Charles Chalmers (musician)
Encyclopedia
Charles Chalmers is a saxophonist, session musician, backup singer, songwriter and producer. He has written several hit songs for many recording artists, and has also arranged & performed on many grammy winning recordings. Seven of those recordings are in the Grammy Hall of Fame : Al Green
's "Let's Stay together"; Aretha Franklin
's "Respect," "Chain of Fools" & "Natural Woman"; Dusty Springfield
's "Son of a Preacher Man"; and Wilson Pickett
's "Mustang Sally" and "Land of a Thousand Dances." He also holds an Album of the Century award for his work on Aretha Franklin's, "I Ain't Never Loved a Man the Way that I Love You."
By age 19, he had toured with Jerry Lee Lewis
and worked extensively with Charlie Rich
.
Chalmers' came to the attention of Bill Black
who called Chalmers for a session. Not long after working with Black, Willie Mitchell, asked Chalmers to play on some of his recordings. Chalmers played lead sax on Mitchell's instrumental, "Soul Serenade". Mitchell then called Chalmers to work regularly on his productions, not only as a saxophone player, but also as an arranger and back up singer. Chalmers helped arrange and sang backup on "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green
with a group that came to be called Rhodes, Chalmers, and Rhodes. They also sang on Green's album, I Can't Stop
, produced by Mitchell, for Blue Note Records, (2003).
Before recording with Al Green, Chalmers was asked to go to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to play on a Wilson Pickett
recording date for Atlantic Records. "Land of a Thousand Dances" and " Mustang Sally" were two of the songs he recorded with Pickett that week, and it was then that Chalmers met Jerry Wexler
and Tom Dowd
. Chalmers arranged the horns and played sax on Aretha Franklin songs including "I Ain't Never Loved A Man", "Respect", "Do Right Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Dr. Feel Good", and "Natural Woman".
Rick Hall
, of Fame Recording, also greatly influenced Chalmers' career producing for Chess Records, Chalmers' Sax and the Single Girl.
After Chalmers sang on Paul Anka's Having My Baby album, he performed live dates with Anka in Las Vegas for three years at Caesars Palace
. Chalmers located a studio in Las Vegas, where he sang back up on a Frank Sinatra session.
After working for several years in Vegas, Charlie and his group were called to Miami to do some sessions at Criteria Studios
. For the next few years, they recorded with artists indlucing Andy Gibb
, The Bee Gees, Fire Fall, Harry Chapin
, John Mellencamp
and K. C. and the Sunshine Band.
In 1989 Mel Tillis
asked Chalmers to work with him at his new theatre in Branson, Missouri
. After two years, Chalmers built a recording studio in Branson.
Charlie Chalmers now resides in Branson, Missouri where he produces in his studio, "Branson Recording & Music Productions". He recorded a new saxophone album called Horn of History.
Chalmers is married to Josie and in 2008 they had a son.
: "The Clown". Also among Chamers songs are "One Woman" on the Isaac Hayes
(Hot Buttered Soul album), "One Big Unhappy Family" on the Isaac Hayes
(Movement album). Both are double Platinum albums. "Alice Is In Wonderland" is on The Oak Ridge Boys' (Deliver album). Al Green also recorded "One Woman" in his Green Is Blue album. The Staple Singers
, recorded "City In The Sky" for their City In The Sky album; Boz Scaggs
, recorded "Look What I Got" on Atlantic Records, and Etta James
recorded the popular "It Hurts Me So Much", on Chess Records.
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
's "Let's Stay together"; Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
's "Respect," "Chain of Fools" & "Natural Woman"; Dusty Springfield
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'BrienSources use both Isabel and Isobel as the spelling of her second name. OBE , known professionally as Dusty Springfield and dubbed The White Queen of Soul, was a British pop singer whose career extended from the late 1950s to the 1990s...
's "Son of a Preacher Man"; and Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
's "Mustang Sally" and "Land of a Thousand Dances." He also holds an Album of the Century award for his work on Aretha Franklin's, "I Ain't Never Loved a Man the Way that I Love You."
Biography
Charlie Chalmers began playing music in his high school marching band.By age 19, he had toured with Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis
Jerry Lee Lewis is an American rock and roll and country music singer-songwriter and pianist. An early pioneer of rock and roll music, Lewis's career faltered after he married his young cousin, and he afterwards made a career extension to country and western music. He is known by the nickname 'The...
and worked extensively with Charlie Rich
Charlie Rich
Charles Rich was an American country music singer and musician. A Grammy Award winner, his eclectic-style of music was often hard to classify in a single genre, playing in the rockabilly, jazz, blues, country, and gospel genres.In the latter part of his life, Rich acquired the nickname The Silver...
.
Chalmers' came to the attention of Bill Black
Bill Black
William Patton "Bill" Black, Jr. was an American musician who is noted as one of the pioneers of rockabilly music. Black was the bassist in Elvis Presley's early trio and the leader of Bill Black's Combo....
who called Chalmers for a session. Not long after working with Black, Willie Mitchell, asked Chalmers to play on some of his recordings. Chalmers played lead sax on Mitchell's instrumental, "Soul Serenade". Mitchell then called Chalmers to work regularly on his productions, not only as a saxophone player, but also as an arranger and back up singer. Chalmers helped arrange and sang backup on "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green
Al Green
Albert Greene , better known as Al Green, is an American gospel and soul music singer. He reached the peak of his popularity in the 1970s, with hit singles such as "You Oughta Be With Me", "I'm Still In Love With You", "Love and Happiness", and "Let's Stay Together"...
with a group that came to be called Rhodes, Chalmers, and Rhodes. They also sang on Green's album, I Can't Stop
I Can't Stop (album)
I Can't Stop is a 2003 album by American R&B singer Al Green, produced by Willie Mitchell and released on the Blue Note label. The album was Green's first release since 1995, his first for Blue Note and his first collaboration with Mitchell since 1985's He Is the Light; it was also Green's first...
