Charles Fowlkes
Charles Baker Fowlkes (February 16, 1916 – February 9, 1980)[1] was an American baritone saxophonist who was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra for over twenty-five years.[2]
Early life
Fowlkes was born in New York City on February 16, 1916.[3] He studied alto and tenor saxophone, clarinet, and violin before settling on the baritone saxophone (he occasionally played flute).[2]
Later life and career
Fowlkes spent most of his early career in New York.[2] He played with Tiny Bradshaw (1938–1944), Lionel Hampton (1944–1948), and Arnett Cobb (1948–1951).[3]
Fowlkes joined Basie's orchestra in 1953 and remained with it until his death; the main interruptions during his time with Basie were absences due to managing the career of his wife, vocalist Wini Brown.[2] He died in Dallas on February 9, 1980.[3]
Discography
With The Count Basie Orchestra
- The Count! (Clef, 1952 [1955])
- Basie Jazz (Clef, 1952 [1954])
- Dance Session (Clef, 1953)
- Dance Session Album #2 (Clef, 1954)
- Basie (Clef, 1954)
- Count Basie Swings, Joe Williams Sings (Clef, 1955) with Joe Williams
- April in Paris (Verve, 1956)
- The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards with Joe Williams
- Metronome All-Stars 1956 (Clef, 1956) with Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Williams
- Hall of Fame (Verve, 1956 [1959])
- The Greatest!! Count Basie Plays, Joe Williams Sings Standards with Joe Williams (Verve, 1956)
- Basie in London (Verve, 1956)
- One O'Clock Jump (Verve, 1957) with Joe Williams and Ella Fitzgerald
- Count Basie at Newport (Verve, 1957)
- The Atomic Mr. Basie (Roulette, 1957) aka Basie and E=MC2
- Basie Plays Hefti (Roulette, 1958)
- Sing Along with Basie (Roulette, 1958) - with Joe Williams and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
- Chairman of the Board (Roulette, 1959)
- Basie One More Time (Roulette, 1959)
- Breakfast Dance and Barbecue (Roulette, 1959)
- Basie/Eckstine Incorporated (Roulette, 1959)
- Strike Up the Band (Roulette, 1959)
- In Person! with Tony Bennett (Verve, 1959)
- Everyday I Have the Blues (Roulette, 1959) - with Joe Williams
- Dance Along with Basie (Roulette, 1959)
- Not Now, I'll Tell You When (Roulette, 1960)
- The Count Basie Story (Roulette, 1960)
- Kansas City Suite (Roulette, 1960)
- Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan with Sarah Vaughan (Roulette, 1960)
- Basie at Birdland (Roulette, 1961)
- First Time! The Count Meets the Duke with Duke Ellington (Columbia, 1961)
- The Legend (Roulette, 1961)
- Easin' It (Roulette, 1962)
- Back with Basie (Roulette, 1962)
- Basie in Sweden (Roulette, 1962)
- Sinatra–Basie: An Historic Musical First (Reprise, 1962)
- On My Way & Shoutin' Again! (Verve, 1962)
- This Time by Basie! (Reprise, 1963)
- More Hits of the 50's and 60's (Verve, 1963)
- Li'l Ol' Groovemaker...Basie! (Verve, 1963)
- Ella and Basie! with Ella Fitzgerald (Verve, 1963)
- Basie Land (Verve, 1964)
- It Might as Well Be Swing with Frank Sinatra (Reprise, 1964)
- Our Shining Hour with Sammy Davis, Jr. (Verve, 1965)
- Pop Goes the Basie (Reprise, 1965)
- Basie Meets Bond (United Artists, 1966)
- Live at the Sands (Before Frank) (Reprise, 1966 [1998])
- Sinatra at the Sands (Reprise, 1966) with Frank Sinatra
- Basie's Beatle Bag (Verve, 1966)
- Broadway Basie's...Way (Command, 1966)
- Hollywood...Basie's Way (Command, 1967)
- Basie's Beat (Verve, 1967)
- Basie's in the Bag (Brunswick, 1967)
- The Happiest Millionaire (Coliseum, 1967)
- Half a Sixpence (Dot, 1967)
- The Board of Directors with the Mills Brothers (Dot, 1967)
- Manufacturers of Soul (Brunswick, 1968) with Jackie Wilson
- The Board of Directors Annual Report (Dot, 1968) with The Mills Brothers
- Basie Straight Ahead (Dot, 1968)
- How About This (Paramount, 1968) with Kay Starr
- Standing Ovation (Dot, 1969)
- Basic Basie (MPS, 1969)
- Basie on the Beatles (Happy Tiger, 1969)
- Basie Big Band (Pablo, 1975)
- I Told You So (Pablo, 1976)
- Live in Japan '78 (Pablo, 1978)
- Digital III at Montreux with Ella Fitzgerald (Pablo, 1979)
- A Classy Pair with Ella Fitzgerald (Pablo, 1979)
With Kenny Clarke
- Telefunken Blues (Savoy, 1955)
- With Buck Clayton
- The Huckle-Buck and Robbins' Nest (Columbia, 1954)
- How Hi the Fi (Columbia, 1954)
- Jumpin' at the Woodside (Columbia, 1955)
- All the Cats Join In (Columbia 1956)
With Stanley Cowell
- Regeneration (Strata East, 1976)
With Al Grey
- The Last of the Big Plungers (Argo, 1959)
- The Thinking Man’s Trombone (Argo, 1960)
With Coleman Hawkins
- The Saxophone Section (World Wide, 1958)
With Milt Jackson
- Meet Milt Jackson (Savoy, 1955)
With Yusef Lateef
- Part of the Search (Atlantic, 1973)
With Billy Taylor
- My Fair Lady Loves Jazz (Impulse!, 1957)
- Clean Head's Back in Town (Bethlehem, 1957)
With Frank Wess
- Opus de Blues (Savoy, 1959 [1984])
References
- Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 905. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
- Chadbourne, Eugene. "Charlie Fowlkes". AllMusic. Retrieved December 2, 2018.
- Koch, Lawrence (2003), Fowlkes, Charlie (Charles Baker), Grove Music Online. Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.J156100