back (which is a nod of thanks to Paul McCartney for his recent cover of Charlie's hit "Fabulous") was approached with a heavy horn section. I'm Gonna' Love You is performed straight up with an early 60s feel.

Contributing their musical talents on this CD were Tommy Conwell, whose smooth guitar playing is featured on Still 19, Ralph Miller on piano, Daryl Jenkins on sax, and Pete Barnhart on percussion. Tommy Conwell is an American guitarist He is most well-known as the frontman for the Philadelphia-based band Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers The biggest surprise came when Graham Nash volunteered to contribute vocals to the song A little Too Soon To Tell.

Charlie Gracie's pioneering contribution to the genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. The Rockabilly Hall of Fame was established on March 21, 1997 to present early Rock and roll history and information relative to the artists and personalities

In January 2008 he played with rock and roll piano player Sean Gale.

External links

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