Ezra Charles
Encyclopedia
Ezra Charles is the stage name
of Charles Helpinstill, the American
founder of the company of the same name
which makes portable amplified pianos for stage performance.
Charles performs jump blues
music with his group Ezra Charles' Texas Blues Band (formerly Ezra Charles and the Works) in and around the Houston area. His group is unusual as it does not employ an upright
or electric bass
. Instead, Charles plays the bass notes via a MIDI device in his piano, which produces a bass note for every piano key played below the "E" below middle "C". In addition to Charles' piano/bass, the group contains a guitar, drums, and a three-piece horn section
.
Hailing from Beaumont, Texas
, Charles is the author of a song called "Beaumont Boys", which paid homage to many of the musicians from his hometown, including The Big Bopper
, Johnny
and Edgar Winter
, and Harry James
.
Charles is known for his lively stage show, which often features his piano catching fire during particularly "heated" performances.
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
of Charles Helpinstill, the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
founder of the company of the same name
Helpinstill
Helpinstill is an US-based company which produces a unique electromagnetic pickup system for amplifying grand and upright pianos on stage. During the late 1970s the company also marketed a range of portable pianos ready-fitted with the pickups; these instruments were built by Kimball to...
which makes portable amplified pianos for stage performance.
Charles performs jump blues
Jump blues
Jump blues is an up-tempo blues usually played by small groups and featuring horns. It was very popular in the 1940s, and the movement was a precursor to the arrival of rhythm and blues and rock and roll...
music with his group Ezra Charles' Texas Blues Band (formerly Ezra Charles and the Works) in and around the Houston area. His group is unusual as it does not employ an upright
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
or electric bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
. Instead, Charles plays the bass notes via a MIDI device in his piano, which produces a bass note for every piano key played below the "E" below middle "C". In addition to Charles' piano/bass, the group contains a guitar, drums, and a three-piece horn section
Horn section
In music, a horn section can refer to several groups of musicians. It can refer to the musicians in a symphony orchestra who play the horn . In a British-style brass band it refers to the tenor horn players. In popular music, it can also refer to a small group of wind instrumentalists who augment a...
.
Hailing from Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Charles is the author of a song called "Beaumont Boys", which paid homage to many of the musicians from his hometown, including The Big Bopper
The Big Bopper
Jiles Perry "J. P." Richardson, Jr. also commonly known as The Big Bopper, was an American disc jockey, singer, and songwriter whose big voice and exuberant personality made him an early rock and roll star...
, Johnny
Johnny Winter
John Dawson "Johnny" Winter III is an American blues guitarist, singer, and producer. Best known for his late 1960s and 1970s high-energy blues-rock albums and live performances, Winter also produced three Grammy Award-winning albums for blues legend Muddy Waters...
and Edgar Winter
Edgar Winter
Edgar Holland Winter is an American musician. He is famous for being a multi-instrumentalist. He is a highly skilled keyboardist, saxophonist and percussionist. He often plays an instrument while singing. He was most successful in the 1970s with his band, The Edgar Winter Group, notably with their...
, and Harry James
Harry James
Henry Haag “Harry” James was a trumpeter who led a jazz swing band during the Big Band Era of the 1930s and 1940s. He was especially known among musicians for his astonishing technical proficiency as well as his superior tone.-Biography:He was born in Albany, Georgia, the son of a bandleader of a...
.
Charles is known for his lively stage show, which often features his piano catching fire during particularly "heated" performances.
Discography
- Design for Living - Boffo Records (1989)
- Modern Years - Icarus Records (1993)
- Drive Time - Icarus Records (1996)
- Texas Style - Icarus Records (1998)
- Return of the Radio Avengers (Greatest Hits Vol. 1) - Icarus Records (1998)
- Beaumont Boy - Icarus Records (2001)
- Blues Lover - Icarus Records (2006)