Bobby Charles
"Listen to Bobby Charles on Time Will Tell"
In the annals of south Louisiana rock 'n' roll, few names are as legendary as that of Bobby Charles, nee Robert Charles Guidry. Hearing Fats Domino's "Goin' Home" on the radio in 1952, Charles remembers the epiphany this way: "That was it, it changed my life forever. It hit me hard. Something hits you that hard you don't forget it."
Signed to Chess Records in 1955 (label prexy Leonard thought he was black and nearly kicked the bucket when he stepped off of the plane for their first meeting!), Charles commenced a recording career that produced such out-and-out classics as "See You Later Alligator," "Time Will Tell," and "On Bended Knee." After meeting Domino at a gig in his hometown of Abbeville, Charles wasted no time in penning one of his most memorable hits, "Walkin' To New Orleans." He hit his idol again with "Before I Grow Too Old" which, in the hands of swamp poppers such as Tommy McClain, would soon become the national anthem of South Louisiana night life.
Bobby never stopped writing and recording up until his death in 2010. His contributions to Louisiana's music history were recognized with induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007.
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In the annals of south Louisiana rock 'n' roll, few names are as legendary as that of Bobby Charles, nee Robert Charles Guidry. Hearing Fats Domino's "Goin' Home" on the radio in 1952, Charles remembers the epiphany this way: "That was it, it changed my life forever. It hit me hard. Something hits you that hard you don't forget it."
Signed to Chess Records in 1955 (label prexy Leonard thought he was black and nearly kicked the bucket when he stepped off of the plane for their first meeting!), Charles commenced a recording career that produced such out-and-out classics as "See You Later Alligator," "Time Will Tell," and "On Bended Knee." After meeting Domino at a gig in his hometown of Abbeville, Charles wasted no time in penning one of his most memorable hits, "Walkin' To New Orleans." He hit his idol again with "Before I Grow Too Old" which, in the hands of swamp poppers such as Tommy McClain, would soon become the national anthem of South Louisiana night life.
Bobby never stopped writing and recording up until his death in 2010. His contributions to Louisiana's music history were recognized with induction into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame in 2007..