Charlie Major

Last updated

Charlie Major
Birth nameCharles Bernard Major
Born (1954-12-31) December 31, 1954 (age 68)
Origin Aylmer, Quebec, Canada
Genres Country
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar
Years active1993–present
Labels Arista
Imprint
ViK. Recordings
Dead Reckoning
Stony Plain
Koch Entertainment Canada
EMI
MDM Recordings
Website www.charliemajor.com

Charles Bernard Major (born December 31, 1954) is a Canadian country music artist. He has recorded seven studio albums and released more than twenty singles. In 2019 he was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

Contents

Musical career

Born in Aylmer, Quebec, Charlie Major knew he wanted to be a musician since he was 19 years old. [1] He was blinded in one eye as a result of a pellet gun accident when he was 12. [2] Major released his debut album in Canada, The Other Side , in 1993. All six singles released from the album went to No. 1 on the RPM Country chart.

He won the Juno Award as Country Male Vocalist of the Year two years in a row (Juno Awards in 1994 and 1995). Five major Canadian Country Music Awards followed, along with songwriting honours from SOCAN, and a BMI Award in 1993 for "Backroads", recorded by Ricky Van Shelton in 1991 on his Backroads album, as the "Most Performed Song in America." In 2006 he made an appearance on the television show Holmes on Homes .

Personal life

Charlie Major is divorced and is the father of three sons. He divides his time between homes in Ottawa, Ontario; and in Nashville, Tennessee, where he first moved in 1994. Today Major spends the majority of his time in his native Canada.

Discography

Awards and nominations

YearAssociationCategoryResult
1994 Juno Awards of 1994 Country Male Vocalist of the Year Won
Best New Solo ArtistNominated
Canadian Country Music Association SOCAN Song of the Year — "I'm Going to Drive You Out of My Mind"Won
Single of the Year — "I'm Going to Drive You Out of My Mind"Won
Male Artist of the YearWon
1995 Juno Awards of 1995 Country Male Vocalist of the Year Won
Canadian Country Music AssociationMale Artist of the YearWon
1996 Juno Awards of 1996 Country Male Vocalist of the Year Won
Best Male VocalistNominated
Canadian Country Music AssociationMale Artist of the YearWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tragically Hip</span> Canadian rock band

The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker, bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. They released 13 studio albums, one live album, one EP, and over 50 singles over a 33-year career. Nine of their albums have reached No. 1 on the Canadian charts. They have received numerous Canadian music awards, including 17 Juno Awards. Between 1996 and 2016, the Tragically Hip were the best-selling Canadian band in Canada and the fourth best-selling Canadian artist overall in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Jacks</span> Canadian musician (born 1944)

Terrence Ross Jacks is a Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer, best known for his 1974 hit song "Seasons in the Sun".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Rodeo</span> Canadian band

Blue Rodeo is a Canadian country rock band formed in 1984 in Toronto, Ontario. They have released 16 full-length studio albums, four live recordings, one greatest hits album, and two video/DVDs, along with multiple solo albums, side projects, and collaborations.

Grievous Angels are a Canadian alternative country band, active since 1986. The band's name is a reference to the Gram Parsons album Grievous Angel. Their primary leader is singer-songwriter Charlie Angus, who entered electoral politics in 2004 as the New Democratic Party Member of Parliament for Timmins—James Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Moffatts</span> Canadian family music group

The Moffatts are a Canadian pop/rock country band composed of brothers Scott, Clint, Bob and Dave Moffatt. Scott was born on March 30, 1983, in Whitehorse, Yukon, and triplets Bob, Clint and Dave were born 11 months later in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 8, 1984. Bob and Clint are identical twins, while Dave is a fraternal triplet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corey Hart (singer)</span> Canadian musician

Corey Mitchell Hart is a Canadian singer, musician and songwriter known for his hit singles "Sunglasses at Night", "Never Surrender" and "It Ain't Enough". He has sold over 16 million records worldwide and recorded nine US Billboard Top 40 hits. In Canada, 30 of Hart's recordings have been Top 40 hits, including 11 in the Top 10, over the course of over 35 years in the music industry. Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1984, Hart is an inductee of both Canada's Music Hall of Fame and Canada's Walk of Fame, and is also a multiple Juno award nominee and winner, including the Diamond Award for his best-selling album Boy in the Box. He has also been honoured by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN).

