I was at that show that sweaty night at the wild blue. It could have been the night that you snuck me in because I was still under 21. Every show I saw the Charlie peacock band were amazing but the Wild Blue shows were amazing! Thank you Charlie for some amazing memories and sounds.
Oh my, criminal activity. I'm sure you must've been designated crew member! I do have a very fond memory of those Wild Blue shows. Thanks for bearing witness. Peace to you, Wayne.
Sometime about 1956, 5th grade, I spent the wknd with a classmate who lived in a house near Mystic. Moved from DeQuincy, He was only at Fields, Hyatt for a short while. Our Sunday was at Good Hope Baptist church where I discovered you seeking your own Ashworth ancestry. Unforgettable. I searched the same cemetery for Jesse Gore, our old cemeteries hold ghosts whom we are connected. ( Bancroft son, FB roscoe Beauregard). 1910 I found my dad at Mystic. He was with his grandmother Blanche Sartin Cooper, of which I get the Choctaw grandfather, thus dad, Laban Alton Cooper for whom I was so named.
Alton, thanks for commenting! Not many people I know have ever been to Mystic or Good Hope. Glad to have this connection. And, I love your Dad's first name, Laban. Might have to use that in a novel some day! Best to you.
Of course you were the courier. That was the next step up from “Message Boy”. Joking aside, I think much of your success is that you think of yourself as merely a vessel carrying creativity to serve others rather than you being The Source itself. As such God has used you to present your own art as well as leave your indelible mark on the other projects you have touched. And though much of your recent work has shown fond reflection on the past, something tells me God’s not quite done using you yet.
Most of what we are is forgotten because our brains can't retain countless experiences. So glad you have these pulled down and dispayed widely on the jewelry counter of published memoir.
You are welcome Ann! Yes, I really like the one with Andraé. Note to self: If you are ever playing your song on piano and Andraé is playing his on piano too? Do not under any circumstances play after him. RIP Andraé (1942-2015).
I first heard you at Melarkes with an invite from my new friend ,John Weber(aka Webbone). I was hooked! Your voice reminded me of another of my fav artists, Simply Red, and the band’s musicianship was “ off the charts”.
I felt very blessed to get to know you at WM and have had you as my top “go to” on my streaming platforms. BTW… I think of taxes as an incorrigible little brother, always bugging me year after year :)
Love these articles, Chuck! Looking forward to the next one.
Ah, Mick H was simply singing like me singing like Smokey Robinson! Mick just had the hit! Glad you were there for those halcyon times, Theresa! Peace and love.
Stephen, didn't fit at all. Town Hall was an unapproved name that I gave the album when we all thought it was going to be released on A&M. Producer Nigel Gray had great success with The Police on A&M and I think we all thought this would be a plus. It was the opposite. Nigel and I took the record to A&M at the Paris, France office and they were horribly disrespectful to Nigel, despite 10 platinum albums of The Police he had produced hanging on their walls. The bad attitude and general disinterest persisted. So we moved to Island and made a few tweaks in the record including abandoning Town Hall for self-titled. Lots more on this in the memoir in case you haven't read/listened yet. Thanks for asking.
January 1989 . CP Trio in Bloomington, MN. The first time/part time promoter is crushed because only 300 people show up in the 900 seat high school auditorium. Little did he know that weekend would turn into quite an adventure over the better part of the next decade. Watching Eternity, AB
Andy! Ah, we were only good for about 300-500 anyway back then unless it was a festival or such. We were delighted to make such a great connection with you and yours. Kinfolk! And yes, some capers and adventures with you for sure. Thank you! Love and respect.
Thanks Charlie for the story, I remember seeing the 77s at the Roxy in '88, a whole slew of notables in the crowd, Steve Taylor, ect, and we even got Richard Blade to play a 7's tune for us on KROQ the next morning. Honestly, your cred with Mike and the band is what got me to pay attention to you as an artist, you're really amazing with your dedication and the precision you put into your music. Always love your lyrics, as I dable in writting scibble from time to time. Thank you for getting the word out and stories via Substack and all you do for all the artists. I especially appreciated the recent interview with respect to your health, very encouraging for a current situation, life is rought at times. Thank you
Thank you Nate for the encouragement. Yes, life is indeed rough and smooth and all points in between. I hope this is smooth day for you. Glad you were at that show in '88—great history on the Sunset Strip. Peace.
Thanks Erik. Margaret and I had a strong partnership for many years. I was honored to b on her team. And for Bill, oh gosh yes. When EMI purchased Sparrow and they got to know Bill? No question they knew he was among the best of the best and kept giving him more responsibility, well beyond lane he was attending to. He was a good friend to me and I miss him. I used stay with him and his then wife Barbara when I would work in LA before Sparrow moved offices to Nashville. Great little house in Studio City. Those friends, that area, that time—such a great vibe and memory. And sushi of course. Very LA in the 80s!
Very! Bill and I were in the middle of sourcing scripts that would bake in music from the start — think Once, Begin Again, Sing Street, etc. — when he passed. He was fatigued by music being the after-thought — post-production to slap music onto the story. Miss him.
I was at that show that sweaty night at the wild blue. It could have been the night that you snuck me in because I was still under 21. Every show I saw the Charlie peacock band were amazing but the Wild Blue shows were amazing! Thank you Charlie for some amazing memories and sounds.
Oh my, criminal activity. I'm sure you must've been designated crew member! I do have a very fond memory of those Wild Blue shows. Thanks for bearing witness. Peace to you, Wayne.
