Michael Charles bringing Blues to Eston

By Jordan Parker

It was a matter of right place, right time that got 39-year Blues artists Michael Charles to book a gig in Eston, Sk.

He was in Saskatoon for a show, and the owner of The Jug Bar & Grill in Eston was part of the captive audience. After the show, he asked Charles’s reps if he could chat with the musician.

“My road manager came back to me and told me there was a guy who wanted to chat with me, and I figured ‘Why not?’ So we got talking, and he told be about his bar,” said Charles.

“He asked me if I’d ever play a small-town, smaller bar, and I said I would. I gave him contact for my agent and assistant, and that got me to Eston.”

Charles is a fan of smaller venues, and he’s really excited to get to Eston for the May 5, 2023 date at The Jug.

“Those shows can just be very intimate. I’ve been coming to Canada for 17 years – Sometimes twice a year. I’ve made some great friends,” he said.

“You see people from towns like Eston always driving to Saskatoon to be entertained or see show. When you make the effort to go to them, they always welcome you with open arms.”

He’s excited to be out and touring, because not that long ago, it wasn’t a feasible option for artists.

“I have my own recording studio, so during the pandemic, I started doing live sessions there. If I didn’t have the studio, I would have gone bananas. But the reaction to my stuff was amazing,” he said.

“We were picking times and doing shows, and started doing Sunday at 6 p.m. segments. We kept building and people kept coming. But when we thought the pandemic was winding down, the band got together to start rehearsals. However, we shut down again and had to cancel tour dates. We planned a trip to Canada three times and had to cancel. I’m certainly not whining, because we all went through the same thing and felt that pain.”

Originally from Melbourne, Australia, Charles says doing his Alone & Acoustic songs – which would become 2020 album “19” – brought him back to his roots as an artist.

“When I sat and did those songs, I remembered being in Australia, and looking at how I could do songs and write material. I got the opportunity to sit by myself and play songs differently than I would with a full band,” he said.

“I felt like I was getting more and more comfortable with what we had to do as artists in the situation. You can either cry into your beer, or you can get on with things.”

Though he’s from Melbourne, he moved to Chicago 30 years ago. It was an invitation from a legendary musician that changed his life. He was asked to appear in the Legends Of Chicago concert for Buddy Guy, and accepted graciously.  It would begin the first of numerous trips between Australia and Chicago, he made the decision to move to the latter city.

“In 1989, Buddy Guy invited me to play, and that’s an offer you don’t refuse. I still remember my management getting the call, and before they could really discuss with me, I said, ‘I’m on a plane already.’ I came for two weeks initially, and then went home. But I just kept coming back,” he said.

“I realized I had done all I could in Australia, and if I wanted to take my career further, moving was an opportunity. I gambled and pulled it off. I’m a go-with-the-flow person, and if I see an opportunity, I grab it.”

He’s a Chicago Blues Hall of Fame inductee and nine-time Grammy elected artist, and he feels blessed to have had such a stellar career.

“Any time you’re given an honour for your achievements, it’s a pat on the back. But things like that just make me work harder. I don’t get too comfortable, and I keep challenging myself,” he said.

“I feel the need to live up to those honours. I’m always improving, both as an artist and as a person.”

Charles has been on stages since he was seven years of age, and that’s always been his end-game.

“I knew at that point I wanted to do this for the rest of my life, and I told my father that. He always said, ‘Whatever you do, stick with it’. And I did. I didn’t change my mind. I’ve stuck with music through the ups and downs, and never abandoned it,” he said.

“I found ways to play through the pandemic, I’ve had a long career, I’ve reinvented, and I’ve always jumped back on the horse. This is just what I love the most, and I’ve done what I need to in order to keep playing.”