, produced by Mitchell, for Blue Note Records, (2003).
Before recording with Al Green, Chalmers was asked to go to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to play on a Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett
Wilson Pickett was an American R&B/Soul singer and songwriter.A major figure in the development of American soul music, Pickett recorded over 50 songs which made the US R&B charts, and frequently crossed over to the US Billboard Hot 100...
recording date for Atlantic Records. "Land of a Thousand Dances" and " Mustang Sally" were two of the songs he recorded with Pickett that week, and it was then that Chalmers met Jerry Wexler
Jerry Wexler
Gerald "Jerry" Wexler was a music journalist turned music producer, and was regarded as one of the major record industry players behind music from the 1950s through the 1980s...
and Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd
Tom Dowd was an American recording engineer and producer for Atlantic Records. He was credited with innovating the multi-track recording method. Dowd worked on a virtual "who's who" of recordings that encompassed blues, jazz, pop, rock and soul records.- Early years :Born in Manhattan, Dowd grew...
. Chalmers arranged the horns and played sax on Aretha Franklin songs including "I Ain't Never Loved A Man", "Respect", "Do Right Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Dr. Feel Good", and "Natural Woman".
Rick Hall
Rick Hall
Roe Erister "Rick" Hall is an American record producer, songwriter, music publisher and musician who is best known as the owner and proprietor of the FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama.-Life and career:...
, of Fame Recording, also greatly influenced Chalmers' career producing for Chess Records, Chalmers' Sax and the Single Girl.
After Chalmers sang on Paul Anka's Having My Baby album, he performed live dates with Anka in Las Vegas for three years at Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....
. Chalmers located a studio in Las Vegas, where he sang back up on a Frank Sinatra session.
After working for several years in Vegas, Charlie and his group were called to Miami to do some sessions at Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios
Criteria Studios is a music-recording studio in Miami, Florida, started in 1958 by Mack Emerman.In 1999, The Hit Factory purchased Criteria Studios, revamping and reopening the studios under the new name The Hit Factory Criteria Miami.-Notable artists:...
. For the next few years, they recorded with artists indlucing Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb
Andy Gibb was an English singer and teen idol, and the youngest brother of the family whose other male siblings formed the Bee Gees: Barry, Robin, and Maurice Gibb.-The early years:...
, The Bee Gees, Fire Fall, Harry Chapin
Harry Chapin
Harry Forster Chapin was an American singer-songwriter best known in particular for his folk rock songs including "Taxi", "W*O*L*D", and the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle". Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the...
, John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp
John Mellencamp, previously known by the stage names Johnny Cougar, John Cougar, and John Cougar Mellencamp, is an American rock singer-songwriter, musician, painter and occasional actor known for his catchy, populist brand of heartland rock that eschews synthesizers and other artificial sounds...
and K. C. and the Sunshine Band.
In 1989 Mel Tillis
Mel Tillis
Lonnie Melvin Tillis , known professionally as Mel Tillis, is an American country music singer. Although he recorded songs since the late 1950s, his biggest success occurred in the 1970s, with a long list of Top 10 hits....
asked Chalmers to work with him at his new theatre in Branson, Missouri
Branson, Missouri
Branson is a city in Taney County in the U.S. state of Missouri. It was named after Reuben Branson, postmaster and operator of a general store in the area in the 1880s....
. After two years, Chalmers built a recording studio in Branson.
Charlie Chalmers now resides in Branson, Missouri where he produces in his studio, "Branson Recording & Music Productions". He recorded a new saxophone album called Horn of History.
Chalmers is married to Josie and in 2008 they had a son.
Songs
As a song writer and music publisher, Charlie Chalmers had a #1 hit record by Conway TwittyConway Twitty
Conway Twitty , born Harold Lloyd Jenkins, was an American country music artist. He also had success in early rock and roll, R&B, and pop music. He held the record for the most number one singles of any act with 55 No. 1 Billboard country hits until George Strait broke the record in 2006...
: "The Clown". Also among Chamers songs are "One Woman" on the Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
(Hot Buttered Soul album), "One Big Unhappy Family" on the Isaac Hayes
Isaac Hayes
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. was an American songwriter, musician, singer and actor. Hayes was one of the creative influences behind the southern soul music label Stax Records, where he served both as an in-house songwriter and as a record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the...
(Movement album). Both are double Platinum albums. "Alice Is In Wonderland" is on The Oak Ridge Boys' (Deliver album). Al Green also recorded "One Woman" in his Green Is Blue album. The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers
The Staple Singers were an American gospel, soul, and R&B singing group. Roebuck "Pops" Staples , the patriarch of the family, formed the group with his children Cleotha , Pervis , Yvonne , and Mavis...
, recorded "City In The Sky" for their City In The Sky album; Boz Scaggs
Boz Scaggs
William Royce "Boz" Scaggs is an American singer, songwriter and guitarist. He gained fame in the 1970s with several Top 20 hit singles in the United States, along with the #2 album, Silk Degrees. Scaggs continues to write, record music and tour.-Early life and career:Scaggs was born in Canton,...
, recorded "Look What I Got" on Atlantic Records, and Etta James
Etta James
Etta James is an American blues, soul, rhythm and blues , rock and roll, gospel and jazz singer. In the 1950s and 1960s, she had her biggest success as a blues and R&B singer...
recorded the popular "It Hurts Me So Much", on Chess Records.
Sources
- http://www.charliechalmers.com
- [ Charlie's Allmusic entry]