b. Charles Emanuel Sherrell, 8th March 1943, Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A.
d. 29th March 2023, U.S.A.
Born in Nashville, Sweet Charles was a former member of the JB's.
He began getting into he was 8 years old at school.
Charles began playing trombone for 2 years, trumpet for 2 years, and drums for 6 years.
Then he attended university T.S.U and became a music major.
He played R & B with Jimi Hendrix, and one of his bass players, Billy Cox, who also lives in Nashville.
They used to practice at Club Del-mor-roca on Jefferson street, one block from Jimi's house.
He was playing drums and taught himself to play bass.
In August 1968, he joined the J.B's.
One of his first recordings with James Brown was the concert 'Say It Live And Loud'.
In January 1970 he quit the group because of financial problems.
In 1974, the president of Polydor Records, Mr. Jerry Shearnbone, decided to record an album after hearing him sing at a rehearsal hall.
The album, 'Sweet Charles For Sweet People' (People PE6603) was recorded in New York with a 32 piece orchestra in 1974.
Fred Wesley and David Mathews worked with him on the album, which contained the rare groove song 'Yes It's You'.
Charles has worked with Al Green and Take 6 and produced gospel groups around Nashville.
In 1976, when Fred Wesley quit, James Brown made him his musical director and bandleader up until October 1996.
In 2002 Sweet Charles hooked up with the dutch P-Funk band Gotcha!
2005 saw some London gigs at the Jazz Cafe.
Sweet Charles died in March 2023, at the age of 80.
Albums:
For Sweet People From Sweet Charles (People 1974)
