Erin Christie
Morning Star Staff
For Michael Charles, it91裸聊视频檚 not about the size of the stage _it91裸聊视频檚 how you use it.
The 62 year-old blues-man says he knows how to use a stage, and he intends to prove it to local audiences when he performs at Lorenzo91裸聊视频檚 Cafe in Ashton Creek on September 30 and The Grateful Fed in Kelowna on September 29.
Whether he91裸聊视频檚 playing on the gilded stage of the opulent Oriental Theatre in Chicago or a cramped corner bar in Moose Jaw, Sask., the eight-time Grammy-nominated performer said his 91裸聊视频済o big or go home91裸聊视频� approach has served him well.
91裸聊视频淚 can remember going to these little venues and seeing the people91裸聊视频檚 faces as I hauled in all my seven or eight guitars and my smoke machine. And then there91裸聊视频檚 the band. They see this and they91裸聊视频檙e looking at me like, 91裸聊视频榃ho is this guy?91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频� Charles said.
91裸聊视频淲hether we91裸聊视频檙e playing a big hall or a tiny bar, we try to give people the same show. I will bring in whatever I can fit.91裸聊视频�
A show, he added, typically lasts two hours or so with no intermission.
91裸聊视频淚 don91裸聊视频檛 take breaks, I never have; even when I started out. My theory then was if I don91裸聊视频檛 make it in this business, they91裸聊视频檙e going to see what I can do now.91裸聊视频�
Though longer shows are considered unique, Charles said he91裸聊视频檚 not alone. Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and Bruce Springsteen consistently play longer shows. Charles says this is presumably because, much like himself, they just love to play.
91裸聊视频淚 guess we91裸聊视频檙e just old school. Mostly, I think, we just love what we do.91裸聊视频�
That love, he said, stems from childhood.
Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, Charles was introduced to the guitar by his father when he was seven-years-old. Under his father91裸聊视频檚 tutelage, the exuberant young Aussie honed his skills and developed a life-long love of music. When he turned 13, Charles91裸聊视频檚 father bought him his own guitar _ a Fender Stratocaster that he still plays on stage today. He began playing shows around the city, eventually earning himself an invitation to play at the infamous Legends blues club in Chicago with the world-famous rhythm and blues guitarist .
Charles returned to Australia briefly, but was quickly lured back to the North American scene where he spent the next several years working the Chicago blues circuit, performing with Buddy Guy, James Cotton, Eddy Clearwater, Junior Wells, George Blaze and Jimmy Dawkins.
91裸聊视频淚 went to Chicago for two weeks 29 years ago and I91裸聊视频檓 still here. I91裸聊视频檝e got my citizenship. I91裸聊视频檓 officially an American now,91裸聊视频� he laughed, adding that he doesn91裸聊视频檛 expect to ever lose his Aussie accent.
91裸聊视频淵ou just don91裸聊视频檛 know where life is going to take you.91裸聊视频�
The soft-spoken musician said he could never have imagined the places his musical pilgrimage would take him. In 2015, it took him to the Blues Hall of Fame where he was inducted and honoured for his substantial contributions to the blues genre and the music industry. In 2016 production began on a documentary chronicling Charles91裸聊视频� career. The documentary will be released later this year.
91裸聊视频淚91裸聊视频檝e been on the road for 50 years and I91裸聊视频檝e loved every minute of it,91裸聊视频� he said.
91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 been a hell of a ride. I feel very blessed to be doing something I love, and lucky that it also pays the bills.91裸聊视频�
Now, Charles is travelling his tenth consecutive tour, the 2017 All I Really Know Tour, which will take him to the far corners of the United States, Canada, and Australia, and includes a new host of night spots and festivals in cities he91裸聊视频檚 never been to, including Kelowna and Ashton Creek.
While the prospect of a massive and varied tour might intimated some, Charles says he jumps at any opportunity to be on the road, and isn91裸聊视频檛 precious about where he plays.
91裸聊视频淏ig or small, it doesn91裸聊视频檛 really matter to me. The bigger halls are great, but the intimate corner bars and pubs remind me of where I got my start. As long as I can keep doing what I91裸聊视频檓 doing, you really won91裸聊视频檛 hear me complaining.91裸聊视频�
Michael Charles will perform at Lorenzo91裸聊视频檚 Cafe in Ashton Creek on Saturday, September.30 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $15 and are available at the door. Charles will also appear at The Grateful Fed in Kelowna on Friday, September.29 at 9 p.m. For more information or tour dates go to .
