One of the greatest drummers, and musical explorers of our age died Monday of cancer at the age of 54.
As one of the Sun City Girls, Charlie was the first drummer that I really got into watching. It sounds late-blooming and all, but it was Charlie who fully convinced me of how amazing the drums could be, the time my band played a show with him in Tempe, Arizona in 1993.
When I imagine someone really getting into what they’re doing, taking it to a point that it goes beyond anything else. I picture Charlie, head slightly askew, eyes half shut, levitating over his kit and catching a groove that he had somehow tuned into. He could be outside of the picture, but yet fully in its context, pulling something amazing from beyond and injecting it into the room. Total magic.
Don’t know his music? There’s a world of it for you to explore.
And here’s a little history for those of you just catching up.
Some great pictures.
