The most comprehensive collection ever assembled of Louisiana music legend Bobby Charles studio recordings and life, The Bobby Charles Story, released on October 30th via The Last Music Co. The definitive 8-disc set includes seven CDs with 122 tracks, a previously unreleased documentary film on DVD, and a 12-inch-square, full-color hardback book featuring several interviews, discographical notes, essays, and career-spanning photos. You can order HERE.
The seven-CD audio collection spans more than four decades of Charles’ music, from his early Chess and Imperial recordings through his landmark Bobby Charles album for Bearsville (1972), The Bearsville Studio Sessions (1974), Clean Water (1987), Wish You Were Here Right Now (1994), Secrets Of The Heart (1998), a double-CD set, Last Train To Memphis (2004), Homemade Songs (2008), and Timeless (2010). Completing the oeuvre is David Dubos’ full-length film documentary, In a Good Place Now, which debuts on DVD as part of The Bobby Charles Story. Malcolm Mills, founder of The Last Music Co., conceived, compiled, and produced the collection.
All told, The Bobby Charles Story is a remarkable archive of work by a trailblazing American original, championed by everyone from Bob Dylan to Dr. John. The comprehensive collection captures Charles on his own terms: he wrote and produced nearly all of these 122 songs, representing the brightest gems unearthed from more than four decades of soul-searching in his own tower of song.
“The Bobby Charles Story concentrates on Bobby’s songwriting and personal recordings,” Malcolm Mills explains. “Out of respect for his feelings, I have chosen to omit some tracks from the 50s and 60s that just don’t seem right to include here because they are by other songwriters. Therefore, you’ll see that the tracks on Disc One are all written (or co-written in a few instances) by Bobby. Aside from tracks 26, 27, and 28, Bobby leads the vocals on everything else in the box set.”
From his first Chess single, “See You Later, Alligator,” which became a pop phenomenon through Bill Haley and His Comets, to “(I Don’t Know Why) But I Do,” which he penned for Allen Toussaint and Clarence “Frogman” Henry, and “Walking to New Orleans,” written for Fats Domino, Charles established himself as a songwriter whose work could move effortlessly between genres and artists. Over time, he became increasingly content to have others sing his songs. In the process, however, people often overlooked his own voice.
As Bob Dylan quipped on his Theme Time Radio Hour: “My old buddy, Robert Charles Guidry, was better known as Bobby Charles, and he was more successful as a songwriter than a singer. And that’s a sin, because he’s a hell of a singer. He’s got one of the most melodious voices ever transmuted into a piece of vinyl, matter of fact.”
“To those who live by chart statistics, Bobby Charles the performer never existed. Those who inspect composer credits, especially those who make the connection between “R. Guidry” and Bobby Charles, find a rich catalog that defies categories like rock ‘n’ roll, swamp pop, blues, rock, soul, and country,” says music historian and author Colin Escott. “And hearing Robert “Bobby” Charles Guidry sing his own songs is like eating a bowl of the gumbo he loved so much. Done right, you can’t taste the individual ingredients. It’s just good, and you know it.”
Featured photo via Louisiana State Museum
