Biography
Combine
a rich, rhythm & blues upbringing with soulful,
adult-contemporary song writing and you have the
foundation for one of Canada’s brightest new
stars. East Coast Music Award winner, Charlie
A’Court has emerged as an emotionally
charged and soul moving performer. His music and
the passion in his voice stir up the listeners’
emotions, touching the very core of audiences around
the world.
His
rise from rural MacCallum Settlement, Nova Scotia,
to the world stage has been a remarkable journey.
As a child, Charlie was always drawn to the sounds
of his father playing 12-string guitar. Charlie
started learning to play guitar when he was 12 and
by the time he was 14, Charlie began taking classical
guitar lessons. For the next two years, Charlie
devoted himself to his classical studies and it
was during this time that he discovered his father’s
record collection. It was this collection of music
that introduced the impressionable, young guitar
student to the masterful sounds of B.B. King, Bad
Company, Eric Clapton, Long John Baldry and a new
world of music. Rock & roll and blues music
was taking hold. Charlie would rush home from school
everyday, locking himself in his bedroom for hours
with his guitar and those classic albums, trying
to play those different sounds, mimicking those
legends who had now become his mentors.
After
having toured extensively over the last three years,
A’Court has returned to the studio to capture
his latest collection of works. Partnered with acclaimed
producer Danny Greenspoon (Great Big Sea, Bruce
Guthro, Sophie Milman) A’Court is poised to
release his follow-up studio album, Bring
On The Storm. The new album spans
the gamut of emotion, dealing with triumph and disaster,
loss of loved ones, mental health and chronic physical
pain, and being head over heals in love. The album
also pays homage to life on the road as well as
containing tracks that are tributes to two of Charlie’s
influences, Otis Redding and Willie Nelson.
A’Court has toured extensively throughout
Canada and abroad. With headlining performances
at the Stan Rogers’ Folk Fest, Harvest Jazz
& Blues Festival, Kerrville Folk Fest, Ottawa
Blues Fest, A’Court has also opened for high
profile artists including John Reischman
& the Jaybirds, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Harry
Manx, Colin James, Mick Taylor,
and Blues Brother Dan Aykroyd.
A’Court has also launched his international
career, releasing Bring On The Storm and Color Me
Gone in Europe. With several successful tours, opening
for Australian slide-guitar legend Dave
Hole, Sugar Blue (former
harmonica play for the Rolling Stones), and legendary
British r&b/rock group, Procol Harum,
A’Court now regularly returns to Europe as
a headliner, establishing himself as a world player.
The
first radio single from Bring On The Storm is
Big Dark Canyon, the rock-infused collaboration
between A’Court and song-writer/multi-instrumentalist,
J.P. Cormier. This cleverly written song paints
the picture of three different characters collectively
and symbolically finding themselves driven to the
edge, desperately seeking the return of innocence
from times gone by. This soul story was born from
a songwriter’s retreat held at the Stan Rogers
Folk Festival where A’Court and Cormier wrote
the song in an afternoon and were required to perform
it that evening for a large audience.
Charlie’s
modern blues style, mixed with his contemporary
songwriting has created a mass appeal, enabling
A’Court’s material to be widely accepted
as a festival favorite by audiences and promoters
alike. Fueled by emotion and a desire for delivering
powerful music, Charlie A’Court is
undoubtedly one of Canada’s new generation
of fresh singer/songwriters, attracting fans internationally
with gutsy vocals and his colourful yet solid guitar
playing.
