Charlie King brings his songs for social justice to the Quad Cities March 26
Charlie King will perform in concert Sunday, March 26, at 6 pm at Broadway Presbyterian Church, 710 23rd St., Rock Island. He will perform old and new songs, with stories of the human experience and the struggle for social justice.
The concert will be a fundraiser for several community organizations, including Palomares Social Justice Center, Oaks of Mamre Catholic Worker House, Centro Maya Project, and Coalition of Native Americans.
Charlie King has won numerous awards in his 50 + years as a performer and 40 + years as a songwriter. He has returned to the Quad Cities annually for concerts. Pete Seeger described him as “One of the finest singers and songwriters of our time.”
Charlie’s latest release, So Far, So Good, is a 40 song retrospective double CD, featuring his favorites from the 200 or so songs he has written. He calls it “the soundtrack of my life traveling, singing and writing about the people and the issues that inspire and define the road we’ve traveled together.”
Donations of $8 in advance and $10 at the door are requested. For more information contact Vince or Margaret Thomas, 309 786 6944.
CHARLIE KING BIOGRAPHY
Charlie King is a musical storyteller and political satirist. His repertoire covers a century and a half and four continents. He sings and writes passionately about the extraordinary lives of ordinary people.
Charlie has been at the heart of American folk music for half a century and has been writing songs for the past 40 years. In recognition of those milestones he released, in the Fall of 2013, a retrospective album, SO FAR, SO GOOD - 40 Songs For 40 Years. Honors include: an "Indie" award for one of the top three folk recordings of 1984; the War Resisters League’s 1998 Peacemaker Award given to Charlie and Odetta; the 1999 Sacco-Vanzetti Social Justice Award for which he was nominated by Pete Seeger; the 2009 International Labor Communications Association award for Best Labor History Story; and the 2014 Joe Hill Award from the Labor Heritage foundation, a Lifetime Award for excellence in the field of labor culture. His songs have been recorded and sung by other performers such as Pete Seeger, Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, Peggy Seeger, Chad Mitchell and Judy Small.
Charlie has recorded a dozen solo albums since 1976, as well as three albums with the touring ensemble Bright Morning Star, and numerous compilation albums with other artists. From 2001 to 2014 he recorded with his partner, Karen Brandow. Titles include: THE DISTANCE REMAINING; HIGHER GROUND; ON THE JOURNEY; SPARKS & TEARS; PUPPET TOWN; BRILLIANT - Songs of Ireland; REMEMBERING SACCO & VANZETTI; and their premier 2001 Appleseed Recording, I STRUCK GOLD. In addition to a full time career of concert touring, King has sung in support of numerous groups working for peace, human rights, environmental sanity and alternatives to violence.
His central vision as an entertainer is to leave audiences with a sense of optimism and possibility about the future. "I try to cover a broad emotional landscape in my concerts. The stories I collect and the songs I write take the listener on a journey of humor, heartache and hope. What I most value in a song is the way it helps us see an old reality in a totally new light."
Charlie was born in 1947, and was raised in Brockton, MA. He cites as musical influences the folk music revival of the 1960's, the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War era.
Folk legend Peggy Seeger says, "If we had more Charlie Kings in the world I'd be less worried," and Tom Paxton adds, "Luckily, we have him!"
You can visit Charlie's website: <http://www.charlieking.org>
