Charles & Eddie

Charles & Eddie were an American soul music duo composed of Charles Pettigrew and Eddie Chacon. Their single "Would I Lie to You?", taken from their 1992 debut album, Duophonic, won Ivor Novello Awards in 1993 in the Best Contemporary Song, Best Selling Song and International Hit of the Year categories. Between 1992 and 1995 they hit the top 40 three more times in the UK.[1]

Charles & Eddie
Charles Pettigrew (left) and Eddie Chacon
Background information
OriginNew York, NY
GenresSoul, neo soul, R&B
Years active1990–1995
LabelsCapitol Records
Past membersCharles Pettigrew
Eddie Chacon

Career as a duo

Pettigrew and Chacon were said to have met on the New York City Subway in 1990, on the C train; according to Chacon, one of them was carrying a vinyl copy of the Marvin Gaye album Trouble Man.[2][3] They released their debut album, Duophonic, on Capitol Records in 1992. It includes the singles "Would I Lie to You?", "N.Y.C." and "House Is Not a Home" and was influenced by classic soul music.[2] Their second and final album, Chocolate Milk, included "Wounded Bird", which was written and recorded for the film True Romance. It was released in 1995.[4] The duo split up amicably in 1997.[3]

Members

Charles Pettigrew
Charles Pettigrew
BornMay 12, 1963 (1963-05-12)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedApril 6, 2001(2001-04-06) (aged 37)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States[5]
GenresR&B, soul
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsVocals
Years active1984–2001
LabelsCapitol
Associated actsDown Avenue, Charles & Eddie, Tom Tom Club

Pettigrew was raised in Philadelphia. He studied jazz singing at Berklee College of Music in Boston and was lead singer of the band Down Avenue.[5] Down Avenue was the winner of radio station WBCN's 1985 Rock 'n Roll Rumble.

In 1998, Pettigrew toured with Tom Tom Club (Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth), and went on to join the group, co-writing and singing on several songs until becoming too ill to perform.[6][7]

In the late 1990s, Pettigrew was diagnosed with cancer. He succumbed to the disease on April 6, 2001 at the age of 37.[8]

Eddie Chacon

Chacon was raised in Hayward and Castro Valley, California. He started his first band at age 12 with neighborhood friends Cliff Burton (later of Metallica) and Mike Bordin (later of Faith No More). In his early 20s, Chacon worked as a songwriter for CBS Songs. He made albums for Columbia and Luther Campbell of 2 Live Crew, both of which went unreleased, along with demos made with the Dust Brothers. After splitting with Pettigrew, he worked as a photographer and creative director,[3] and also performed in an electronic duo, The Polyamorous Affair, with his wife Sissy Sainte-Marie.[9]

On May 29, 2020, The Fader announced Chacon's return to music after three decades of silence as a singer, referring to him as a "low-key R&B legend".[10] Chacon released the single "My Mind Is Out of Its Mind" from his forthcoming LP, Pleasure, Joy and Happiness on Day End Records.[11] The project is produced and co-written by Solange collaborator John Carroll Kirby and distributed by Light in the Attic Records.[12] On July 15, 2020, KCRW premiered the album's second single, "Trouble". They wrote, "Eddie Chacon’s R&B pop exploits are both influential and legendary."[11] On July 29, 2020, The New York Times wrote about the LP, saying, "The album avoids the trappings of a throwback or revival of a bygone era, instead exploring the rarely glimpsed side of that genre’s themes of passion and heartbreak, sung by a bruised but wiser man."[3]

Discography

Albums

Singles
Year Single Peak chart positions Album
UK
[15]		 IRE NLD BEL
(FLA)		 FRA GER AUT SWI SWE NOR AUS
[13]		 NZ US
1992 "Would I Lie to You?" 12212112333113 Duophonic
1993 "NYC (Can You Believe This City?)" 33—2028—3229———732—
"House Is Not a Home" 29——36—59—————2—
"Shine" (FRA only) ————3————————
1995 "I'm Gonna Love You (24-7-365)" 38——47—58—26———23— Chocolate Milk
"Jealousy" —————6839——————
"—" denotes the single failed to chart or was not released.

Soundtracks

References
  1. https://www.musicvf.com/Charles+%2526+Eddie.art
  2. Sheila Rule, "The Pop Life," The New York Times, January 13, 1993.
  3. Beta, Andy (28 July 2020). "Eddie Chacon, a Fleeting '90s Neo Soul Star, Returns as an Old Soul". New York Times. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  4. Robert Christgau, Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s, New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2000, p. 53
  5. "Charles Pettigrew". Variety. April 18, 2001. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  6. "Timeline". tomtomclub.com. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  7. Proefrock, Stacia. "The Good the Bad and the Funky Review". Allmusic. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  8. "Charles and Eddie". Oxford Reference. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  9. Male, Andrew (1 September 2020). "Charles & Eddie's Eddie Chacon: 'It took me 10 years to recover from being a one-hit wonder'". theguardian.com. Retrieved 1 September 2020.
  10. Ross, Alex Robert (29 June 2020). "Low-key R&B legend Eddie Chacon returns on "My Mind Is Out of Its Mind"". The Fader. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  11. Hale, Tyler (15 July 2020). "Track Premiere: Eddie Chacon teams with Solange collaborator John Carroll Kirby for project". KCRW. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  12. "Pleasure, Joy and Happiness". lightintheattic.net. Retrieved 3 August 2020.
  13. Australian (ARIA) chart peaks:
  14. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 101. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  15. "Official Charts Company: Charles & Eddie". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 2014-04-15.
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