Charles Anthony Graci (May 14, 1936 – December 16, 2022), known professionally as Charlie Gracie, was an American rock and roll and rhythm and blues singer and guitarist. His biggest hits were "Butterfly" and "Fabulous", both in 1957.
Career
Early career
Charlie Gracie was born in South Philadelphia to Santo ("Sam") and Mary Graci (née Cappizzi), who were both of Sicilian heritage.[1] At the age of 10, Gracie's father encouraged him to play the guitar.[2] His musical career started at the age of 16 when he appeared on the Paul Whiteman television show in 1952.[3]
Gracie performed at weddings, local restaurants, and parties, and on local radio and television. He also won regional talent contests. Charlie graduated from South Philadelphia High School in 1952.
By 1956, Philadelphia had given birth to the new Cameo record label. Its founders, in search of a strong talent, signed Gracie later that year. With a $600 budget, this new union went into the recording studio to record "Butterfly" backed with "Ninety Nine Ways".[4] It became a hit record, reaching #1 in jukebox plays in the Billboardchart. Gracie received a gold disc for the two million plus sales.[5] His only other Top 40 hit was with a song entitled "Fabulous" the same year,[4] which reached number 16. This track also reached number 6 in the UK. Two other substantial sellers followed: "Wandering Eyes", his third Billboard Top 100 hit, which peaked at number 71 (another number 6 in the UK), and "Cool Baby" (also a top 30 hit in Britain). The financial success of these hits bankrolled the Cameo label, which became a dominant force in the music industry for several years.
Gracie became only the second American rock and roller to bring this new art form to the British concert stage. His two extensive tours in 1957 and 1958 were topped off by headlining the Palladium and the Hippodrome in London. In the audiences, among Gracie's fans, were future rock musicians Graham Nash,[7] and members of the Beatles.[7] These performers and many other well-known acts have credited Gracie as an influence. George Harrison referred to Gracie's guitar technique as 'brilliant' in a March 1996 interview with Billboard; Paul McCartney invited Gracie to the premiere party of his 1999 release which paid tribute to the early pioneers of rock music.
According to the documentary film Wages of Spin, Gracie sued Cameo Records for unpaid royalties and in retaliation was blacklisted from the radio and American Bandstand. Per the film, Bandstand host Dick Clark had a relationship with the record company and was paid $14,000 for services related to Gracie's song "Butterfly".[7]
Later career
After Cameo, Gracie moved on to other record labels such as Coral, Roulette, Felsted, and Diamond, performing more of the R&B he preferred. Even as success slowed, he continued to perform in clubs, theaters, and resorts all over the USA and Europe, from the 1960s through the 1990s and into the 2000s. He enjoyed a loyal following in the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, and the Netherlands, where he regularly toured - thanks in part to his friend and manager, Paul Barrett who represented Charlie until Paul's passing in 2019.
During the late 1990s, he was introduced to Quentin Jones, a guitarist, studio owner and label head. Jones had a strong background in roots music, having played in a rockabilly band produced by the Stray Cats bassist Lee Rocker. He also played lead guitar on Robert Gordon's 1996 self-titled CD. Gracie and Jones met at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. They decided to record an album together with Jones acting as producer. He brought in bandmate Dave Ferrara to play drums. Jones played bass guitar, combining with Gracie's guitar and vocals. Gracie invited Jones and Ferrara to back him when Van Morrison commissioned Gracie to open his 2000 West Coast tour.
Contributing their musical talents on his latest CD were Tommy Conwell, whose guitar playing is featured on "Still 19", Ralph Miller on piano, Daryl Jenkins on saxophone, and Pete Barnhart on percussion. Graham Nash contributed vocals to the song "A little Too Soon To Tell".
In 2007, a documentary film about Gracie, Fabulous, was aired on PBS stations.[8]
In 2011, ABKCO released the CD For The Love of Charlie produced by Al Kooper and co produced by Quentin Jones, with guest artists Graham Nash, Peter Noone, Jimmy Vivino, Craig Ross, and Dennis Diken, with Gracie singing some of his own songs and some covers.[9]
From 2011 to 2016, Gracie and his son hosted the local radio program "A Fabulous Hour with Charlie Gracie", which aired on Sunday afternoons on WVLT (FM), a classic hits station known as Crusin 92.1FM, based in Vineland, New Jersey, that serves the Southern New Jersey, Northern Delaware and Philadelphia broadcast markets. It spotlighted Gracie's recordings as well as many of his favorites from other artists, and included requests from his family and friends.
On Gracie's 75th birthday, he recorded "Baby Doll" with Producers / Writers Gary Lefkowith[10] and Mike Rogers. The track featured guitarist/vocalist Richie Scarlet, best known for his work with Ace Frehley, Sebastian Bach and Mountain (as well as producing such acts as The Chesterfield Kings). Released in the fall of 2011, it was his first single in over 50 years to receive UK airplay on the BBC. In the US, the record entered the Top 100 on Mediabase's Top 40 Chart, from the strength of Airplay at Sirius XM. Richie Scarlet is featured on lead guitar and played with Gracie at the Bitter End, in New York City, on March 30, 2012, after a live radio broadcast at WFUV. WXPK and WXPN played "Baby Doll," as well, in regular rotation. The World Café featured Gracie at their Philadelphia venue during the same time period, in support of the record.
Gracie was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame on November 16, 2012, at the Hilton City Avenue, Philadelphia.[11]
In 2019, Gracie toured the UK with Marty Wilde along with Mike Berry, Nancy Ann Lee and the Wildcats.
Gracie died in Philadelphia, on December 16, 2022, at the age of 86, after dealing with COVID-19 complications since the spring.[12][13][14] He was married for over 60 years to his wife Joan. They had two children, a son and a daughter.
