EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH MUSICIAN & SINGER CHARLIE BURGER

Q. What made you decide to pursue a career in entertainment?

I started when I was 16. There was never a thought about starting anything – I dove into singing and guitar accompaniment the moment my parents brought home to me a guitar and amp from Sears Roebuck! I spent about six hours that first day learning “Louie, Louie” by the Kingsmen, which was a #1 hit at the time (“played until my fingers bled”). I think I was in a band within a couple of weeks with some guys I knew in school. This was not a decision after some thought process. It was an all-consuming immersion as an inevitable consequence of my passion. I was the embodiment of the song by Bryan Adams, “Summer of ’69”, except it was about 4 years prior.

 

Q. What skills have you learned that will help you in your singing career?

I ran into a lady named Jeannie Deva a number of years ago and did two workshops with her and got her books and CDs and studied her methods. She opened my eyes to accurate knowledge of the anatomy of singing, and hence to my ability to sing without strain. This opened the doors wide to develop my technique. I had attempted to do a few other programs prior to hers which never clicked in the practical sense. I can now sing for 8 or 10 hours straight without getting hoarse. In fact, I sing better the longer I perform!

Q. What kind of singer would you classify yourself as?

Versatile, not fixed in any genre. I like to do a mix of genres based on the songs I love and want to share with people of all ages. My formal training in singing and guitar is very little. However, I was trained in junior high school on clarinet and became proficient in reading music and playing jazz, which I loved. These past ten years I find myself filling in my knowledge of music theory and technique. There are some great teachers on the internet, and I have had a voracious appetite for learning. My style and repertoire comes from a desire to communicate with many different ages and cultures and types of people, and to lift them up and make them, each one, feel valued, and, in turn, more able to see the value in others. In this way I have evolved a diversified repertoire of country, rock, pop, soul, blues, jazz, show tunes, traditional, folk and holiday music. The more competent I become, the better the caliber of music I can reach for and the more satisfying it is to perform it. I am doing material now that I never approached before. I listen now with a more discerning and sophisticated ear. It is so-o-o-o-o worth the work to improve your skill level! And the sheer joy of singing is unlike anything I have ever done!

 

Q. What has been the best performance of your career so far?

Performing for 15-20 of my fans just a few years ago at a private party in Alexandria, Minnesota. It was such a heart-to-heart sharing of me and my music with people who loved it and who had gotten to know and love me (and me them) through earlier performances! It is a stellar example of what I aim to achieve with my music. I do accomplish this frequently now on a broader basis with certain people who really connect with me and my music. But that time was special because of the quality of mutual love and sharing between me and that entire group.

 

