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Artist
Sonny Charles
12+ albums
funksoulbluesAll
about
Sonny Charles (born Charles Hemphill, September 4, 1940) is an American soul singer from Fort Wayne, Indiana. He was the lead singer of the Checkmates, Ltd. in the 1960s and 1970s, and it is his vocals that are heard out front on their 1969 Phil Spector-produced hit, "Black Pearl". Charles launched a solo career in the early 1970s, and had a brief reunion with the Checkmates during the 1980s. Thereafter, from the mid- to late 1990s, he toured with another member of the Checkmates, Ltd., Marvin "Sweet Louie" Smith, under the Checkmates name. Charles' 1982 album, The Sun Still Shines, recorded on Highrise Records, hit #136 on the Billboard album chart and #14 on the U.S. Black Albums chart on the strength of the single "Put It in a Magazine". Written by Charles with producer Bobby Paris, the song went to #2 on the R&B Singles chart and reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1983. The follow-up single, "Always on My Mind", peaked at #53, but Charles quickly fell from view. Charles joined the Steve Miller Band in 2008, toured with them, and left in 2012. Wikipedia: Sonny Charles User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
top songs
albums
Let's Do It
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Funkaphonix 4: Raw And Uncut Funk 1968-1975
The Sun Still Shines
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Funkaphonix Volume 4
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The Sixties - Lost Songs of the Decade, Vol. 2
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Funkaphonix 4
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Rare Rock N' Roll Tracks Of The '50s & '60s Vol. 6
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Put It in a Magazine / The Week-End Father Song
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birdandwhale006 mix
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Funkaphonix Vol 4
Back To Mono (1958-1969)
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Funkaphonix Vol. 4