Source From http://www.blackamericaweb.com
Charlie Wilson knows a little something about love.
Through his years singing leads for The Gap Band, one of R&B’s most revered groups, to having a successful solo career co-signed by artists’ decades his junior, to battles with drug abuse, homelessness and prostate cancer, Wilson has always known love. He’s gotten love from his fans, love from his family and especially love from his wife, Mahin, who supported him through drug abuse, homelessness and then, cancer.
“I didn’t have a reason to love,” Wilson says in his official bio. “I didn’t have anybody to trust, to be there for me. To find someone like Mahin is the reason that I can love. She taught me how to live.”
Now that his third solo CD “Just Charlie,” is out, Wilson wants to send a musical message to every man – treat your woman right. Songs like “You Are,” “Once and Forever” and “Where Would I Be” are all songs that treat love itself with the reverence it deserves. Wilson even includes a passionate remake of the Roger Troutman hit “I Wanna Be Your Man” as a duet with Fantasia.
“I went from rags to riches, riches to rags, rags to the curb and from the curb to being homeless,” Wilson says. “Now I’m back to being a number-one artist, and I couldn’t have done it without my woman. To have a woman who stands by your side no matter what you’re going through, the ups and the downs and the in-betweens, where would I be without her?”
Wilson was also fortunate to find a kindred spirit who helped him rebuild his career years after the Gap Band’s heyday. Wilson and his brothers, Ronnie and Robert (the latter of whom died this summer), formed the band that ushered in the new funk era of the ’70s, inspired in part by legends like James Brown. Their songs “You Dropped the Bomb on Me” “Yearning For Your Love” and “Outstanding” were revitalized in the 1990’s via hip-hop, becoming one of the most sampled groups in the genre.
That helped Wilson form a lucrative friendship with Snoop, who dubbed him “Uncle Charlie,” and helped him gain access to other artists eager to work with the legend.
“It allowed me to open up my horizons and be able to learn about different types of music,” Wilson says. “Working with these artists allowed me to not be locked in a time capsule. It opened the door for me to be a part of today’s contemporary music scene.”
That led to a solo deal with Jive Records and work with another contemporary artist – R. Kelly – who has often been compared to him. Three CDs later, and Wilson is back in the forefront, performing at the Essence Festival last year looking like he’s hardly lost a step since the Gap Band days.
These days, when he’s not on the road or recording, Wilson is speaking out to help prevent prostate cancer, which almost curtailed his career. In 2008, He teamed up with the Prostate Cancer Foundation to spread awareness of both prevention and treatment. For more information, please visit his website www.unclecharliewilson.com.
Sales of the fedora hat that Wilson always performs in benefit the PCF.
