Charlie Hodge (guitarist)
Encyclopedia
Charles Franklin Hodge better known as Charlie Hodge, was an American singer, vocal coach and musician who was a confidant and associate of Elvis Presley
.
, Hodge began his musical career at age 17 in a gospel quartet, The Path Finders, with Bill Gaither. At 5'3", the tenor singer used an empty Coke
crate to stand on as a comedy routine while singing with the quartet. Hodge then joined The Foggy River Boys, and first met Presley in 1955 when Presley came backstage after the group performed in Memphis, Tennessee
while visiting to promote ABC-TV
's Ozark Jubilee
. Before Elvis became a national success he commented to Hodge that he listened to him and his group on the radio. At that time The Foggy River Boys were the number one gospel quartet in the country. As a part of Ozark Jubilee, Hodge was also on network television before Presley.
."
Hodge is said to have been with Presley in Germany when the latter met his future wife, Priscilla
. Hodge would later be the stage manager and a musician of The Elvis Presley Show, when Presley returned to live performances after Elvis
, his 1968 comeback special. During Presley's movie making years Charlie would sometimes perform with singer/musician Jimmy Wakely in Reno. He also performed with the famous singing cowboy Roy Rogers. He became known by the public for singing harmony for Elvis, handing Presley water and scarves onstage, but had many other tasks, such as laying out the song list Presley was to perform, and sometimes holding the microphone when Presley was playing the piano or guitar. Presley also put him in charge of presenting songs directly to Presley that he might want to record or perform, and many were recorded. Music companies contracted to give Elvis songs to record would refer to Charlie Hodge and bodyguard Red West, also a musician and song writer, as "The Imperial Council" because Elvis would look to them for their advice on songs presented for possible recording. Hodge was the only male singer to have recorded a duet with Elvis in 1960 entitled "I Will Be Home Again". Hodge can also be heard playing the piano in the recording, "Suppose". Hodge received a songwriting credit for the song "You'll Be Gone
" which he co-wrote with Elvis Presley and Red West in 1962. He changed the orchestration to that of a Spanish style.
Hodge helped Elvis develop and build his vocal range to reach the higher notes in some of the powerful ballads Elvis would record and sing live. If during a concert Elvis wanted someone to sustain or hit a note he would turn to Hodge to do that for him.
When Elvis was needing to put a band together for his return to live performances he turned to Hodge for help. Hodge recommended James Burton, lead guitarist, after seeing him play in a small club. After The Imperials left the Elvis Show Hodge recommended using The Stamps Quartet.
Hodge lived for 17 years at Elvis' Memphis, Tennessee
estate, Graceland
, and also had rooms in all of Elvis's other homes away from Graceland which were personally decorated by Priscilla in his favorite color schemes. Hodge was often regarded as the kindest and most genuine member of the Memphis Mafia, with Presley's best interests at heart. Hodge was with Elvis to the very end and was with the guarded escort to bring Elvis and his mother Gladys remains back to Graceland for reburial. Hodge stayed at Graceland for a year afterward helping Vernon with any affairs of the estate.
in which he played himself and served as a technical adviser for the project.
Beginning in 1980, Hodge was back in Las Vegas
and Reno
at Harrah's Hotel-Casino’s
and in Lake Tahoe at The Sahara, working in collaboration with Elvis tribute artist
(ETA) Robbie Rhodes in the long-running touring production, Elvis Excitement! During the last 15 years of his life, Hodge was a featured performer with ETA's William Stiles, Pete Wilcox, Eddie Miles
, and Lou Vuto at the Memories Theater in A Salute to Elvis. While at Memories Theatre Hodge performed some of the same duties he did while performing with Elvis such as singing harmony, draping the scarves around the ETA's neck as he did with Elvis, and play guitar, or if it was required for a certain song, he played the piano. Hodge traveled the world annually to speak at Elvis Presley events and to sometimes perform with long time friend, singer/musician, Terry Mike Jeffery. Countries Charlie visited included England, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Hungary, Australia, and Japan. In 1988, Hodge wrote an autobiography-memoir, Me 'n Elvis; and in 1994, produced a DVD titled The Elvis I Knew.
