User:Bamadanni/Josh Charles (musician)

--Bamadanni (talk) 02:18, 18 May 2009 (UTC)

Josh Charles (musician) is an American pianist and singer / songwriter who also plays guitar. His style is heavily influenced by the New Orleans sound and includes blues, soul and boogie woogie. His influences include James Booker, Professor Longhair, Allen Toussaint and Dr. John, who would play a major role in Josh's career.

IN THE BEGINNING

 * Josh was born in La Jolla, California, but grew up in Kansas City. He began classical piano training at age 8, but very quickly  realized his passion for the New Orleans sound after hearing it on a local blues  radio station.


 * As a teenager, Josh played in jazz and blues clubs in Kansas City. He vistied New Orleans while still in High School where he met Dr. John,  who became his longtime friend and mentor.


 * After high school, he moved to New York City to work on his music. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and graduated from NYU. While in  school he studied extensively under Barry Harris (legendary pianist /  educator). In addition to his classroom education, Josh also discovered a club  called "Tramps" through which many of the great New Orleans artists passed on a  regular basis. Josh spent much time there honing his craft by watching the  greats.


 * In August 2005, Josh was in New Orleans preparing to make a move to the city. He was scheduled to hit the recording studio on  August 30th. Unfortunately, he was forced to catch one of the last buses out of  town. He had to evacuate the city he loved due to Hurricane  Katrina.

GIVING BACK THROUGH "HEALING TIME"

 * Three months after the storm, Josh returned to New Orleans to begin his scheduled recording time with Dr. John's band. He found  people displaced, heartbroken and hungry. Troubled by images that will never  leave him, he wrote "Healing Time". Josh felt that he needed to do something to  help his beloved city. He then donated his song and his time to The Preservation  Resource Center of New Orleans. A monumental agreement was made with Amazon.com  to sell Josh's song and donate 100% of the profits to rebuilding New Orleans.  This was the first time that Amazon ever agreed to sell something without taking  their 30%.


 * On January 19, 2009, Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday,  Josh along with the Harlem Boys and Girls Choir performed "Healing  Time" on Good Morning America. The performance took place inside the Library of  Congress as a part of Good Morning America's coverage of the historical  inauguration of Barack Obama as the 44th president of the United States of  America.


 * In March 2009, Josh embarked on the first leg of his "Rebuild Tour". This leg of the tour took him throughout Louisiana and Texas  and concentrated on wide appeal, TV performances and in-stores. He performed in  New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Houston, Austin and Dallas. He was also a featured  artist at the SXSW Music Conference in Austin. That was a sold out performance.


 * The "Rebuild Tour" was made possible through sponsors. The tour began small with many local sponsors, but as the project continues to grow and so does the number of sponsors and their level of involvement.

Television

 * ABC's Good Morning America with the Girls and Boys Choir of Harlem Alumni from the Library of Congress January 19,2009
 * WWL TV - New Orleans, Louisiana
 * WBRZ (ABC) - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
 * NBC 33 - Baton Rouge, Louisiana
 * KPRC (NBC) - Houston, Texas
 * KVUE (ABC) - Austin, Texas
 * KDFW Fox 4 - Dallas, Texas
 * NBC NY Nightly News - New York, New York
 * Talk Market - New York, New York
 * Rock The Vote
 * All Access Live
 * Live From Louisiana Music Factory

Radio

 * WWOZ - New Orleans, Lousiana
 * WNTI - Hackettstown, New Jersey
 * WWNO - NPR All Things Considered - New Orleans, Louisiana
 * WFUV - New York, New York
 * WRXP - New York, New York
 * WOR - Joey Reynolds Show - New York, New York
 * WWOZ - Piano Night, Live @ The House Of Blues - New Orleans, Louisiana