Blue Label/SPV have announced the release of legendary soul singer Charles Walker's new album entitled "Soul Stirring Man" on September 14, 2010. Charles Walker started his recording career at the legendary Champion Label in 1959 and moved to Chess records in 1962. He signed to Motown as a staff writer and established a reputation as an exciting live performer belting out incendiary Blues, Soul and Gospel at fever pitch!
His first record was released in 1959 for Alan Bubis' legendary Champion label. "Slave To Love" was credited to "Charles Walker & The Daffodils", although there was no such vocal group as The Daffodils. The backup singers on the record were label mates The Kinglets and Larry Birdsong and the musical backing was provided by The Jimmy Beck Orchestra featuring guitarist Johnny Jones.
He signed on as lead singer with the J.C. Davis band, touring the USA as opening act for many of the greats of the era, including Jackie Wilson, James Brown, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Little Willie John, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, etc. and recording some real barnstormers like ""Sweet Sweet Love" and "The Chicken Scratch" (Chess Records 1962).
In 1964 Charles formed his own group "Little Charles & The Sidewinders". They became one of the most in demand Soul bands on New York City's nightclub scene performing at the Apollo Theater, Small's Paradise and venturing out to Las Vegas and Atlantic City and their records including "Hello Heartbreaker" and "Please Open The Door" have now become classics amongst aficionados on what became known as "Northen Soul".
During the 1980's Charles relocated to Europe and worked steadily, recorded occasionally and lived comfortably but in 1993 he decided to return to Nashville to seriously get back into recording and he couldn't have picked a better time, Nashville's Blues/R&B scene was booming.
A few years ago Charles was approached by a local Nashville Funk band called The Dynamites about being their lead singer. He began working locally with the group and their popularity grew by leaps and bounds until they were soon breaking out nationally. Their release "Kaboom" was the record that finally broke Charles Walker in the US market. This brings us up to the present.
As successful as The Dynamites are, Charles still wants to continue recording traditional Soul and Blues. So this record is the logical next step in the CHARLES WALKER saga.
CHARLES WALKER is truly one of the last great Soul singers. But as this record really shows, he's not looking back, he's charging full speed ahead.........and that's a soul stirring thing indeed!
