Josh Charles (musician)
Encyclopedia
Josh Charles is an Traditional Country/ New Orleans - style inspired pianist and singer/songwriter who was mentored by the famous Dr. John. He has had TV spots on Good Morning America
, Tavis Smiley
, Voice of America
, CNN
, and more, and has also been a featured artist in USA Today
, LA Weekly
, The Huffington Post
, and Keyboard Magazine
. Currently, he is the National Spokesman for the Casio Privia, featuring an ad campaign that begins on March 15.
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley
Tavis Smiley is a talk show host, author, liberal political commentator, entrepreneur, advocate and philanthropist. Smiley was born in Gulfport, Mississippi and grew up in Kokomo, Indiana. After attending Indiana University, he worked during the late 1980s as an aide to Tom Bradley, the mayor of...
, Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and more, and has also been a featured artist in USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
, LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post
The Huffington Post is an American news website and content-aggregating blog founded by Arianna Huffington, Kenneth Lerer, and Jonah Peretti, featuring liberal minded columnists and various news sources. The site offers coverage of politics, theology, media, business, entertainment, living, style,...
, and Keyboard Magazine
Keyboard Magazine
Keyboard Magazine is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, including those not strictly pertaining to the...
. Currently, he is the National Spokesman for the Casio Privia, featuring an ad campaign that begins on March 15.
In the beginning
- Josh was born in La Jolla, California, but grew up in Kansas City. He began classical piano training at age 8, but very quickly realized his passion for the New Orleans sound after hearing it on a local blues radio station.
- As a teenager, Josh played in jazz and blues clubs in Kansas City. He visited New Orleans several times while still in high school where he met Dr. John, who became his longtime friend and mentor.
- After high school, he moved to New York City to work on his music. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and graduated from NYU. While in school he studied jazz extensively under Barry HarrisBarry HarrisBarry Doyle Harris is an American bebop jazz pianist and educator.-Biography:Harris left Detroit for New York City in 1960...
(legendary pianist / educator). In addition to his classroom education, Josh played all around the city at jazz ,blues, cabaret bars and also discovered a club called Tramps which became a local hangout through which many of the great New Orleans artists passed through on a regular basis. Josh spent much time there honing his craft by watching and sitting in with the greats. Josh also spent time as the lead singer/songwriter of rock bands and experimented with many different styles but always come back to his love of New Orleans music and the piano.
- In August 2005, Josh was in New Orleans preparing to make a move to the city. He was scheduled to hit the recording studio with Tracey Freeman ( Harry Connick, Jr, Jeremy Davenport) on August 30th. Unfortunately, he was forced to catch one of the last buses out of town. He had to evacuate the city he loved due to Hurricane KatrinaHurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.
Giving back through "Healing Time"
- Josh Charles is the Artistic Director and co-founder of the Healing Time Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit organization whose goal is to help American cities in need through art and music, with its initial focus on New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.
- Three months after the Hurricane Katrina storm, Josh returned to New Orleans to begin his scheduled recording time with members of Dr. John's band. He found people displaced, heartbroken and hungry. Troubled by images that will never leave him, he wrote "Healing Time". Josh felt that he needed to do something to help his beloved city. He then donated his song and his time to The Preservation Resource Center of New Orleans. A monumental agreement was made with Amazon.com to sell Josh's song and donate 100% of the profits to rebuilding New Orleans. This was the first time that Amazon ever agreed to sell something without taking their 30%. Healing Time is also now available on ITUNES.
- On January 19, 2009, Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
's birthday, Josh along with the Harlem Boys and Girls Choir performed "Healing Time" on Good Morning AmericaGood Morning AmericaGood Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
. The performance took place inside the Library of Congress as a part of Good Morning America's coverage of the historical inauguration of Barack ObamaBarack ObamaBarack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
as the 44th president of the United States of America.
- In March 2009, Josh embarked on the first leg of his "Rebuild Tour". This leg of the tour took him throughout Louisiana and Texas and concentrated on wide appeal, TV performances and in-stores. He performed in New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, Austin and Dallas. He was also a featured artist at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin. That was a sold out performance.
- The "Rebuild Tour" was made possible through sponsors. The tour began small with many local sponsors, but as the project continues to grow and so does the number of sponsors and their level of involvement. Josh most recently just appeared at the 40th Annual New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival and was also a featured performer at WWOZ's Piano Night at the House Of Blues. Josh will touring in support of Healing Time and The Rebuild Tour through the Fall. Currently, Josh is on tour with Cyril Neville and Buckwheat Zydeco through the Summer.
Love, Work & Money
- In 2010, Josh released his highly anticipated, full-length debut CD, Love, Work & Money. The record featured members of Dr. John’s band and his own touring band, and was recorded in New Orleans and New York. The LP, which features a style of music Josh calls “Notown”—a fusion of New Orleans and Motown—was co-produced with Steve Jabas, and mixed by Grammy-winning engineer and producer Gregg Rubin (who also worked with Harry Connick Jr.) and was released by CC Entertainment/E1.