Q. Who is your favorite musician, band, or group? How important are they to you?

It’s an unfair question – there are so many that I have on that pinnacle! I got rolling with Louie Armstrong (for his style and joyfulness), The Dukes of Dixieland (for their playful renditions of Dixieland jazz which I loved!), Jimmie Rogers (for his values and sincerity and bright vocals), The Sons Of the Pioneers (for their lovely harmonies and sentiments) – all when I was young. The Beatles changed me forever (tremendous creative genius and innovative music, and they opened my eyes to new points of view). Simon & Garfunkel (for their sheer magic of imagery/poetry in a unique musical tapestry of harmony and haunting melodies). Stevie Wonder (awesome soulful, break-through, upbeat music), James Brown (king of R&B and funk and whose music awakened the joy of dance in me), Aretha Franklin and The Temptations (best of the Motown), The Beach Boys (for their rich harmonies and innovative songs). They all deeply connected with me. Then in the late 60’s came Donovan Leich (for his beautiful and fantastic imagery and his love of life and nature and the innocent viewpoint of a child), Bob Dylan (for his poetic genius and his leadership), Cat Stevens (for his messages of truth and decency), The Doors (for their wild, raw innovation and haunting melodies), Ravi Shankar (for bringing us the beauty of India and its incredibly rich musical heritage), and Blood, Sweat & Tears (for their sophisticated but soulful renderings which were a breakthrough at the time). John Denver followed close in there. To me he is one of the best songwriters of our times, and one of the most widely popular with my audiences. Then there was The Eagles for their unique approach to rock and rich vocals and catchy lyrics and musical stories). Bryan Adams I discovered in recent years and have come to love his performance videos, and his vocal expressions. I greatly enjoy covering several of his songs. And Michael Jackson for his incorporation of breakthrough dance moves into his breakthrough musical compositions and renderings. I rediscovered Country Music in the 90’s and now have my favorites in Garth Brooks (for his prolific creative genius, and for his viewpoint on the audience’s essential role and the artist’s responsibility to them), George Strait (for his simple but unique style and so many great songs), George Jones (for his amazing way of expressing a musical phrase), Brad Paisley and Keith Urban (for their super-guitar licks and chord progressions and upbeat style), Alan Jackson (for his unique and yet traditional renderings of country music), Keith Whitley and Don Williams and Randy Travis (for their incredibly resonant voices and great songs), and many others. I love Frank Sinatra (for his sass and vocal richness, his unique phrasing, as well as the awesome arrangements). I love Ed Sheeran (for his innovation), and John Legend (for “All Of Me”)

 

Q. What makes you like a song? The melody, the lyrics, or something else?

A song is a whole entity. There is everything about it and what it is connected to in your life when it enters your experience. It usually will have duration over time, and you keep rediscovering how much you like it. Look at how our culture has preserved and kept the “Oldies” alive. Also, the internet has served to foster an international modern-day Renaissance and is connecting artists and cultures everywhere as we share with each other the universal language of music. I gain a huge additional love for a song as a performing artist. When I learn and then perform a song, it takes on a whole new dimension of personal involvement for me, and my “love” of the song is no longer just for me but for all those with whom I share it. Plus, I always gain a new depth of experience and understanding of any song that I take on as a performer. I make sure I understand the meaning of every word and I often research all about the song, the artist, the composer, its history and setting, and related information that enriches my feel for it and helps me to take ownership of it as a performer. Furthermore, every time I play a song I bring new life to it. When I perform any song, I add something of myself, something unique, a personal communication to another that is fresh, new, something that has in actuality never occurred before. I believe this is why live music, done competently, but primarily from “the heart”, is so loved by people.
 

Q. Is there a song that makes you emotional? Which song is it and why is it so powerful?

You may laugh, but “Show Yourself” by Idina Menzel from the movie “Frozen II” has been one of the most moving songs I have ever learned. It speaks to my own awakening spiritually, and I sometimes feel that overwhelming emotion of coming home to myself, my beingness, of discovering and aligning to my higher purposes in life. The first 150 times I could not sing the song without choking up, occasionally breaking down and weeping for a short while. I still “blub” sometimes when I do it! I think this song has a tremendous message for us all. I’m glad that the children are so taken by it. Gives me hope for the future generations. That said, it is not the only song that has a strong emotional impact on me. There are many! One added dimension to my answer: performing any song for someone else who responds to or is moved by it allows me to share in their emotion! I am often as emotionally impacted when I perform a song as when I hear it. I invest so much of myself into the process and the delivery. This is why I love to perform!!!!

 

Q. What song best represents you, or your attitude to life?

“That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra. It’s one of the most positive, yet realistic in-your-face songs I’ve ever heard! I love to perform this one to lift people up as it has the “sass” that we need to take on life and rise above the cynicism and destructiveness in the world. God bless Frankie for his rendition of this! Share any social media links you would like to share with our readers.

CHARLIE ROCKS VEGAS WEBSITE

https://charlierocksvegas.com/

 

CHARLIE ROCKS VEGAS FACEBOOK

https://www.facebook.com/charlierocksvegas

 

CHARLIE ROCKS VEGAS YOUTUBE PAGE

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPwDDCv_Xy5SGJ4lQl-8r8g