Sometime about 1956, 5th grade, I spent the wknd with a classmate who lived in a house near Mystic. Moved from DeQuincy, He was only at Fields, Hyatt for a short while. Our Sunday was at Good Hope Baptist church where I discovered you seeking your own Ashworth ancestry. Unforgettable. I searched the same cemetery for Jesse Gore, our old cemeteries hold ghosts whom we are connected. ( Bancroft son, FB roscoe Beauregard). 1910 I found my dad at Mystic. He was with his grandmother Blanche Sartin Cooper, of which I get the Choctaw grandfather, thus dad, Laban Alton Cooper for whom I was so named.
Alton, thanks for commenting! Not many people I know have ever been to Mystic or Good Hope. Glad to have this connection. And, I love your Dad's first name, Laban. Might have to use that in a novel some day! Best to you.
Of course you were the courier. That was the next step up from “Message Boy”. Joking aside, I think much of your success is that you think of yourself as merely a vessel carrying creativity to serve others rather than you being The Source itself. As such God has used you to present your own art as well as leave your indelible mark on the other projects you have touched. And though much of your recent work has shown fond reflection on the past, something tells me God’s not quite done using you yet.
Thank you John, I appreciate your astute connection to a previous song! Well played. And thank you for the encouragement and forecasting. :-)
Most of what we are is forgotten because our brains can't retain countless experiences. So glad you have these pulled down and dispayed widely on the jewelry counter of published memoir.
The Attentionist has dropped in! Thank you for complimentary brain science comment old friend. Hope to see you again soon.
Thanks for the memories CP. So glad they took a chance. Great pictures!!
You are welcome Ann! Yes, I really like the one with Andraé. Note to self: If you are ever playing your song on piano and Andraé is playing his on piano too? Do not under any circumstances play after him. RIP Andraé (1942-2015).
I love this story.
I first heard you at Melarkes with an invite from my new friend ,John Weber(aka Webbone). I was hooked! Your voice reminded me of another of my fav artists, Simply Red, and the band’s musicianship was “ off the charts”.
I felt very blessed to get to know you at WM and have had you as my top “go to” on my streaming platforms. BTW… I think of taxes as an incorrigible little brother, always bugging me year after year :)
Love these articles, Chuck! Looking forward to the next one.
Ah, Mick H was simply singing like me singing like Smokey Robinson! Mick just had the hit! Glad you were there for those halcyon times, Theresa! Peace and love.
It’s not mentioned explicitly but did the Town Hall project fit into the transition away from Island?
Stephen, didn't fit at all. Town Hall was an unapproved name that I gave the album when we all thought it was going to be released on A&M. Producer Nigel Gray had great success with The Police on A&M and I think we all thought this would be a plus. It was the opposite. Nigel and I took the record to A&M at the Paris, France office and they were horribly disrespectful to Nigel, despite 10 platinum albums of The Police he had produced hanging on their walls. The bad attitude and general disinterest persisted. So we moved to Island and made a few tweaks in the record including abandoning Town Hall for self-titled. Lots more on this in the memoir in case you haven't read/listened yet. Thanks for asking.
Very encouraging and timely story. Thanks for sharing 🙏
You're welcome, Jonny!
January 1989 . CP Trio in Bloomington, MN. The first time/part time promoter is crushed because only 300 people show up in the 900 seat high school auditorium. Little did he know that weekend would turn into quite an adventure over the better part of the next decade. Watching Eternity, AB
Andy! Ah, we were only good for about 300-500 anyway back then unless it was a festival or such. We were delighted to make such a great connection with you and yours. Kinfolk! And yes, some capers and adventures with you for sure. Thank you! Love and respect.
Thanks Charlie for the story, I remember seeing the 77s at the Roxy in '88, a whole slew of notables in the crowd, Steve Taylor, ect, and we even got Richard Blade to play a 7's tune for us on KROQ the next morning. Honestly, your cred with Mike and the band is what got me to pay attention to you as an artist, you're really amazing with your dedication and the precision you put into your music. Always love your lyrics, as I dable in writting scibble from time to time. Thank you for getting the word out and stories via Substack and all you do for all the artists. I especially appreciated the recent interview with respect to your health, very encouraging for a current situation, life is rought at times. Thank you
Thank you Nate for the encouragement. Yes, life is indeed rough and smooth and all points in between. I hope this is smooth day for you. Glad you were at that show in '88—great history on the Sunset Strip. Peace.
love these stories Charlie - thanks for the way you tell them
Appreciate the kind encouragement, Jim. Go well, be well, stay well.
Love this. I love that Margaret Becker album. And I miss Bill Hearn. He was a good smart man.
Thanks Erik. Margaret and I had a strong partnership for many years. I was honored to b on her team. And for Bill, oh gosh yes. When EMI purchased Sparrow and they got to know Bill? No question they knew he was among the best of the best and kept giving him more responsibility, well beyond lane he was attending to. He was a good friend to me and I miss him. I used stay with him and his then wife Barbara when I would work in LA before Sparrow moved offices to Nashville. Great little house in Studio City. Those friends, that area, that time—such a great vibe and memory. And sushi of course. Very LA in the 80s!
Very! Bill and I were in the middle of sourcing scripts that would bake in music from the start — think Once, Begin Again, Sing Street, etc. — when he passed. He was fatigued by music being the after-thought — post-production to slap music onto the story. Miss him.
I love hearing this story!