Photos from Folk Alliance, and a great night at the world-famous Bluebird (click here)
Burgers and Champagne was nominated for best traditional folk song by Just Plain Folks... read more (click "Awards Page" link)
The long-awaited "Bad Gravity Day" project has finally been completed, and copies should arrive in mid-August... stay tuned for developments! (click here for Gravity page)
"It is my privilege to congratulate you as first prize winner of the 2001 Woody Guthrie songwriting competition. The final judge was blown away by your song, Minimum Wager, and wants a copy of your CD. Very Impressive... " Tom Marshall, Board of Directors, Woody Guthrie Coalition
(click here to read the lyric)
Chuck and Myrtle accompany the famous Drumm Brothers (and sons) to the Emerald Isle... click here for pix: Belfast
So how do you get a drink in a dry county just north of Dallas? You join the Elks' Club. Click here to meet some of the brothers.
Bob Harvey, who played bass for the SRSB (and Jefferson Airplane) sent me this nice shot of us out in front of our hotel in Saigon (click here for photo)
Cinco de Mayo
This time they thought Nosejob was funny! They let Rolfe and me do a set on the main stage, and we sold a few CDs. Great food in this town, and a good photo anywhere you point your Brownie. (click here for photos)
Sept 8th, 9th, 10th, Sisters, Oregon
Returned to this grand little town, appear on the Main Stage, jam with world-class musicians, and renew some old friendships... made some new friends, too, and fell in love with a guitar. Craig Eisenbeis, of Sisters own Nugget newspaper put together a nice article, and you can:
W.L. Gore & Associates, makers of many products including Goretex and Glide, (the world's best dental floss) also happen to make the ultimate guitar strings... with a polyweb coating that makes 'em sound better and last longer.
Chuck is proud to use and recommend these great strings, and in return gets to floss for free!
In the sweltering company of the best writer-performers from every corner of the US, the Woofers took the stage, then gave it back... it was too danged hot to hold. Also seen, the first of the new Fall Line of festival and casual wear...the BBWW T-shirt, available at a Woofer event near you! (pix to follow)
(well, not quite... but a nice article in the Los Gatos Weekly Times, and yes, the face is on the front page)
Hosted the "First Annual" Songwriters' Festival for the naked folks. Incredibly beautiful afternoon of music (10AM to 6PM, then the Woofers 9-11) Wonderful, responsive crowd to play for... hope they do this forever! "I Like Your Skin" is a big hit up there.
Chuck was selected as a finalist in the songwriting competition, and will also host a Kerrville-style "ballad tree" Saturday, May 6th. Temps have soared all week, and we hope there's actually a tree.
It was hot. The tree died. I played "Nosejob" and folks got up and left. See you next year.
Hollywood, February
Chuck voted in his first Grammy Awards this month, as a new member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS). He wouldn't say who his choices were, but admitted there were some names on the ballot he hadn't heard before.
Los Angeles, January
Doctor Demento, that renowned Laughter-is-Good-Medicine healer, is prescribing "I Like Your Skin" from Chuck's "Burgers & Champagne" CD. The good doctor thinks enough of this cure to put it on the air nationally, and include it on his forthcoming "Demento 2000" compilation CD. In blind comparison test, subjects reported the Burger music made them feel (on average) "just about as funky as Leon Redbone", and "way better than Ricky Martin"
Veteran Yukmeister Kinky Friedman, riding high on the excitement of his recent "Pearls in the Snow" tribute album (featuring Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Dwight Yoakam, Leroy Parnell, Marty Stuart, Delbert McClinton and Tom Waits to name a few) recently embraced (yikes!) the Burger Sound and will sell Chuck's CD on his website: www.kinkajourecords.com