The year was 1984. With a newfound confidence and looking into the future, a young muso from Melbourne Australia decided the time was right to break out on his own and take the solo billing of “Michael Charles”. The next few years were filled with a heavy promotional schedule, writing, recording, touring, honing his style and enjoying the self-expression and the hard work of presenting his own music.
In 1989 a turning point in his life and career materialized in the form of an invitation from Mr. Buddy Guy’s management to appear at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. Without hesitation Michael traveled the 12,500 mile and after performing with Mr. Guy, Junior Wells, James Cotton, Eddy “The Chief” Clearwater and many more of the blues great in Chicago, Charles returned to Australia. But within days re-boarded the plane with the solid intention of this time staying and growing his career in America. Not too long after landing, an opportunity quickly presented itself and MC accepted the honor of joining up with legendary “Fast Fingers”, Jimmy Dawkins and toured the U.S.A for two years.
Now, some thirty years later, Michael Charles’ roots remain in America and his career continues full strength and encompasses a Chicago Blues Hall of Fame induction, a catalogue of forty releases including a DVD documentary, All I Really Know from A to Z and complementary CD sound track, ten Grammy elections, and the recognition of remaining one of America’s most driven artists as he continues to record and annually tours non-stop across the USA, Canada, and Australia delivering at each stop a precise, energetic, intense, original, guitar driven concert of contemporary blues, “MC style”.
Celebrating his 40th anniversary in 2024 Michael Charles is traveling his seventeenth consecutive international tour the “40th Anniversary Tour” which will once again take him to the far corners of the USA, Canada, and Australia. The 2024 tour promises a multitude of concerts and publicity appearances as MC performs a whole new list of cities, festivals, and music venues and revisits some favorites from the last sixteen tours.