Charlie Cooper remember that fateful night he stepped on stage for the first time in Shirley like it was yesterday.
Although he'd been performing his blend of blues, country and jazz in clubs and other venues across Canada for close to six decades, it had been five long years since he strapped on his guitar and stepped onto a stage during an open mic session at the Shirley Community Hall on that fateful night in 2019.
"I did an old Hank Williams number, Hey Good Looking, and then Stormy Monday, a blues standard by T Bone Walker," said Cooper, who goes by the stage name, Charlie K. "I was extremely nervous to begin with, just shaking by the end of the second song. The applause was overwhelming, and by the end of the second song, the charm of that historic old hall blended with the crowd to rekindle the drive in me to create music. I felt reborn, rejuvenated, and renewed."
Longevity John Falkner, a pillar of the musical community, has said Charlie K's music speaks about the current times.
Growing up in Toronto's East End, Cooper has maintained his youthful rebellious roots and the blindness to altering course through tunes like What's Happening to Me, Why Oh Why, Rocket Man, and Reflecting on our Environment.
He also leans on love songs such as I Am Yours, We're Gonna Win Again and Early in the Morning Round Midnight.
"They all express devotion, hope and perfect splendour of togetherness," he explains. "Social consciousness comes through in The Hwy 14 Blues, a tale about the missing, and A Star in the Sky, a song of hope."
He recalls with a wry chuckle completing three contracts on cruise ships back in the days of "high seas and high jinks on those damn Holland America ships as The Victoria Trio, performing jazz standards nightly in the Ocean Bar."
Charlie K is a regular performer at the Shirley Sunday Market, as well as the Goldstream and Metchosin markets and other locations in the Capital Region. He's also played at the 39 Days of July Festival in Duncan.
"One of the things I like about playing markets is the energy of the youth, especially seeing toddlers and babies in their mothers' arms react to the music," he noted.
Charlie K has also performed at Shirley Day for the past three years, and is looking forward to playing it again on Aug. 18th.
"It's a special day in Shirley, the musical capital of the universe," said the Gordon Beach resident. "It's always a great time and a great crowd.