In October 2005, Hodge was diagnosed with lung cancer but it wasn't made public till much later. He completed treatment and was told the cancer was gone. On March 3, 2006, while at a scheduled doctor appointment he started having difficulty breathing. He was rushed to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee
where he died unexpectedly. (Doctors said the cause of death was a blood clot in a lung which caused it to collapse.) His last performance onstage was Feb. 14, 2006 at Memories Theatre. To those who knew Hodge on a personal level said he was very quick witted, loved slap stick comedy, and making those around him laugh. He was a gospel music historian and loved sharing stories with the Elvis fans all over the world about his life with Elvis. At his funeral in Decatur flowers from all over the world adorned the service along with pictures spanning his childhood and his whole musical career. Those in attendance amongst family was former bodyguard to Elvis, Sonny West, and the widow of Memphis Mafia member, Richard Davis. Bill Gaither, Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and Memphis Mafia member Joe Esposito were not there but sent several large arrangements of flowers along with their fondest memories with Hodge. On Elvis satellite radio, with Elvis friend and DJ George Klein, the entire broadcast was dedicated to the memory of Hodge which aired past interviews from him along with shared memories from Elvis's entourage, band, and fans worldwide. A few of the speakers and pallbearers at the funeral were Sonny West, ETA William Stiles, who worked with and was mentored by Hodge at Memories Theatre for five years, and lead guitarist Ross Southerland, who for nine years also performed onstage at Memories Theater with Hodge.
miniseries
Elvis
, which starred Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
as Presley. The series was nominated for six Emmy Award
s.
In 2004 he was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame.
On March 12, 2007, Hodge was honored at the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
induction ceremony in New York City. The ceremony opened with “in memoriam” photos of personalities important in rock and roll who had died in 2006, which included Hodge.
www.rareelvispresley.com
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
.
Early music career
Born in Decatur, AlabamaDecatur, Alabama
Decatur is a city in Limestone and Morgan Counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. The city, affectionately known as "The River City", is located in Northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake, along the Tennessee River. It is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County...
, Hodge began his musical career at age 17 in a gospel quartet, The Path Finders, with Bill Gaither. At 5'3", the tenor singer used an empty Coke
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
crate to stand on as a comedy routine while singing with the quartet. Hodge then joined The Foggy River Boys, and first met Presley in 1955 when Presley came backstage after the group performed in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
while visiting to promote ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
. Before Elvis became a national success he commented to Hodge that he listened to him and his group on the radio. At that time The Foggy River Boys were the number one gospel quartet in the country. As a part of Ozark Jubilee, Hodge was also on network television before Presley.
The Elvis years
After meeting again in 1958, when both men were in the U.S. Army at Fort Hood, Texas, the two became friends; and the tenor singer subsequently became part of Presley's entourage, referred to as the "Memphis MafiaMemphis Mafia
The "Memphis Mafia" was the nickname for a group of friends, associates, employees and "yes-men" whose main function was to be around Elvis Presley from 1954 until he died. Several filled practical roles in the singer's life. For instance, they were employed to work for him as bodyguards or on tour...
."
Hodge is said to have been with Presley in Germany when the latter met his future wife, Priscilla
Priscilla Presley
Priscilla Presley is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the ex-wife of singer Elvis Presley, and the mother of singer-songwriter Lisa Marie Presley....
. Hodge would later be the stage manager and a musician of The Elvis Presley Show, when Presley returned to live performances after Elvis
Elvis Presley's '68 Comeback Special
Elvis, starring Elvis Presley, was the title of a 1968 United States television special. Sponsored by The Singer Sewing Machine Company, it aired on December 2, 1968 on the NBC television network...
, his 1968 comeback special. During Presley's movie making years Charlie would sometimes perform with singer/musician Jimmy Wakely in Reno. He also performed with the famous singing cowboy Roy Rogers. He became known by the public for singing harmony for Elvis, handing Presley water and scarves onstage, but had many other tasks, such as laying out the song list Presley was to perform, and sometimes holding the microphone when Presley was playing the piano or guitar. Presley also put him in charge of presenting songs directly to Presley that he might want to record or perform, and many were recorded. Music companies contracted to give Elvis songs to record would refer to Charlie Hodge and bodyguard Red West, also a musician and song writer, as "The Imperial Council" because Elvis would look to them for their advice on songs presented for possible recording. Hodge was the only male singer to have recorded a duet with Elvis in 1960 entitled "I Will Be Home Again". Hodge can also be heard playing the piano in the recording, "Suppose". Hodge received a songwriting credit for the song "You'll Be Gone
You'll Be Gone
You'll Be Gone is a song co-written by Elvis Presley and published by Elvis Presley Music and released in 1965 as a single and on the Girl Happy soundtrack album...
" which he co-wrote with Elvis Presley and Red West in 1962. He changed the orchestration to that of a Spanish style.
Hodge helped Elvis develop and build his vocal range to reach the higher notes in some of the powerful ballads Elvis would record and sing live. If during a concert Elvis wanted someone to sustain or hit a note he would turn to Hodge to do that for him.
When Elvis was needing to put a band together for his return to live performances he turned to Hodge for help. Hodge recommended James Burton, lead guitarist, after seeing him play in a small club. After The Imperials left the Elvis Show Hodge recommended using The Stamps Quartet.
Hodge lived for 17 years at Elvis' Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
estate, Graceland
Graceland
Graceland is a large white-columned mansion and estate that was home to Elvis Presley in Memphis, Tennessee. It is located at 3764 Elvis Presley Boulevard in the vast Whitehaven community about 9 miles from Downtown and less than four miles north of the Mississippi border. It currently serves as...
