| About Charlie Crook | A singer-songwriter with an undeniable flair for telling stories that can amuse, bemuse and enthuse. That’s Charlie Crook. His songs are a blend of quirky, witty, often romanticised stories that deal with real emotions and suburban home truths. Charlie’s affair with the songwriter’s craft spans three decades. As a guitarist of Sydney Ska Scene staples “The Hangovers” in the 80’s, as lead singer of power pop band “Planet Cake” in the 90’s, and as a solo performer in the 00’s, his songs have permeated the air of many a sweaty pub over the years. Like most wanna-be rock stars Charlie also starred in many bands that lasted only one gig (such as the aptly named punk treat “The Festering Sores”), and some that never made it out of the garage at all. Now with such a career in rock and roll and a colourful working and family life behind him , Charlie has released his debut self-titled solo album. The album is deliberately 7 tracks long, as a salute to one of Charlie’s musical heroes, Billy Bragg whose own debut “Life’s a Riot” was also 7 tracks. Produced and engineered at Charlie’s house by long time friend Anton Hagop (best known for his Aria award winning work with Silverchair) the album was released on an unsuspecting public independently in November 2010 and thanks to favourable word of mouth and a small but loyal fan base has sold all of its first pressing of 130 copies. Old and new fans alike have been surprised to find themselves waking up with catchy songs like “Going to Casula” and “W.Y.E.L.Y.H” firmly stuck in their heads. Other songs like “Swallowed Whole” and “Gift from Heaven” have struck emotive chords in others, bringing their own childhood memories flooding back. These song and others dealing with love gone wrong (and love in all its everyday familiarity) such as “A Picture”, “Colourburst” and “Fresh Poetry” round out a fine debut musical offering from this Australian talent. Charlie’s voice was recently described by one critic as “Sweet but always strong and tuneful” his songs “Rich with flashes of whimsy and humour”. Charlie Crook is 54 years old and is married with two sons. He currently works as an endoscopy nurse at a public hospital. He is a sports nut whose hobbies include music (obviously), and reading. |
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