Charles Walker was born in Nashville, Tennessee on 7/12/1940. Charles or “Wigg,” as he is known by his friends (his mother nicknamed him when he was born with a full head of hair), began singing at an early age in church & school. He cut his first record in 1959 for Ted Jarrett’s legendary Champion label. One cut, “Slave To Love,” was credited to Charles Walker and the Daffodils. In fact, there was no such group as the Daffodils. The backup singers on the record were label mates the Kinglets & Larry Birdsong. In 1960, Charles moved to New York City where studios & nightclub work were plentiful. 1962 found Charles recording with Chess Records out of Chicago, and soon he signed on as lead singer with the J.C. Davis Band. This band began touring the country opening for the greats of the era including James Brown, Jackie Wilson, Etta James, Wilson Pickett, Little Willie John, Otis Redding, & Sam Cooke. The J.C. Davis Band recorded some real barnstormers for Chess like “Sweet Sweet Love” & “The Chicken Scratch.” In 1964, Charles formed his own group, Little Charles and the Sidewinders. They became one of the most in demand soul bands in New York City’s nightclub scene, performing at the Apollo Theater, Small’s Paradise and venturing out to Las Vegas & Atlantic City. They subsequently recorded for Chess & Decca labels. The Sidewinders stayed together through the 60’s, and in 1969 he cut some sides for Botanic Records. The Sidewinders reformed in 1973 and worked as a show band in hotels, nightclubs, and casinos without the benefit of a recording contract. Early in the 80’s, he recorded in England and re-issued many of the Sidewinders classic sides. Realizing that there was a market for soul music in the U.K., he formed his own label P.R.G. and released the single “See Me” in Europe. He spent most of the 1980’s in England & Spain and worked steadily but recorded occasionally. In 1993, he moved back to Nashville to do some serious recording, since Nashville’s blues & R&B scene was really booming. His solo releases include “I’m Available,” “Leavin’ This Old Town,” “In the House” (live with Johnny Jones) & “Soul Stirring Thing.” He also released an album on the U.K. label Zane records called “Number By Heart” in 2003. Charles most recently was the featured singer for a band called “The Dynamites featuring Charles Walker”, and 3 records were released since June of 2007 on Outtasight Records. The band toured frequently in the U.S., Canada, Europe, & Australia. Charles is one of the few remaining original soul singers from back in the day when old school R&B/soul was brand new on the music scene. There has recently been a resurgence of this style of music, and it is finding a younger audience while rekindling memories for the old school crowd. Wigg is still delivering this style of music at a very high level, and his experience and maturity in the field of soul music gives him a perspective that is unmatched. Now in 2025, he comes out strong like never before even, with a new album ‘This Love Is Gonna Last’.
I had the chance to catch up quickly with Mr. Charles “Wigg” Walker’s shortly after ‘This Love Is Gonna Last‘, his first album in over a decade, officially dropped. We go seed to flower on the record, including dissecting two of the track a bit. The album is a dedication to his late wife and shifts seamlessly between definitive eras of soul, from Philly and Detroit to Memphis. We go back in time to learn a little about what he learned from James Brown, how he was the opening act for the Jackson 5 and the work he did fronting The Dynamites. I think this album will add to any music fans collection, but certainly, if that old feelin’ soul music is your thang – this has that and it feels fresh and new.
