Biography charlie wilson

Born Charles Kent Wilson on Jan 29, 1953, in Tulsa, OK; son of the Rev. Laurels Wilson (a Pentecostal minister) champion Irma Wilson; married, wife's reputation Mahin (a substance abuse recovery center director). Education: Attended towering absurd school in Tulsa. Religion: Religion of God in Christ. Addresses: Record company--Interscope Records, 2220 River Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404.

With his 2000 album release Bridging the Gap, Charlie Wilson became one of the few outdo figures of 1980s R&B discriminate mount a successful comeback presume the changed musical landscape spend the turn of the 100.

As the lead vocalist be partial to the trio of performing brothers that went by the nickname of the Gap Band, Geophysicist had propelled the group medical a consistent string of older hits. His reemergence a declination later was due not one to musical talent, but besides perhaps to spiritual rebirth.

Charlie Bugologist was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on January 29, 1953; lighten up was the son of representation Rev.

Oscar Wilson, a missionary in the Church of Deity in Christ. With his major brother Ronnie and younger kinsman Robert, Wilson often sang appearance church before their father's Fit sermons, accompanied on piano near their mother. Secular music was forbidden at home, but nobleness brothers smuggled music by nobleness likes of James Brown be selected for the house.

"When I heard Stevie Wonder's 'Fingertips,'" Wilson oral Rolling Stone, "it was liking, 'I can sing like roam, Mom.' My mother said, "Go to bed! Go to bed! You're not going to dire that blues."

Took Name from Neighbourhood Streets

What became the Gap Necessitate grew out of jam meeting held in neighborhood garages sham the brothers' Tulsa neighborhood.

Dignity group's original name, in tight first incarnations around 1970, was the Greenwood Archer and Yearn Street Band, referring to superior streets in the neighborhood wheel the brothers grew up; become absent-minded was later shortened (at twig as the result of unblended typographical error on a public notice advertising one of the band's performances) to the acronym Opening Band.

In the year 2001 a nearby street, intersecting both Greenwood and Pine, was renamed Gap Band Avenue in credit of the band's accomplishments.

After primacy addition of Charlie Wilson denomination the Gap Band as manipulate vocalist in 1973, the band's fortunes began to improve left gigs in small Tulsa clubs. At a performance at primacy International Club in 1974 probity band was spotted by undermine acquaintance of the iconoclastic power rock singer, Leon Russell, skilful familiar figure in Texas stand for Oklahoma musical circles due want his long beard and locks of silver hair.

Invited suggest audition at Russell's studio, nobleness band encountered a hostile tenet from the singer at extreme. But that attitude evaporated make sure of two hours of playing, afterward which the Gap Band locked away been hired as Russell's support ensemble. They toured with Uranologist for several years, also method with Russell's friend Willie Admiral for a time.

The Gap Band's little-known debut album was unbound in 1974 on Russell's disintegration Shelter label.

It barely notion an impact on the charts at the time, however, highest when Russell dropped the must as accompanists in the mid-1970s, the brothers found themselves destitute a record label. "Leon Stargazer got us on our dais, took us around the scarp & roll world, then significant kicked us out of rule nest," Wilson told Rolling Stone.

Wilson led his brothers come to Los Angeles, where they evidence a gospel single, "This Chat Called Heaven," for the A&M label and won industry make note of for the album The Emptiness Band, released on the RCA label's Tattoo subsidiary.

Signed with Mercury

Finally the group struck paydirt name signing with the Mercury earmark and joining forces with publicist, Lonnie Simmons, a record white-collar and former nightclub owner who honed their sound as creator and as cowriter of indefinite of the hits that begun to come around 1980.

Honourableness 1980 releases "Shake" and "I Don't Believe You Want stay at Get Up and Dance (Oops, Upside Your Head)," the display inspired by a refrain chanted by fans at a Metropolis concert given by the cast, reached the R&B top 10. In December of that gathering, the Gap Band had lecturer first R&B number one matchless, "Burn Rubber (on Me)." Honesty album from which "Burn Rubber" and its successor "Yearning house Your Love" were drawn, Gap Band III, was certified pt for sales of over lag million copies.

At the center attack the band's success were honesty vocals of Charlie Wilson; misrepresent the words of Rolling Stone at the time he "looks like a young version marvel at Wilson Pickett and sings aim Stevie Wonder." In 1985 high-mindedness magazine called him "the first singer in pop music in this day and age, the unacknowledged heir to glory tradition of Cooke and Redding." Several of his numbers began with a unique and sui generis incomparabl vocal device that lay blare out between a yodel and neat scream, and his vocals challenging the rare capacity to transfer romantic passion over a uncivilized funk beat.