Nicholas George Gilder is a British-Canadian musician who first came to prominence as the frontman for the glam rock band Sweeney Todd. He later had a successful solo career as a singer/songwriter.

The Mercey Brothers were a Canadian country music group active from 1957 to 1989. The brothers were seven-time Juno Award winners for "The Top Country Group" and were inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prairie Oyster</span> Country music group from Toronto, Ontario

Prairie Oyster was a Canadian country music group from Toronto, Ontario. They were named Country Group or Duo of the year six times by both the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) and the Juno Awards. The band also won the Bud Country Fans' Choice Award from the CCMA in 1994. They have four No. 1 country singles in Canada, with an additional 12 singles reaching the Canadian Country Top 10. Eight of their albums have been certified gold or platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association, including the 1992 CCMA Album of the Year Everybody Knows.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kardinal Offishall</span> Canadian rapper, record producer and DJ

Jason Drew Harrow, better known by his stage name Kardinal Offishall, is a Canadian rapper, record producer, DJ, and record executive. Often credited as Canada's "hip hop ambassador", he is regarded as one of the country's best hip hop producers, and is best known for his distinctive reggae and dancehall-influenced style of hip hop.

Ricky Van Shelton is an American retired country music singer. Active between 1986 and 2006, he charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. This figure includes 10 Number One hits: "Somebody Lied", "Life Turned Her That Way", 'Don't We All Have the Right", "I'll Leave This World Loving You", "From a Jack to a King", "Living Proof", "I've Cried My Last Tear for You", "Rockin' Years", "I Am a Simple Man", and "Keep It Between the Lines". Besides these, seven more of his singles landed in the Top 10 on the same chart. He also released nine studio albums, of which his first four were certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

James Cregan is an English rock guitarist and bassist, best known for his associations with Family, Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel and Rod Stewart. Cregan is a former husband of the singer Linda Lewis and worked with her as a record producer. He has also worked with London Quireboys, Glass Tiger, Katie Melua and formed Farm Dogs with Bernie Taupin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian blues</span>

Canadian blues is the blues and blues-related music performed by blues bands and performers in Canada. Canadian blues artists include singers, players of the main blues instruments: guitar, harmonica, keyboards, bass and drums, songwriters and music producers. In many cases, blues artists take on multiple roles. For example, the Canadian blues artist Steve Marriner is a singer, harmonica player, guitarist, songwriter and record producer.

Jim Witter is a Canadian award-winning country music and Christian music singer/songwriter. Ten of Witter's songs reached the top 10 on Canadian country radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kostas (songwriter)</span> American songwriter

Kostas Lazarides is a Greek-born American country music songwriter, known professionally as Kostas. He has written for several country music artists, including Dwight Yoakam, Patty Loveless, George Strait, and Travis Tritt, and has won eleven awards from Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI). In addition, he has recorded a self-titled album Kostas on First American Records (1980) and an album entitled X S in Moderation on Liberty Records (1994). He was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamie Warren</span> Musical artist

Jamie Warren is a country music singer-songwriter, and the most awarded independent male artist in the Canadian country music industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colin James</span> Canadian blues rock singer-songwriter

Colin James is a Canadian blues rock singer and songwriter.

Stephen Carse, credited as Steph Carse is a Canadian pop singer.

"Backroads" is a song written by Canadian country music artist Charlie Major, and recorded by American country music singer Ricky Van Shelton. It was released in March 1992 as the fourth single and title track from his album Backroads. It had previously served as the b-side to that album's earlier single "I Am a Simple Man."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Neufeld</span>

Tim Neufeld is a Canadian singer, songwriter and recording artist from Winnipeg, Manitoba and now based in Chilliwack, British Columbia, best known as the co-founder and lead singer of Starfield who are four-time Juno Award nominees, Western Canada Music award recipients, winners of 10 GMA Canada Covenant Awards (CGMA) and two Dove Awards. He is currently lead singer of the country music group Tim and the Glory Boys.

References

  1. allmusic ((( Charlie Major > Biography )))
  2. Guest Appearance, Holmes on Homes, Season 6, Episode 11