Fronted by soul sensation Dionne Charles; the guitar, bass, keys, drums, flute, sax and trombone lay down the deeply funky tunes. Inspired by the late-sixties sounds from the likes of The J.B.s and The Meters, Baby Charles knows how to deliver the soulful goods. This band knows how to play a fine repertoire of songs, ranging from covers of old soul-funk classics to other more obscure grooves. They also have their own material, including their debut album which was released in 2008 and three 45’s: ‘No Controlling Me’, ‘Back of My Hand’ and ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dance Floor’, released in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively. They received immediate praise from the highest ranking funk djs including: Snowboy, Keb Darge, Jazzman Gerald, Monk One, and especially Andy Smith, who snapped up their debut 45 for his ‘Let’s Boogaloo Vol 4’ compilation, and got them to play at the album’s launch party at Cargo in 2007. Mark Lamarr was so impressed by their debut single, he invited the band to record six tracks live in session for his God’s Jukebox show on BBC Radio 2. Baby Charles’ music can be heard on radio stations world-over. In July 2007, Baby Charles supported The James Taylor Quartet at the Soul Cookers Hammond Funk Festival in Saint-Paul, Marseilles. That same funky month, the mixing of the band’s debut album was completed and sent to Mark Lamarr, who played their cover version of the Arctic Monkeys track ‘I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor’ on the Jonathan Ross BBC Radio 2 Show. Mr Lamarr has also kindly written the sleeve notes for the Baby Charles debut album, which was released by Italian label Record Kicks on March 10th 2008. Baby Charles performed all over Europe and sometimes played and supported many top artists such as Fred Wesley, The New JB’s, Angie Stone, etc.
