Photo by Keith Bradshaw
Charlton Singleton
- The New Deal
New Release CD
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Questions and Answers With Charlton Singleton
Where are you originally from?
I am from Awendaw, SC. It is about fourteen miles north of Charleston.
When did you start playing?
I started taking lessons on the piano when I was three years old and they lasted until I was sixteen. I joined the school orchestra in elementary school (violin) and then the school band in middle school (trumpet).
Did you always want to be a performer?
No. I really wanted to be a band director and teach kids how to play. With my parents, sister, and dozens of other relative and friends in education, it seemed natural. Performance just sort of happened by accident.
Where did you go to college?
I went to South Carolina State University and I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance.
Do you have a favorite jazz musician?
That depends on what time of day it is!! There are too many to name. The short list would be Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Wynton Marsalis, Ella Fitzgerald, and Marcus Miller. There are many more that I listen to, though.
Do you have a favorite musician outside of jazz?
Again, that depends on what time of day it is!! I can narrow it down to the following: Prince, Stevie Wonder, Larry Graham, Earth Wind and Fire, Michael Jackson, Sting, Steely Dan, and anything that Quincy Jones produces. Once again, though, there are many more.
What’s up with Quincy?
Quincy Jones is by far one of the most versatile musician/artist to ever live. He can make any genre of music sound great. He has won awards in popular music, jazz, film scoring and arranging, television…everything that he does becomes popular, is a hit, or is a leading thing in entertainment. He wrote for the Count Basie Orchestra, Frank Sinatra, produced all of Michael Jackson’s best albums, scored The Color Purple, was a producer for the Fresh Prince of Bel Air….the list goes on.
Is there anyone else outside of music that you like to watch or study?
I like watching anything with Sammy Davis Jr. He was the greatest entertainer. He could sing, dance, act and entertain people: no matter what situation he was in. He once said something to the effect, and I am paraphrasing, but it was that the audience can say that they don’t like my playing, singing, dancing, acting, or whatever I do on stage, but they cannot say that I did not give it my all when I performed. That is what I think about when I perform. Sammy had great material and great delivery. He was a natural.
What other music, besides jazz, do you listen to?
I like R&B, pop, rock…mostly from the 70’s. I also like gospel, classical, and country (yes!)
Do you have a favorite gig; one that you will never forget?
I have two and they both have to do with the Count Basie Orchestra. The first happened when I was an undergraduate at SC State. We were actually in a rehearsal and about six members of the Count Basie Band came walking in! They were in town for a concert and stopped by to check us out. Talk about pressure!! However, they listened, played with us, and talked with us as a group and one on one after the rehearsal. They had lots of good advice and great stories. The other one was when I conducted the Charleston Jazz Orchestra in a show that was titled “Countin’ On Basie”. It was a tribute to the Count Basie Orchestra. The atmosphere, mood, music, and the band were perfect that night. I will never forget that show.
Have you ever played with any major stars?
I have been hired by and played with some people in their backing bands. Fred Wesley, The O’Jays, Jerry Butler, Darius Rucker, and I did a show where I was the pianist for Ruby Dee and the late Roscoe Lee Brown. That show was fun. Also, I was in a competition in college and tied for the Most Outstanding Brass Soloist award. The tie-breaker was that we had to play solos with the Count Basie Orchestra rhythm section and they judged us. (Can you sense a Basie theme here? Lol!
Do you have any hobbies?
I like watching sports on TV, watching old 70’s and 80’s sitcom shows, playing baseball, golfing, and the best thing of all…being with family and friends.
Favorite Food?
Steak and sushi! (Not together)