Charles Wayne Sexton
(born August 11, 1968) is an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for Bob Dylan's backing band from 1999 to 2002. He rejoined the band in 2009. His style of playing has varied and he has been associated with artists in the blues, folk, rock and punk genres. He is represented exclusively by Jim Phelan and Jerimaya Grabher at Global Positioning Services in Santa Monica, CA.
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CHARLIE SEXTON TICKETS
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Daryl Hall & Elvis Costello and The Imposters Tickets 6/2 | Jun 02, 2024 Sun, 6:00 PM | | Daryl Hall & Elvis Costello and The Imposters Tickets 6/4 | Jun 04, 2024 Tue, 7:00 PM | | Daryl Hall & Elvis Costello and The Imposters Tickets 6/6 | Jun 06, 2024 Thu, 5:30 PM | | Daryl Hall & Elvis Costello and The Imposters Tickets 6/8 | Jun 08, 2024 Sat, 6:00 PM | | Daryl Hall & Elvis Costello and The Imposters Tickets 6/10 | Jun 10, 2024 Mon, 6:30 PM | |
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Biography
Sexton's mother was 16 years old when she gave birth to him in
San Antonio, Texas. When he was four, he and his mother moved to
Austin, where clubs like the
Armadillo World Headquarters, the Shoal Creek Saloon, and more notably the Split Rail and
Antone's Blues Club later exposed him to popular music.
After a brief period living outside of Austin with his mother, Sexton moved back to Austin at the age of 12.
By the early 1980s, while Charlie and his brother Will Sexton were still young boys, they were both taught how to play guitar by the local Austin legend
W. C. Clark, known as the "Godfather of Austin Blues".
[1] With the help of
Joe Ely and other local musicians such as
Jimmie and
Stevie Ray Vaughan, Charlie Sexton developed his talents as a musician.
Early successes
In 1983 Sexton (under the name "Guitar Charles Sexton") appeared on a five-song EP by the group Maxwell (a.k.a. the Eager Beaver Boys). Entitled
Juvenile Junk
, the EP's credits list the following musicians: Maxwell (lead vocals), Charles Sexton (guitars, backup vocals), Alex Buttersworth Napier (bass, backup vocals, maracas), and Gary Muddkatt Smith (drums, backup vocals, claves). Song titles are
Straight As An Arrow
,
Don't Cha Know
,
Anna Lou
,
Back To School Blues
, and
Oh Baby Show
. All five songs appear on side one (with side two being empty dead space). Old album jackets by groups such as the Flock were turned inside-out and used in the making of the EP's homemade covers. The front side is simply a pasted-on sheet of lined tablet paper with "Maxwell" and "Juvenile Junk" written in crayon; the back side is a pasted-on blue sheet with credits and photos.
Juvenile Junk
is one of the rarest and most sought after items in Sexton's vinyl discography.
In 1985 Sexton released his debut full-length album,
Pictures for Pleasure
. Recorded in Los Angeles when he was 16-years-old, it yielded the Top 20
hit single,
Beat's So Lonely
, which remains one of the seminal 1980s songs. Although dismissed at the time as an MTV creation,
Pictures for Pleasure
has since gained newfound critical acclaim as an overlooked classic.
In 1987 Sexton was an occasional opening act for
David Bowie on his Glass Spider Tour. Sexton appears on the
Glass Spider video playing guitar on Iggy Pop's "
I Wanna Be Your Dog" and the Velvet Underground's "
White Light/White Heat".
While still in his late teens, Sexton's skills as a guitar player were in great demand, and he became a popular session player, recording with artists such as
Ronnie Wood,
Keith Richards,
Don Henley,
Jimmy Barnes and Bob Dylan. He eventually followed up his debut with the self-titled album
Charlie Sexton
, recorded at the age of twenty.
Other projects
In 1988 Charlie worked for a time with Will Sexton, his brother. The band, Will and the Kill, released a 38 minute self-titled album featuring both Charlie and
Jimmie Vaughan on tracks. The album was produced by
Ely and released via
MCA Records.
Sexton later contributed songs to various
motion picture soundtracks, including
True Romance
and
Air America
while making a cameo fronting a
bar band in
Thelma & Louise
.
In 1992, Sexton along with
Doyle Bramhall II (son of
Stevie Ray Vaughan's writing partner
Doyle Bramhall),
Tommy Shannon and
Chris "Whipper" Layton (both from Double Trouble,
Stevie Ray Vaughan's famed rhythm section) formed
Arc Angels. The blues/rock band recorded and released a self-titled album on
Geffen Records that same year. The
Steven Van Zandt-produced disc was well-received by fans and critics alike. However, due to internal strife, including lack of communication (all members involved) and drug abuse (Bramhall), the band broke up in less than three years.
Next was the Charlie Sexton Sextet in 1995.
Under The Wishing Tree
was released on
MCA Records. Although sales were disappointing, it was met with critical acclaim.
In the meantime, Sexton continued to perform with other artists, appearing on such notable albums as
Lucinda Williams'
Car Wheels on a Gravel Road
and
Shawn Colvin's
Grammy-winning album
A Few Small Repairs
.
Association with Bob Dylan
In 1999, Sexton was hired by Bob Dylan to replace
Bucky Baxter. Sexton had previously played with Dylan during a pair of
Austin, Texas concerts in 1996, and on some demos recorded in the fall of 1983.
Sexton's residency with Dylan brought him great exposure, with many critics singling out the interplay between him and
Larry Campbell, who was also a guitarist in Dylan's backing band. Hailed as one of Dylan's best bands, the group recorded a number of studio recordings, including
Things Have Changed
(from the 2000 film
Wonder Boys
) and 2001's critically acclaimed album,
Love and Theft
. He also performed and appeared with them in 2003's
Masked & Anonymous
.
In late 2009, Sexton will be joining Dylan's tour band reaplacing Texan friend, Denny Freeman for some dates in October going into November.
Recent activity
In the meantime, Sexton continued working with other artists, producing
Double Trouble's
Been a Long Time
and
Lucinda Williams's
Essence
, both released in 2001. Since leaving Dylan's band, Sexton has produced numerous other works, including
Edie Brickell's
Volcano
(2003),
Jon Dee Graham's
Great Battle
(2004),
Shannon McNally's
Geronimo
(2005), and
Los Super Seven's
Heard It on the X
(2005). In late 2005, Sexton released his latest album,
Cruel and Gentle Things
. He has continued his record producing role for other artists, including 2007's release
Wall of Fire
by Canadian
Peter Elkas.
[2]
In
2002, the Arc Angels began playing occasional "reunion" shows around Austin and Dallas. In
2009, it was announced the band, with original members Layton and Bramhall (but not Shannon), would begin touring extensively — including a stint with
Eric Clapton in
England — and recording a second album, their first new studio album in 17 years.
[3]
Discography
;Studio albums
- Pictures for Pleasure
(1985) U.S. #15 [4]
- Charlie Sexton
(1989) U.S. #104
- Under the Wishing Tree
(1995)
- Cruel and Gentle Things
(2005)
References
- Stevie Ray Vaughan followed by W. C. Clark Blues Revue, Austin City Limits, 1990.
- Khanna, Vish. "Woods, Wires and Whiskey", ''Exclaim!'', March 2007.
- "Arc Angels Fly Again
- Billboard, Allmusic