Charlie
Love and the Silky Smooth Band are one of Chicago's premier blues bands and
have been BLUE CHICAGO regulars for
over 10 years. The crowd goes wild when Charlie is in the house!
Charlie
Love, born on the South side of Chicago in 1956, was introduced to the blues by
his mother and father at an early age and quickly fell under it's spell. His
father often played the harmonica while Charlie and his mother would dance and
sing along to the sounds of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter and B.B.
King. For his parents the blues was a celebration of the human spirit and
helped them to endure the stresses of everyday living. It's value and potential
as a positive spiritual force was instilled in Charlie.
One
could say the blues called on Charlie.. It didn't take him long to realize what
he wanted to do with his life. He bought a guitar at the pawnshop and soon
began accompanying himself. Working in assorted factories around Chicago, he
always had his guitar and his first performance was for his co-workers who
would hear him play and sing during coffee breaks. Later they would ask him to
perform at their house parties. There could be no better playground for Charlie
than Chicago's exploding blues scene. It was Lefty Dizz and Buddy Scott, two of
Chicago's blues greats, that took Charlie under their wing and gave him his
first opportunity to take the stage at the famed Checkerboard Lounge.
It
wasn't long after Charlie began playing four nights a week on the South Side
with his own band, the Hotlinks. His is
blend of silky smooth vocal savvy and distilled raw power that Charlie
brings to his performance creates a soul-drenched marriage between beauty and
abandon that adds up to 100% rockin' Chicago blues. His ability to cover
equally well a wide range of repertoire is an important ingredient in Charlie
Love's approach to music. When he steps to a microphone he serves up a Chicago
blues stew that has been bubbling since his days hearing the music for the
first time in his parents living room. Whether he's singing the Muddy Waters
classis, "Long Distance Call,' Sam Cooke's southern-flavored
"Somebody Have Mercy," or a more contemporary title like the
self-penned, "Blues Keeps Following Me," Charlie is still all the way
at home.
This
Chicago showman is a consistent feature at the Chicago Blues Festival. Charlie
is recognized as one of the city's outstanding performers and his sound keeps
his audiences on their feet.
www.charlieloveblues.com
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