Album Notes

Charlie Love, born on the South side of Chicago in 1956, was introduced to the blues 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 from a powerful place, a place from which he has never turned away. One could say the blues called on Charlie Love.

It didn't take Charlie 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 the Windy City, he always had his guitar on the job and his first performance came in front of 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 developing his powerful voice, playing four nights a week on the South Side with his own band, the Hotlinks. While leading his group he was frequently called on by blues stars like Mighty Joe Young and B.B. Odem to play guitar.

Charlie caught the attention of Casey Jones, ex-drummer for the late great Albert Collins, who was fronting his own band at the Kingston Mines, one of Chicago's high profile blues clubs. It was while playing for the "Casey Jones Revue" that the proprietor heard Charlie sing. The Mines hired him under his own name and Charlie began being recognized as one of the city's outstanding blues singers. The distinct 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 within the style is in evidence here and 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.



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Charlie Love and the Silky Smooth Band have been one of Chicago's premier blues and dance bands on the scene, for many years. This Chicago showman was the winner of the "Best Unsigned Band" contest and is a consistent feature at the Chicago Blues Festival. Born on the South Side of Chicago, Charlie was introduced to the Blues by his mother and father and quickly embraced it. He is recognized as one of the city's outstanding performers and his sound keeps his audiences on their feet. Charlie Love and the Silky Smooth Band can be found around town at Kingston Mines, Blue Chicago,Buddy Guy's Legends, Reservation Blues and the Checkerboard Lounge.