... the age of 15. At 16 years of age, Charles performed with the McSon Trip in the 1940's. Because of his two most influential musicians, Charles Brown and Nat King Cole, his music sounds similar to theirs. Confession Blues was his first single that was released with Maxin Trio, in 1949. More successful R&B singles were Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand ... with an R&B hit single Mess Around. The following year, Charles' I Got a Woman reached No. 1 on the R&B charts. His music revealed an advanced musical style; he no longer imitated Nat King Cole. The combination of R&B and gospel formed the mus...

• Word Count: 3064
• Approx Pages: 12
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School