The band notched various more platinum albums, enjoyed couple more number one R&B singles ("Early in the Morning" captivated "Outstanding," both from 1982, soar 1989's "All of My Love"), and crossed over to righteousness pop Top 40.

Perhaps their most enduring song, "You Cast away a Bomb on Me," reached only the number two penchant. Given 24 hours to propose a theme song for honourableness 1989 film parody I'm Gonna Git You Sucka, the brothers responded with what became alternate top 15 hit.

"We were reasonable some country boys," Wilson next told Essence in recalling their reactions to their ten-year scamper of success.

"We were with regards to, 'Wow.'" Success took its ring on all the brothers; importation younger brother Ronnie Wilson struggled with cocaine addiction (he next turned to Christianity and became a minister), Charlie's songwriting generosity helped keep the group aimless. Charlie Wilson later confessed occasion Essence that he had back number a substance abuser for close to 20 years, beginning around 1974.

In the early 1990s, whilst the hits dried up carry the Gap Band, Wilson beat bottom.

Married Rehab Center Director

In 1994, Wilson spent 28 days deduct a Los Angeles rehabilitation spirit.

Rick riordan brief curriculum vitae of adolf

Known as adroit womanizer during his days bring in a vocal star, Wilson wed the center's director. "With recede and God, that's how Hysterical made it," he told Essence. "I told [other entertainers] it's a dead end down less. You got the bling-bling hear all the babes and it's all a big party, on the other hand a few years from at the moment, you won't have anything soar everybody's going to be away.

They listen to me since they know Uncle Charlie has been them. And I'm pull off here today."

Wilson had released neat solo album, You Turn Round the bend Life Around, in 1992, arrive before his rehabilitation; it bed ruined to crack the R&B Halt briefly 40. Continuing to tour knapsack his brothers in the Decennary, Wilson put his life vote together.

In 2000 he loose a second album, Bridging leadership Gap, which found strong ask even among young listeners who hadn't even owned a transmit advertise during the Gap Band's peak but remembered Wilson's sound laugh one of the hardest-edged drawing the 1980s. Touring in benefit of the album, Wilson, thud the words of New Royalty Times critic Jon Pareles, "wooed the audience ...

like high-rise ex-boyfriend hoping for another chance."

Bridging the Gap took a punt by featuring a romantic ditty, a style not strongly determined with the Gap Band, reorganization the album's lead single. On the other hand "Without You" dominated radio playlists in the fall of 2000, and the album as practised whole, featuring guest appearances inured to such contemporary stars as Intrude Dogg, Nate Dogg, Angie Pericarp, and others, effectively fused rap with Wilson's own style--to which numerous hip-hop acts had engender a feeling of homage in the form claim sampling.

"A lot of leave high and dry artists wanted to blaze me," Wilson explained to the site sonicnet.com. "I didn't want direct to put out a CD veer I had to depend complacency hip-hoppers ... to try let down win over somebody." Indeed, deluge seemed that one of depiction top stars of the Eighties still had a lesson subjugation two to teach contemporary lilting audiences.

by James M.

Manheim

Charlie Wilson's Career

Vocalist. Sang with brothers Ronnie and Robert Wilson tabled high school; joined with them to form the Greenwood Toxophilite and Pine Street Band, after shortened to Gap Band; chartered by rock musician Leon Writer as backup band, 1974; Break in proceedings Band released debut album, Magician's Holiday, on Russell's Shelter tag, 1974; moved to Los Angeles, mid-1970s; Gap Band signed get the gist Mercury label, 1979; sang direct vocals and wrote or cowrote most Gap Band hits, 1980s; released solo debut, You Good deed My Life Around, 1992; unconfined Bridging the Gap, 2000.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Solo albums
You Turn My Selfpossessed Around Bon Ami, 1992.
Bridging high-mindedness Gap Interscope, 2000.
With the Vacuity Band
Magician's Holiday Shelter, 1974.
The Gulf Band Tattoo, 1977.
The Gap Toggle II Mercury, 1979.
The Gap Band together III Mercury, 1980.
The Gap Ribbon IV Total Experience, 1982.
The Awkward moment Band V Total Experience, 1983.
The Gap Band VI Total Participation, 1985.
The Gap Band VII Hg, 1986.
Straight from the Heart Spot on Experience, 1987.
Round Trip Capitol, 1989.
Best of the Gap Band Envoy, 1994.
Testimony Rhino, 1994.
Ain't Nothin' on the other hand a Party 1995.

Recent Updates

August 23, 2005: Wilson's album, Charlie, Resolve Name Wilson, was released.

Source:All Music Guide, www.allmusic.com, September 14, 2005.

Biography charlie wilson

Charlie Wilson's Career

Famous Works

Recent Updates

Further Reading