Charlotte Caffey
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Irene Caffey is an American
rock and roll
guitarist
and songwriter
, best known for her work in the Go-Go's
in the 1980s, including writing
"We Got the Beat
."
Caffey began her musical career as a bass guitar
player in the early Los Angeles punk band The Eyes before joining the Go-Go's in 1978 and switching to guitar.. She remained friends with fellow band member Belinda Carlisle
. From 1988 till 1992, she led her own band, The Graces
, with Meredith Brooks
and Gia Ciambotti
, who released a 1989 album
, Perfect View. Caffey also co-wrote the theme song to the television series, Clueless
, with Anna Waronker
, and played piano on the album version of "Foolish Games
," by Jewel
, as well as co-writing the No. #1 U.S. country hit "But for the Grace of God
" with Keith Urban
.
Caffey wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Lovelace: A Rock Musical
with Anna Waronker. The rock musical debuted at the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles in 2008. A new production of Lovelace: A Rock Musical made its United Kingdom
debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2010.
She grew up in Glendale, California
, and graduated from Immaculate Heart College
. She is also in Ze Malibu Kids with her husband, the Redd Kross
singer and guitarist, Jeff McDonald
; their only child, a daughter named Astrid, was born in 1995.
She was the third of thirteen children born to Ann and Michael Caffey, a well-known television director from the mid-1960s on into the 1990s. Charlotte semi-retired in the late 1980s because of crippling carpal tunnel syndrome
. Her brother Tom composes music for films; his most recent work was the trailer for 10,000 BC
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
, best known for her work in the Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
in the 1980s, including writing
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
"We Got the Beat
We Got the Beat
"We Got the Beat" is a song recorded by the American rock band The Go-Go's. Written by the group's lead guitarist Charlotte Caffey, the band recorded the song in 1980 and it was released in May as a single in the UK on Stiff Records. The song's single release brought the Go-Go's underground...
."
Caffey began her musical career as a bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
player in the early Los Angeles punk band The Eyes before joining the Go-Go's in 1978 and switching to guitar.. She remained friends with fellow band member Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Carlisle
Belinda Jo Carlisle is an American singer who gained worldwide fame as the lead vocalist of the Go-Go's, one of the most successful all-female bands and the first such group whose members wrote their own songs and played their own instruments...
. From 1988 till 1992, she led her own band, The Graces
The Graces (band)
The Graces were a US band in the late 1980s and early 1990s featuring Charlotte Caffey, Meredith Brooks, and Gia Ciambotti. Formed in 1988, they released their debut album Perfect View on A&M Records in 1989. Their first single "Lay Down Your Arms" hit #56 on the Billboard Hot 100 but the album...
, with Meredith Brooks
Meredith Brooks
Meredith Ann Brooks is an American singer/songwriter and guitarist. She is best known for her 1997 hit song "Bitch", for which she was nominated for a Grammy Award.- Early life :...
and Gia Ciambotti
Gia Ciambotti
Gia Ciambotti is an American singer. She first came to prominence in the late 1980s as a member of the band The Graces, with Charlotte Caffey and Meredith Brooks. The group released the album Perfect View in 1989 and had a Billboard Hot 100 hit with the single "Lay Down Your Arms"...
, who released a 1989 album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
, Perfect View. Caffey also co-wrote the theme song to the television series, Clueless
Clueless (TV series)
Clueless is a television series spun off from the 1995 teen film of the same name . The series originally premiered on ABC on September 20, 1996 as a part of the TGIF lineup during its first season...
, with Anna Waronker
Anna Waronker
Anna Jeanette Waronker is a singer/songwriter, composer, and producer best known as the former frontwoman of That Dog. She is the daughter of producer Lenny Waronker and actress/musician Donna Loren, the sister of session drummer Joey Waronker, and is married to Steven Shane McDonald of Redd...
, and played piano on the album version of "Foolish Games
Foolish Games
"Foolish Games" is a song by Jewel released as her third/fourth and final single, taken from her debut album Pieces of You. It was also the third single to be lifted from the Batman & Robin motion picture soundtrack...
," by Jewel
Jewel (singer)
Jewel Kilcher , professionally known as Jewel, is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, actress and poet...
, as well as co-writing the No. #1 U.S. country hit "But for the Grace of God
But for the Grace of God
"But for the Grace of God" is a song performed and recorded by country music performer Keith Urban. The song was written by Urban, Charlotte Caffey, and Jane Wiedlin....
" with Keith Urban
Keith Urban
Keith Lionel Urban is a New Zealand-born Australian, country music singer, songwriter and guitarist whose commercial success has been mainly in the United States and Australia. Urban was born in New Zealand and began his career in Australia at an early age...
.
Caffey wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Lovelace: A Rock Musical
Lovelace: A Rock Musical
Lovelace: A Rock Musical is a rock musical about the life of adult film star and women's liberation advocate, Linda Lovelace. The book, music, and lyrics are by Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey , with original concept and lyrics by Jeffery Leonard Bowman. The show debuted with a six-month run...
with Anna Waronker. The rock musical debuted at the Hayworth Theatre in Los Angeles in 2008. A new production of Lovelace: A Rock Musical made its United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2010.
Personal life
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, and graduated from Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College
Immaculate Heart College was a private, Catholic college located in Los Angeles, California.The college was established in 1916 by the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary ten years after they had founded Immaculate Heart High School on the property....
. She is also in Ze Malibu Kids with her husband, the Redd Kross
Redd Kross
Redd Kross, a rock band from Hawthorne, California had their roots in 1978 in a band called The Tourists begun by Jeff and Steve McDonald while the brothers were still in middle school...
singer and guitarist, Jeff McDonald
Jeff McDonald
Jeff McDonald is a rock and roll singer and guitarist who co-founded the alternative rock, power pop band Redd Kross with his younger brother Steven Shane McDonald and remains in the band. In the early 2000s he played in Ze Malibu Kids, with his wife, Charlotte Caffey, of The Go-Go's, his brother,...
; their only child, a daughter named Astrid, was born in 1995.
She was the third of thirteen children born to Ann and Michael Caffey, a well-known television director from the mid-1960s on into the 1990s. Charlotte semi-retired in the late 1980s because of crippling carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome is an entrapment idiopathic median neuropathy, causing paresthesia, pain, and other symptoms in the distribution of the median nerve due to its compression at the wrist in the carpal tunnel. The pathophysiology is not completely understood but can be considered compression...
. Her brother Tom composes music for films; his most recent work was the trailer for 10,000 BC
10,000 BC (film)
10,000 BC is a 2008 American fantasy film from Warner Bros. Pictures set in the prehistoric era. It was directed by Roland Emmerich and stars Steven Strait and Camilla Belle. The world premiere was held on February 10, 2008 at Potsdamer Platz in Berlin...
.