Trippin' The Keys: Music Of Jimi Hendrix
- His current EP, Trippin' The Keys: Music of Jimi Hendrix, is available as a free download on his website. The unique EP features Josh's interpretations of Jimi's guitar style onto a piano. According to Josh, his “goal for the EP was to imagine: if Jimi was a piano player rather than a guitar virtuoso, what would it sound like with him singing and playing his songs by himself." The track list for the EP features classic Hendrix songs including: “Little Wing,” “All Along the Watchtower,” “Hey Joe,” and “Voodoo Chile.”
Josh Charles New Single
- Josh Charles has just released a brand new country single "Life Ain't Fair" to critical acclaim on Down Home Records / Interscope and was co-written with Milton L. Brown
Discography
- "Life Ain't Fair" single (2011)
- Love, Work and Money (2010)
- Trippin' The Keys: Music Of Jimi Hendrix (2010)
Television
- PBS: Tavis Smiley 8/28/09
- CNN Story 7/4/2009: MUSICIAN GIVES BACK TO NEW ORLEANS
- ABC's Good Morning America with the Girls and Boys Choir of Harlem Alumni from the Library of Congress January 19, 2009
- WWL TV - New Orleans, Louisiana
- WGNO ABC- New Orleans, Louisiana
- FOX 8 - New Orleans, Louisiana
- WAFB - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- WBRZ (ABC) - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- NBC 33 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- KPRCKPRC-TVKPRC-TV is the NBC affiliated television station based in Houston, Texas, and serving the Greater Houston television market. It has studios located in the Sharpstown district on the Southwest portion of the city, and has a transmitter site in unincorporated Fort Bend County near Missouri City...
(NBC) - Houston, Texas - KVUEKVUEKVUE, virtual channel 24 , is the local Austin, Texas-based ABC affiliate, owned by Belo Corporation. Its transmitter is located in West Lake Hills, just west of Downtown...
(ABC) - Austin, Texas - KDFWKDFWKDFW, virtual channel 4 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex designated market area....
Fox 4 - Dallas, Texas - NBC NY Nightly News - New York, New York
- Talk Market - New York, New York
- Rock The VoteRock the VoteRock the Vote is a non-profit organization in the United States of America whose mission is to engage and build the political power of young people....
- All Access Live
- Live From Louisiana Music FactoryLouisiana Music FactoryLouisiana Music Factory is an independent record and cd store located in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Its specialty is in the local music, and has been known to the fans of the genre around the world...
Radio
- WWOZWWOZWWOZ is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana broadcasting at 90.7 FM. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the surrounding region of Louisiana.-Programming:...
- New Orleans, Louisiana - WNTIWNTIWNTI is a non-commercial radio station owned and operated by Centenary College in Hackettstown, New Jersey. The station first went on the air on December 8, 1958-History:...
- Hackettstown, New Jersey - WWNOWWNOWWNO is a public radio outlet in New Orleans, Louisiana that offers Classical, Fine Arts, Jazz, as well as informative programming like "Car Talk", and the highly acclaimed radio program "A Prairie Home Companion" with Garrison Keillor. The station produces a locally oriented variety program,...
- NPR All Things Considered - New Orleans, Louisiana - WFUVWFUVWFUV, 90.7 FM in New York City, is Fordham University's 50,000-watt, non-commercial radio station, with studios on campus and its antenna atop nearby Montefiore Medical Center. First broadcast in 1947, WFUV has an airstaff which includes such New York radio veterans as Pete Fornatale , Dennis...
- New York, New York - WRXP - New York, New York
- WORWORWOR or Wor may refer to:* WOR , a radio station licensed to New York, New York, United States* WRKS, a radio station licensed to New York, New York, United States, which used the call sign WOR-FM from 1948 to October 1972...
- Joey Reynolds Show - New York, New York - WWOZWWOZWWOZ is a non-profit community-supported radio station in New Orleans, Louisiana broadcasting at 90.7 FM. The station specializes in music from or relating to the cultural heritage of New Orleans and the surrounding region of Louisiana.-Programming:...
- Piano Night, Live @ The House Of Blues - New Orleans, Louisiana
News Articles
- Mainstream Isn't So Bad... Is It? 11/24/2010: Trippin' The Keys
- Play It Loud 11/20/2010: Josh Charles Perfectly Executes Hendrix Covers On New Album
- Keyboard Mag 08/01/2010: New Orleans Piano With Josh Charles
- NJ 07/16/2010: Josh Charles Finds Inspiration In Sounds of New Orleans
- Voice Of America 06/21/2010: Josh Charles' Debut Album Aims to Help Lift Spirits, Rebuild New Orleans
- Times Free Press 06/04/2010: Big Easy spirit, Motown Soul Unite
- Huffington Post 9/25/09: Interview: Visionary Entertainer Josh Charles
- USA Today 6/16/09: Josh Charles "Time" Can Help Heal New Orleans' Wounds