, and also had rooms in all of Elvis's other homes away from Graceland which were personally decorated by Priscilla in his favorite color schemes. Hodge was often regarded as the kindest and most genuine member of the Memphis Mafia, with Presley's best interests at heart. Hodge was with Elvis to the very end and was with the guarded escort to bring Elvis and his mother Gladys remains back to Graceland for reburial. Hodge stayed at Graceland for a year afterward helping Vernon with any affairs of the estate.
After Elvis
Hodge's post-Elvis life and career were subsequently dedicated to the deceased music legend. In 1979, Hodge made a cameo appearance in the TV film ELVIS starring Kurt RussellKurt Russell
Kurt Vogel Russell is an American television and film actor. His first acting roles were as a child in television series, including a lead role in the Western series The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters...
in which he played himself and served as a technical adviser for the project.
Beginning in 1980, Hodge was back in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
and Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
at Harrah's Hotel-Casino’s
Harrah's Entertainment
Caesars Entertainment Corporation is a private gaming corporation that owns and operates over 50 casinos, hotels, and seven golf courses under several brands. The company, based in Paradise, Nevada, is the largest gaming company in the world, with yearly revenues $8.9 billion...
and in Lake Tahoe at The Sahara, working in collaboration with Elvis tribute artist
Elvis impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies famed American musician Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators can work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts are in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis...
(ETA) Robbie Rhodes in the long-running touring production, Elvis Excitement! During the last 15 years of his life, Hodge was a featured performer with ETA's William Stiles, Pete Wilcox, Eddie Miles
Eddie Miles
Edward Miles, Jr. is a retired American basketball player.A 6'4" guard from Scipio A. Jones High School in Arkansas, Miles was nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Arm" because of his shooting prowess...
, and Lou Vuto at the Memories Theater in A Salute to Elvis. While at Memories Theatre Hodge performed some of the same duties he did while performing with Elvis such as singing harmony, draping the scarves around the ETA's neck as he did with Elvis, and play guitar, or if it was required for a certain song, he played the piano. Hodge traveled the world annually to speak at Elvis Presley events and to sometimes perform with long time friend, singer/musician, Terry Mike Jeffery. Countries Charlie visited included England, Ireland, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Hungary, Australia, and Japan. In 1988, Hodge wrote an autobiography-memoir, Me 'n Elvis; and in 1994, produced a DVD titled The Elvis I Knew.
In October 2005, Hodge was diagnosed with lung cancer but it wasn't made public till much later. He completed treatment and was told the cancer was gone. On March 3, 2006, while at a scheduled doctor appointment he started having difficulty breathing. He was rushed to Fort Sanders Regional Medical Center in Knoxville, Tennessee
Knoxville, Tennessee
Founded in 1786, Knoxville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Tennessee, U.S.A., behind Memphis and Nashville, and is the county seat of Knox County. It is the largest city in East Tennessee, and the second-largest city in the Appalachia region...
where he died unexpectedly. (Doctors said the cause of death was a blood clot in a lung which caused it to collapse.) His last performance onstage was Feb. 14, 2006 at Memories Theatre. To those who knew Hodge on a personal level said he was very quick witted, loved slap stick comedy, and making those around him laugh. He was a gospel music historian and loved sharing stories with the Elvis fans all over the world about his life with Elvis. At his funeral in Decatur flowers from all over the world adorned the service along with pictures spanning his childhood and his whole musical career. Those in attendance amongst family was former bodyguard to Elvis, Sonny West, and the widow of Memphis Mafia member, Richard Davis. Bill Gaither, Priscilla, Lisa Marie, and Memphis Mafia member Joe Esposito were not there but sent several large arrangements of flowers along with their fondest memories with Hodge. On Elvis satellite radio, with Elvis friend and DJ George Klein, the entire broadcast was dedicated to the memory of Hodge which aired past interviews from him along with shared memories from Elvis's entourage, band, and fans worldwide. A few of the speakers and pallbearers at the funeral were Sonny West, ETA William Stiles, who worked with and was mentored by Hodge at Memories Theatre for five years, and lead guitarist Ross Southerland, who for nine years also performed onstage at Memories Theater with Hodge.
Legacy
He was portrayed by Ryan Rilette in the 2005 CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
miniseries
Miniseries
A miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a television show production which tells a story in a limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
Elvis
Elvis (TV series)
Elvis is a 2005 CBS mini-series written by Patrick Sheane Duncan and directed by James Steven Sadwith. It chronicles the rise of American music icon Elvis Presley from his humble beginnings in Tupelo, Mississippi to his international superstardom....
