Head down to the North West Mounted Police Barracks for the second night of the Canmore Heritage Festival. What better way to kick off the weekend than with a night of great music by talented musician, Canmore’s own Charlie B.
This family-focused evening is free for the public; non-perishable items for the Canmore Food Bank will be collected. Bring your own lawn chair. Beer and other refreshments will be served.
Registration is highly recommended.
ABOUT YOUR ENTERTAINER
Charlie B. delivers his smoldering version of the Blues in a polished, high-energy package that unfailingly pull audiences to their feet. Known for his skillful guitar work and rich baritone voice, deep grooves, vocal artistry, masterful musicianship, and heartfelt messages of love and loss are all his signature. Decades of experience and thousands of miles traveled combine to make Charlie B an in-demand act.
Charlie grew up in a musical household. His mother sang in the church and would fill the house with Big Mama Thornton and Bessie Smith records. But his Beethoven-loving father preferred young Charlie play classical music. So at eight years old, he was given a violin.
“He loved violin music and I hated it,” says Butler with a laugh. “But I practiced day-in and day-out, only because if I didn’t practice I didn’t eat.”
His mother finally convinced his father to let him trade the violin in for a guitar a few years later, which he would eventually put to good use performing at family gatherings or neighbourhood parties and BBQs for nickels.
It certainly helped prepare him for a life in the blues, as did having a bit of a nomadic childhood. Butler’s father was a military attaché for the U.S. State Department, which meant he grew up all over the world. He graduated high school in Stuttgart, Germany.
After his own stint in the military, Butler moved to New York where he became a fixture in the East Village’s blues and jazz scenes. He moved to Montreal in the ’70s and Calgary in the ’80s. Roughly 12 years ago, he moved again and continued a globe-trotting career playing hotels and clubs throughout the world.
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