Charlie Whitehead
Encyclopedia
Charlie Whitehead was a soul
singer from Franklin
, Virginia
. Whitehead moved to New York City
in 1968 and was subsequently signed to Musicor
's R&B
subsidiary, Dynamo Records, by Charlie Foxx. At Dynamo, Whitehead was paired with Jerry Williams, Jr., and the two wrote songs (often with Gary U.S. Bonds
) for artists such as Dee Dee Warwick
and Doris Duke
, including Warwick's 1970 hit, "She Didn’t Know (She Kept on Talking)".
Releasing only one single on Dynamo, Whitehead followed Williams when he left for Canyon Records. In 1970, using the name Raw Spitt, Whitehead released a self-titled album, produced and mostly written by Williams. One song from the album, "Songs to Sing" was also released as a single on United Artists
.
Whitehead released some material under his own name on Williams' Stone Dogg Records and in 1973, the album Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band on Williams' Fungus Records.
In 1975, he made the Billboard
R&B chart with "Love Being Your Fool" on Island Records
. He released one more album, 1977's Whitehead at Yellowstone before dropping from view.
A CD compiling Raw Spitt, Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band, and various non-album tracks—called Songs to Sing: The Charlie Whitehead Anthology—was released by Ace Records
in 2006.
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
singer from Franklin
Franklin, Virginia
Franklin is an independent city in Virginia. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Franklin with Southampton county for statistical purposes. The population was 8,582 in 2010.-History:...
, Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Whitehead moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1968 and was subsequently signed to Musicor
Musicor Records
Musicor Records was a New York City based record label, active during the 1960s and 1970s. The label was founded by songwriter Aaron Schroeder and distributed by United Artists Records...
's R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
subsidiary, Dynamo Records, by Charlie Foxx. At Dynamo, Whitehead was paired with Jerry Williams, Jr., and the two wrote songs (often with Gary U.S. Bonds
Gary U.S. Bonds
Gary U.S. Bonds is an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer. He is also a prolific songwriter.-Career:...
) for artists such as Dee Dee Warwick
Dee Dee Warwick
Dee Dee Warwick was an American soul singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey as Delia Mae Warrick, she was the sister of Dionne Warwick, niece of Cissy Houston and cousin of Whitney Houston....
and Doris Duke
Doris Duke (soul singer)
Doris Duke is an American gospel and soul singer, best known for her 1969 album I'm A Loser.-Biography:She was born as Doris Curry in Sandersville, Georgia, and reportedly started singing with gospel groups including the Queen of Gospel Albertina Walker and Caravans, though this has been questioned...
, including Warwick's 1970 hit, "She Didn’t Know (She Kept on Talking)".
Releasing only one single on Dynamo, Whitehead followed Williams when he left for Canyon Records. In 1970, using the name Raw Spitt, Whitehead released a self-titled album, produced and mostly written by Williams. One song from the album, "Songs to Sing" was also released as a single on United Artists
United Artists Records
United Artists Records was a record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 initially to distribute records of its movie soundtracks, though it soon branched out into recording music of a number of different genres.-History:...
.
Whitehead released some material under his own name on Williams' Stone Dogg Records and in 1973, the album Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band on Williams' Fungus Records.
In 1975, he made the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
R&B chart with "Love Being Your Fool" on Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
. He released one more album, 1977's Whitehead at Yellowstone before dropping from view.
A CD compiling Raw Spitt, Charlie Whitehead and the Swamp Dogg Band, and various non-album tracks—called Songs to Sing: The Charlie Whitehead Anthology—was released by Ace Records
Ace Records (UK)
Ace Records Ltd. was started in 1978. Initially the company only gained permission from the label based in Mississippi to use the name in the UK, but eventually also acquired the rights to publish their recordings. When Chiswick's pop side was licensed to EMI in 1984, Ace switched to more licensing...
in 2006.