biography
Born in New Jersey, Charlie took Piano Lessons as soon as he was able to sit on a Piano Bench. Charlie also tried Steel Guitar before finding his true love, the drums. Charlie has been playing music professionally since age 14. Charlie grew up in the 60's Rock & Roll era and was greatly influenced by The Beatles, Rolling Stones and the other great bands of that era. In the late 70's - early 80's Charlie lived in Houston, TX where he found Gilley's, the Cow Palace, and George Strait. It was the beginning of a long love affair with Country Music. It is that love of Country Music that has brought Charlie to Nashville.
Equipment:
Ludwig Limited Edition 90th Anniversary “Fab 4” drum kit. This is a 4 piece (Classic) Maple kit in Oyster Black Pearl. 6.5X14 Snare (Maple), 9X13 Tom, 16X16 Floor Tom, and a 14X22 kick drum. Sabian Cymbals: 22” AA Rock Ride, 20" Neil Peart/Paragon Crash, 18” AA Medium Crash, 16” B8 Pro Rock Crash, 15” AA Sizzle Hats, 8” ProSonic Splash, 16” B8 Plus China, 20" AA China. Paiste Cymbals: 24” Formula 602 Ride from the 60’s, 20” 404 Ride with rivets.
Microphones: Sure SM58 over the snare, Sure SM58 under the Hi-Hats, ElectroVoice ND408B’s on the mounted Toms, ElectroVoice ND308B’s on the Floor Toms. Marshall MCA SP-1 Condensers overhead for the cymbals. Mounted inside the kick is an AKG D112. Kick drum venting is thru an 8” hole in the batter head. Vocals are handled thru an ElectroVoice ND257B. There are 6 vintage EV664's that can be used for a variety of tasks.
The kick pedal is a Double Tama Iron Cobra. Hi-Hat pedal is a Tama LeverGlide. Cymbal stands are a mix of Ludwig and Tama. There is a pair of Tama Mini-Tymps for the latin effects.
I use Evans Drum Heads, & Pro-Mark Drum Sticks. Check out my Profile on the Pro-Mark Web Site!
I have 7 snare drums: 6.5X14 Ludwig Classic Maple, 5X14 ‘67 Rogers DynaSonic Maple, 8X14 Birch Yamaha Custom Recording, 5X14 70’s Ludwig SupraPhonic 400, 3X13 Slingerland Brass Piccolo, a Custom Built 6X14 Purple acrylic with Brass hardware, and last but not least, a 14X12 Birch Premier Pipe Band (Marching) Drum w dual snares, one for each head.
I also own an 80’s 5 piece Tama SuperStar Kit in Cherry Wine. 12X13 Tom, 14X15 Tom, 16X16 Floor Tom, 16X18 Floor Tom, 14X22 Kick.