Charlie talks about his childhood, his music, and his marriage to a Dixie Chick!
Remarkable songwriter and singer Charlie Robison stopped by the Rabbit Station and spent some time chatting on-air with Tragler on his afternoon drive show. Charlie talked a bit about his new album and about how he writes his rich lyrics. "Texas is a big place and you do a lot of driving," he says. "Late at night on the highway is when I get a lot of ideas for songs." Charlie said that he writes about everyday things. "I just sometimes take them to the extreme. And it helps if I'm alone and in places that inspire me...where the subject matter is all around me...people like the ones I grew up with...Characters whose heads I can get inside of." Charlie's vocals have been described as "lived-in like good denim" and his melodies "lean and irresistible". And, so it is with his new album which was released in April.
Charlie, a sixth generation Texan, grew up on his family's ranch in Bandera, a small Texas town with a population of just 940. At age five he bought his first records at the local supermarket. The two records he happened upon were Jimi Hendrix and Creedence Clearwater Revival. This music had an early influence on Charlie. Then at age seven came another pivotal event. "I was watching Dean Martin on television," Charlie recalls. "He was wearing a beautiful tuxedo, holding a drink, surrounded by girls. I knew my family worked extremely hard for almost no money. When I saw Dean Martin, I thought, 'That's the way to do it!'"
But it was the country music that was ever present around Charlie that captivated him. "I never 'got into' country," he says, "I didn't have to. It was always around me. It was part of me...listening to Willie Nelson, Doug Sahm, Linda Ronstadt, and going to see singers like Johnny Bush three or four times a week in juke joints and honky-tonks." Charlie's mom was a bartender at various watering holes in their Texas neighborhood. She also managed a club called "The Purple Cow" for a short time.
At age 15, Charlie began playing around the Bandera area as a drummer in a local band. "It was a small town," he laughes. "My brother played bass and a friend was on guitar, so if I wanted to be in the band I had to play drums." They played rodeos and high school dances and before long Charlie switched to playing the guitar and singing.
Charlie went solo in 1995 and shortly thereafter released his first album.
In addition to his singing and songwriting, Charlie has another claim to fame. He is married to one of the Dixie Chicks, Emily. Charlie told Tragler how proud he was as he watched the Academy of Country Music Awards recently. He said that he and Emily watched the awards show from their home as the Dixie Chicks won several awards including Entertainer of the Year and Video of the Year. Charlie and Emily are hoping for an addition to their family soon....they are hoping for a new baby!
Stay tuned to the Rabbit Station to hear the latest Charlie Robison hits and for more interviews with the country music stars. To get up close and personal with the biggest names in the business...there's only one...96.9 WXBQ!