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How did you spend your summer?
Charlie Wilson-My
summer was spent on the road with The Gap Band mostly.
How was that?
Charlie Wilson-Well
it's good you know. It's always been a blast with The
Gap Band. We play the old stuff and all the hits.
People like hearing the old stuff because it brings
back memories. I was adding the "Charlie..Last Name
Wilson" record in there. Everybody was enjoying
that part of it. That's how I spent my summer.
Oh okay that's cool. You and The Gap Band were recently
honored as BMI Icons. What did that mean to you?
Charlie Wilson-That
word is a big word "icon." I don't know how to
take that. Although Hurricane Katrina got in the way
of a lot of entertainers who were supposed to come and
speak a lot of people missed out because they couldn't
get their flight in. It was great we had a good time.
We made it in there the night the hurricane passed through
Miami. We had some strong winds and rain but a lot of
people were in the building. Fat Joe, Lil Jon, R. Kelly,
Pharrell, a lot of people were in the building.
Has it been five years since the last album or three
years?
Charlie Wilson-For
me? It's been since 2001.
Four years. So what led you to now release another
album?
Charlie Wilson-I
think it was just time. Time to do another record. Time
to do a real record with a real label. That last record
I did was independent and basically they didn't have
a clue about how to get it done. I had a number one
single on adult contemporary strong enough to do anything.
This is a real record label. A real shot I stepped the
game up a little bit.
You know us music fans only see one side of an artist.
So I wanted to ask you what is it like working with
R. Kelly in the studio?
Charlie Wilson-That's
crazy right there because we both think alike. The things
he was coming up with for me..it was real good. I enjoyed
it because he was thinking like I was thinking. He has
a passion for music like I do. He is very soft spoken
about it. He puts down the vocals like he wants me to
do it. Then he comes out and says, "Ok, now sing
it like Charlie Wilson." Sometimes I'd say, "Tell
him that part is too high." And he'll say, "No
it's not because your Charlie Wilson."
I had a great time with R. Kelly I had a lot
of fun.
How much time did you spend in Chicago working on the
record?
Charlie Wilson-Well
it took me about a year and half to do this record.
First of all R. Kelly's schedule was crazy. He had so
many people in line that he was producing. However,
whenever he'd see me he stopped what he was doing and
he would write me another one right there on the spot.
When I went there he did about 6 songs but we ended
up with 3 and he executive produced the album and everything.
Snoop's wife Shante had a lot of good things to say
about you in a recent Sister 2 Sister magazine. Can
you explain your relationship with Snoop?
Charlie Wilson-Snoop
is a nephew of mine. We started blazing together in
1995 and I've been singing on every Snoop Dogg
album since 1995. Sometimes I use my name and sometimes
I didn't. I was there for him. Along the way there somewhere
we sort of we got a lot closer which allowed me and
my wife to be involved in his personal life. He didn't
have any kind of problems or whatever and the phone
would ring and it would be him or his wife. It allowed
us to be in their private lives and I'm the first one
they call when something is going on. It's cool with
me I'm down with that.
I understand what he's going through and what she's
going through. I understand the part he's going through.
He was trying to be Snoop Dogg and married at the same
time. I was trying to show him how to separate the two.
You gotta be Snoop Dogg when you gotta be Snoop Dogg
and at home you have got to be the man your wife married.
Keep it simple. It's kind of hard because sometimes
we take our emotions and our struggles to the house.
We take those things that we are dealing with at the
work place and when we are irritable and all that we
take it home with the wife and kids and they have no
idea of the struggle of what you have just been through.
So I was just showing him how to separate the two, that's
all.
Now you have such a long extensive career. Was there
ever a time when you didn't want to pursue music as
a career anymore?
Charlie Wilson-Drugs
and alcohol will make you say a lot of things. I was
doing a lot of that back in the day. I used to say a
lot of that, "I'm threw with that," because I was sitting
up there smoking cocaine or drinking alcohol all day
and all night. A lot of things I said I didn't mean
any of it. I was sinking in a darker hole every day
I got high. Every time I would look up I couldn't see
any light. I never looked up let's say it like that
I was looking the wrong way. I said and did a lot of
things I didn't mean and shouldn't have done. After
I figured out and looked one way which was up, when
I looked up and saw the light, I figured I could get
out of the hole.
One of the songs on the new album is Magic
and it kinda sounds like a stepping song.
Charlie Wilson-Stepping
joint. It's a stepping joint. It's another R. Kelly
joint written and produced by R. Kelly. It's that steppers
cut. It's got that thing to it. However, everyone who
had the sampler who hadn't heard the rest of my album
when they hear the album they are like, "Oh, I'm confused."
Because its different?
Charlie Wilson-More
cuts and you are like "Whoa!" Magic is one
of those cuts you learn to love for sure.
I know you toured with The Gap Band this summer.
What is the status of The Gap Band? Will you be recording
again soon?
Charlie Wilson-I
don't know what that is going to be. I know right now
I'm focusing on Charlie.
May not be reprinted, copied or distributed.
Interview copyright Dorrie Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com
Sept. 2005
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