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 Blues/Soul
recording artist Charles Wilson is an exciting and captivating
performer capable of launching an audience into a frenzy with one
verse. Wilson’s music is as timeless as James Carr, Johnny Adams,
Junior Parker and as contemporary as Luther Vandross and R’Kelly.
His voice oozes soul, seasoned by years of performing on the Chitlin’
Circuit. He offers a musical bridge between old-school soul and
neo-soul. To say Charles Wilson was born to sing the blues is an
understatement.
Wilson is connected to the roots of the tree that is contemporary
blues/soul music. From the age of four, Wilson - nephew of the late
blues great Little Milton - would go with his father to see his
Uncle Milton’s performances at Chicago’s Regal Theater. The Regal
was where he first met blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf, Bobby
Blue Bland, Junior Wells, and B.B. King. Wilson began singing
publicly at age seven. By the age of 14, Wilson was flooring Chicago
blues-club audiences with his powerful stage presence and soulful
voice.
He caught his first big break at 16 when he went on the road with
Bobby Rush. Wilson would eventually open up for Rush and other blues
royalty such as Otis Clay, Little Milton, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Blue
Bland, Lattimore, Denise LaSalle, Koko Taylor, B.B. King and the
late great Z.Z. Hill, Junior Wells, Albert King, O.V. Wright, and
Albert Collins.
Wilson’s recording career began in 1978 when he cut his first
recording I need a Love That I Can See in the Daylight, produced by
Symtec Simmons of the duo Symtec & Wylie on Sky Hero Records. He
spent the next few years on the Chicago club scene, opening up for
an impressive list of Headliners such as James Brown, Al Green,
Edgar Winter, Lou Rawls, and Buddy Guy. In 1984, Wilson received his
first record deal with Alley Cat Records. The result was that L.V.
Johnson produced the song Trying To Make A Wrong Thing Right, which
turned out to be a minor hit on Southern R&B radio.
In 1986 Wilson upped the ante with his single, You Cut Off My Love
Supply, which burned up Southern AM and FM radio charts. The hit
resulted in his 1990 work with Ichiban Records, where he recorded
"Blues In The Key of C," an album which garnered attention from both
US and overseas markets. In 1995 Wilson recorded his first album for
Ecko Records entitled, It’s Sweet On the Backstreet, featuring the
album's popular title track, I’ve Got Trouble In My Bedroom and In
the Room Next To the Room. A 1997 Traction release, entitled "Why?"
featured the single If Walls Could Talk. Wilson signed a four-album
contract with Ecko Records in 1998 to produce the albums "Love
Seat," "It Ain’t the Size," "Mr. Freak," and "Goin Jookin." Wilson
went on to record three self-released albums on his Wilson imprint,
"Songs From the Vault" (2001), "You Got to Pay to Play" (2002), and
"If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It" (2005). In total, Wilson has
recorded four full-length albums, twenty-six 45’s, eleven personal
projects, and appears on ten compilation discs.
In 2004 Wilson recorded "If Heartaches Were Nickels," for Delmark
Records, featuring Little Milton & Carl Weathersby on guitar. This
recording made a dramatic impression with blues and soul fans alike,
capturing a 2005 W.C. Handy nomination for "Soul / Blues Record of
The Year." Wilson is focused on creating music with a universal
appeal, much like Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Otis Redding and Bobby
Blue Bland. With Wilson’s emotion-charged performances, crafty
arrangements, and soul-drenched vocals, his desire to be included in
the upper echelon of contemporary blues performers is bound to be
fulfilled. |
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