, which starred Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Jonathan Rhys-Meyers
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is an Irish actor and model.He is best known for his roles in the films Velvet Goldmine, Mission Impossible III, Bend It Like Beckham, Match Point and his television roles as Elvis Presley in the biographical miniseries Elvis, which earned him a Golden Globe for Best Actor,...
as Presley. The series was nominated for six Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s.
In 2004 he was inducted into the Alabama Hall of Fame.
On March 12, 2007, Hodge was honored at the 2007 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...
induction ceremony in New York City. The ceremony opened with “in memoriam” photos of personalities important in rock and roll who had died in 2006, which included Hodge.
Film appearances
Hodge performed in several of Presley’s films. Although often recognized by Elvis fans in these films, his name does not appear in the films’ credits.| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Clambake Clambake Clambake is a 1967 musical film starring Elvis Presley, and co-starring Shelley Fabares and Bill Bixby—the last of his four films for United Artists. The movie reached No. 15 on the national weekly box office charts.-Plot:... |
Mr. Hayward's barber | uncredited |
| 1968 | Speedway Speedway (film) Speedway is a 1968 action film musical film starring Elvis Presley as a racecar driver and Nancy Sinatra as his love interest.Scenes were shot at the Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina... |
Guitar player | uncredited |
| 1968 | Stay Away, Joe Stay Away, Joe Stay Away, Joe is a 1968 comedy-drama western film with musical interludes set in modern times and starring Elvis Presley, Burgess Meredith and Joan Blondell. The film was based on the 1953 novel by Dan Cushman, a satirical farce... |
Guitar player | uncredited |
| 1969 | Charro! Charro! Charro! is a 1969 Western film starring Elvis Presley. It was his only role that didn't feature him singing on-screen, and is the only Presley film to feature no songs at all except for the main title theme. It also features a bearded Presley for the first and last time in any of his films.The film... |
Mexican peon | uncredited |
| 1979 | Elvis | Himself | nominated - Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... |
Further reading
- Clayton, Rose; Dick Heard (2003) Elvis: By Those Who Knew Him Best, Virgin Publishing Limited ISBN 0-7535-0835-4
- Esposito, Joe (2006) Remember Elvis, TCB JOE Enterprises ISBN 0-977-89452-5
- Goldman, Albert (1990) Elvis: The Last 24 Hours, St Martins Press ISBN 0-312-92541-7
- Guralnick, Peter (1999) Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, Back Bay Books ISBN 0-316-33297-6
- Hodge, Charlie; Goodman, Charles (1988) Me'n Elvis, Castle Books ASIN: B000AM5N32
- Lichter, Paul (1980) Elvis - The Boy Who Dared To Rock, Sphere BooksSphere Books-History:Founded in 1961, Sphere Books began work on its first publication, the 1962 paperback edition of Gottfried Benn's The Trainee Man. Originally part of The Thomson Corporation, Sphere was sold to Pearson PLC in 1985 and became part of Penguin...
ISBN 0-722-15547-6 - Nash, A.; M. Lacker, L. Fike, B. Smith (1995) Elvis Aron Presley: Revelations from the Memphis Mafia, Harper Collins ISBN 006109336X
- Nash, Alanna; Smith, Billy; Lacker, Marty; Fike, Lamar (2005) Elvis and the Memphis Mafia, Aurum PressAurum PressAurum Press is an independent English publishing house located in London. It was founded in 1976. Aurum concentrates on non-fiction titles and publishes approximately 75 new books every year. One of its titles in 2009 will be the biography of Neville Staple, vocalist in The Specials, Fun Boy...
ISBN 1-845-13128-2 - Presley, Priscilla, (1985) Elvis and Me, New York: G. P. Putnam's SonsG. P. Putnam's SonsG. P. Putnam's Sons was a major United States book publisher based in New York City, New York. Since 1996, it has been an imprint of the Penguin Group.-History:...
ISBN 0-399-12984-7 - Stanley, David E.; Frank Coffey (1998) The Elvis Encyclopedia, London Virgin BooksVirgin BooksVirgin Books is a United Kingdom book publisher 90% owned by the publishing group Random House, and 10% owned by Virgin Enterprises, the company originally set up by Richard Branson as a record company.-History:...
ISBN 0-753-50293-3 - West, Red; Sonny West, Dave Hebler (as told to Steve DunleavySteve DunleavyStephen Francis Patrick Aloysius Dunleavy , is a journalist best known as a columnist for the New York Post...
) (1977) Elvis: What Happened, Bantam BooksBantam BooksBantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by Random House, the German media corporation subsidiary of Bertelsmann; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. Kramer, and Ian and Betty Ballantine...
ISBN 0-345-27215-3
External links
- The Official Charlie Hodge Web site
- Interview with Charlie Hodge
- "Charlie Hodge Dies"
- Charlie Hodge film appearances
- Last Will and Testament of Elvis A. Presley
www.rareelvispresley.com