2005 W.C. Handy nominee Charles Wilson is easily one of the most exciting young talents to emerge from the Southern Blues circuit, offering up performances that bridge Soul-Blues to today's Neo Soul. This nephew of Blues legend Little Milton has been burning up stages since his early teens, sharing the bill with artists like B.B. King, Edgar Winter, Taj Mahal & Tab Benoit.

Wilson is considered by some to be among the best tenors in Soul/Blues Music. Charles' shows are drenched in emotion and mixed with mischief.

Blues/Soul recording artist Charles Wilson is an exciting and captivating performer capable of launching an audience into a frenzy with one verse. Wilson’s music is as timeless as James Carr, Johnny Adams, Junior Parker and as contemporary as Luther Vandross and R’Kelly. His voice oozes soul, seasoned by years of performing on the Chitlin’ Circuit. He offers a musical bridge between old-school soul and neo-soul. To say Charles Wilson was born to sing the blues is an understatement.

Wilson is connected to the roots of the tree that is contemporary blues/soul music. From the age of four, Wilson - nephew of the late blues great Little Milton - would go with his father to see his Uncle Milton’s performances at Chicago’s Regal Theater. The Regal was where he first met blues artists such as Howlin' Wolf, Bobby Blue Bland, Junior Wells, and B.B. King. Wilson began singing publicly at age seven. By the age of 14, Wilson was flooring Chicago blues-club audiences with his powerful stage presence and soulful voice.

He caught his first big break at 16 when he went on the road with Bobby Rush. Wilson would eventually open up for Rush and other blues royalty such as Otis Clay, Little Milton, Tyrone Davis, Bobby Blue Bland, Lattimore, Denise LaSalle, Koko Taylor, B.B. King and the late great Z.Z. Hill, Junior Wells, Albert King, O.V. Wright, and Albert Collins.

Wilson’s recording career began in 1978 when he cut his first recording I need a Love That I Can See in the Daylight, produced by Symtec Simmons of the duo Symtec & Wylie on Sky Hero Records. He spent the next few years on the Chicago club scene, opening up for an impressive list of Headliners such as James Brown, Al Green, Edgar Winter, Lou Rawls, and Buddy Guy. In 1984, Wilson received his first record deal with Alley Cat Records. The result was that L.V. Johnson produced the song Trying To Make A Wrong Thing Right, which turned out to be a minor hit on Southern R&B radio.

In 1986 Wilson upped the ante with his single, You Cut Off My Love Supply, which burned up Southern AM and FM radio charts. The hit resulted in his 1990 work with Ichiban Records, where he recorded "Blues In The Key of C", an album which garnered attention from both US and overseas markets. In 1995 Wilson recorded his first album for Ecko Records entitled, It’s Sweet On the Backstreet, featuring the album's popular title track, I’ve Got Trouble In My Bedroom and In the Room Next To the Room. A 1997 Traction release, entitled "Why?" featured the single If Walls Could Talk. Wilson signed a four-album contract with Ecko Records in 1998 to produce the albums "Love Seat", "It Ain’t the Size", "Mr. Freak", and "Goin Jookin." Wilson went on to record three self-released albums on his Wilson imprint, "Songs From the Vault" (2001), "You Got to Pay to Play" (2002), and "If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It" (2005). In total, Wilson has recorded four full-length albums, twenty-six 45’s, eleven personal projects, and appears on ten compilation discs.

In 2004 Wilson recorded "If Heartaches Were Nickels," for Delmark Records, featuring Little Milton & Carl Weathersby on guitar. This recording made a dramatic impression with blues and soul fans alike, capturing a 2005 W.C. Handy nomination for "Soul / Blues Record of The Year." Wilson is focused on creating music with a universal appeal, much like Sam Cooke, Nat King Cole, Otis Redding and Bobby Blue Bland. With Wilson’s emotion-charged performances, crafty arrangements, and soul-drenched vocals, his desire to be included in the upper echelon of contemporary blues performers is bound to be fulfilled.

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