Charles Chalmers (musician)

Charles Chalmers is a saxophonist, session musician, backup singer, songwriter and producer. He has written several hit songs for many recording artists, and has also arranged & performed on many grammy winning recordings. Seven of those recordings are in the Grammy Hall of Fame : Al Green's "Let's Stay together"; Aretha Franklin's "Respect," "Chain of Fools" & "Natural Woman"; Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man"; and Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally" and "Land of a Thousand Dances." He also holds an Album of the Century award for his work on Aretha Franklin's, "I Ain't Never Loved a Man the Way that I Love You."

Biography

Charlie Chalmers began playing music in his high school marching band.

By age 19, he had toured with Jerry Lee Lewis and worked extensively with Charlie Rich.

Chalmers' came to the attention of Bill Black who called Chalmers for a session. Not long after working with Black, Willie Mitchell, asked Chalmers to play on some of his recordings. Chalmers played lead sax on Mitchell's instrumental, "Soul Serenade". Mitchell then called Chalmers to work regularly on his productions, not only as a saxophone player, but also as an arranger and back up singer. Chalmers helped arrange and sang backup on "Let's Stay Together" by Al Green with a group that came to be called Rhodes, Chalmers, and Rhodes. They also sang on Green's album, I Can't Stop, produced by Mitchell, for Blue Note Records, (2003).

Before recording with Al Green, Chalmers was asked to go to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, to play on a Wilson Pickett recording date for Atlantic Records. "Land of a Thousand Dances" and " Mustang Sally" were two of the songs he recorded with Pickett that week, and it was then that Chalmers met Jerry Wexler and Tom Dowd. Chalmers arranged the horns and played sax on Aretha Franklin songs including "I Ain't Never Loved A Man", "Respect", "Do Right Woman", "Chain of Fools", "Dr. Feel Good", and "Natural Woman".

Rick Hall, of Fame Recording, also greatly influenced Chalmers' career producing for Chess Records, Chalmers' Sax and the Single Girl.

After Chalmers sang on Paul Anka's Having My Baby album, he performed live dates with Anka in Las Vegas for three years at Caesars Palace. Chalmers located a studio in Las Vegas, where he sang back up on a Frank Sinatra session.

After working for several years in Vegas, Charlie and his group were called to Miami to do some sessions at Criteria Studios. For the next few years, they recorded with artists indlucing Andy Gibb, The Bee Gees, Fire Fall, Harry Chapin, John Mellencamp and K. C. and the Sunshine Band.

In 1989 Mel Tillis asked Chalmers to work with him at his new theatre in Branson, Missouri. After two years, Chalmers built a recording studio in Branson.

Charlie Chalmers now resides in Branson, Missouri where he produces in his studio, "Branson Recording & Music Productions". He recorded a new saxophone album called Horn of History.

Chalmers is married to Josie and in 2008 they had a son.

Songs

As a song writer and music publisher, Charlie Chalmers had a #1 hit record by Conway Twitty: "The Clown". Also among Chamers songs are "One Woman" on the Isaac Hayes (Hot Buttered Soul album), "One Big Unhappy Family" on the Isaac Hayes (Movement album). Both are double Platinum albums. "Alice Is In Wonderland" is on The Oak Ridge Boys' (Deliver album). Al Green also recorded "One Woman" in his Green Is Blue album. The Staple Singers, recorded "City In The Sky" for their City In The Sky album; Boz Scaggs, recorded "Look What I Got" on Atlantic Records, and Etta James recorded the popular "It Hurts Me So Much", on Chess Records.

Sources

• http://www.charliechalmers.com
• Charlie's Allmusic entry

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Name	Chalmers, Charles
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