Charles Edward Weiss (March 18, 1945 – July 20, 2021) was an American songwriter and vocalist. A fixture on the Los Angeles scene, Weiss was known for an eclectic mix of blues,

beat poetry The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by members o ...

, and

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

. His music included strains of every rhythmic style from

nursery rhyme A nursery rhyme is a traditional poem or song for children in Britain and other European countries, but usage of the term dates only from the late 18th/early 19th century. The term Mother Goose rhymes is interchangeable with nursery rhymes. Fr ...

s to

zydeco Zydeco ( ; ) is a music genre that was created in rural Southwest Louisiana by French speaking, Afro-Americans of Creole heritage. It blends African and Caribbean rhythms, blues and rhythm and blues with music indigenous to the Louisiana ...

Early life

Weiss was born in

Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

Colorado Colorado is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States. It is one of the Mountain states, sharing the Four Corners region with Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. It is also bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas ...

, on March 18, 1945. His parents owned a record store (The Record Center, 434 16th Street). Through his parents, and by spending time at a local music venue, Ebbetts Field, he met

Lightnin' Hopkins Samuel John "Lightnin'" Hopkins (March 15, 1912 – January 30, 1982) was an American country blues singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional pianist from Centerville, Texas. In 2010, ''Rolling Stone'' magazine ranked him No. 71 on its li ...

. Hopkins was impressed with his drum playing and took him on tour, where Weiss had the opportunity to play with

Muddy Waters McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913April 30, 1983), better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-World War II blues scene, and is often cited as the "father of moder ...

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer, guitarist and harmonica player. He was at the forefront of transforming acoustic Delta blues into electric Chica ...

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping country hits " King of the Road", "Dang Me", and " England Swing ...

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. His music combined New Orleans blues, jazz, R&B, soul and funk. Active as a session mus ...

, and others. Weiss was a disc jockey on alternative rock station KFML-FM-Denver in the early 1970s.

Music

Weiss' first credited releases are on

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on society's underworld and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He began in the American folk music, fo ...

records, and the two acts – close friends after meeting when Waits played at the Denver nightclub, Ebbetts Field, where Weiss played in the house band in the early 1970s – would continue to be associated from the rest of Weiss' career. Weiss co-wrote ''Spare Parts 1'' on Wait's ''

Nighthawks at the Diner ''Nighthawks at the Diner'' is the third studio album by singer and songwriter Tom Waits, released on October 21, 1975, on Asylum Records. It was recorded over four sessions in July in the Los Angeles Record Plant studio in front of a small invi ...

'', while being namechecked in another song. Chuck was referred to in Tom Waits' song title "Jitterbug Boy (Sharing a Curbstone with Chuck E. Weiss, Robert Marchese, Paul Body and The Mug and Artie)" and in other lyrics from the '' Small Change'' album. Weiss was the subject of

Rickie Lee Jones Rickie Lee Jones (born November 8, 1954) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter. Over the course of a career that spans five decades and 15 studio albums, she has recorded in various musical styles including rock, R&B, pop, soul, an ...

's hit song "

Chuck E.'s In Love "Chuck E.'s in Love" is a song by American singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones. Released in 1979 on her eponymous debut album ''Rickie Lee Jones'', the song became her biggest hit, reaching number 4 on the ''Billboard'' U.S. Hot 100 chart. "Chuc ...

", from her 1979 debut album. At the time, Jones was linked romantically to Tom Waits. All three lived in the Tropicana motel in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

, in the middle of a fertile musical scene including Levi and the Rockats,

Stray Cats Stray Cats are an American rockabilly band formed in 1979 by guitarist and vocalist Brian Setzer, double bassist Lee Rocker, and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, New York. The group had numerous hit singles in ...

, Black Flag,

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

and others. Weiss's first album, ''The Other Side of Town'', was released in 1981, a short album whose eight tracks clocked in at just 24 minutes, produced by a team previously associated with

Joe Cocker John Robert "Joe" Cocker (20 May 1944 – 22 December 2014) was an English singer known for his gritty, bluesy voice and dynamic stage performances featuring expressive body movements. Most of his best-known singles, such as "Feelin' Alright ...

. Weiss was associated with Los Angeles and

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

for years, which he explained by saying he does not like to travel by airplane, in truth his cult of celebrity amongst Hollywood socialites stemmed from his prominent playing in various house bands along Sunset Strip through the 1970s and 1980s. Weiss played for 11 years on Mondays at a club called "The Central" before it fell on hard times. Weiss and his friend

Johnny Depp John Christopher Depp II (born June 9, 1963) is an American actor and musician. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Johnny Depp, multiple accolades, including a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for ...

, were instrumental in resuscitating it as the

Viper Room The Viper Room is a nightclub and live music venue located on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, United States. It was established under that name on August 14, 1993, co-owned by actors and ''21 Jump Street'' co-stars Johnny Depp a ...

, which later became notorious when

River Phoenix River Jude Phoenix (; August 23, 1970 – October 31, 1993) was an American actor. He was known as a teen actor before taking on leading roles in critically acclaimed films and becoming one of the most preeminent talents of his generation. Pho ...

died there in 1993. Weiss was featured on the 1990 album ''L.A. Ya Ya'', a

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products, such as video game co ...

of performances by Los Angeles–based blues artists. In 1995, Weiss played on P's self-titled album. The band featured

Gibby Haynes Gibson Jerome Haynes (born September 30, 1957) is an American musician, radio personality, painter, author and the lead singer of the band Butthole Surfers. Early life and career Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Gibby Haynes is the son of acto ...

of the

Butthole Surfers Butthole Surfers are an American rock band formed in San Antonio, Texas, by singer Gibby Haynes and guitarist Paul Leary in 1981. The band has had numerous personnel changes, but its core lineup of Haynes, Leary, and drummer King Coffey has ...

and actor

. Weiss released his second album, ''Extremely Cool,'' in 1999, featuring extensive collaboration with

Tony Gilkyson Tony Gilkyson (born August 6, 1952) is an American musician based in Los Angeles. He is known for membership in the groups Lone Justice and X (U.S. band), X. Career He is the son of Jane Gilkyson and songwriter/folk musician Terry Gilkyson, as w ...

, JJ Holiday, and

, who co-produced the album for his long-time acquaintance, Waits plays guitar across the album, and co-wrote two tracks, re-recording one of the songs ''Rains on me'' for the ''Free The West Memphis 3'' benefit album the following year. The style is heavily reminiscent of Waits, both in composition and vocal approach. Either could have influenced the other. The opening track, "Devil With Blue Suede Shoes", was produced by Johnny Depp and featured Toby Dammit on drums. It was used in Depp's film, ''The Brave'', in which Weiss also played a minor role.

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

was quoted on the original packaging of ''Extremely Cool'' as saying, "Ain't ya got ears son? That little Jew boy with the big old head be one of the best musicians in this town, this country even." ''Extremely Cool'' makes reference to

Canter's Canter's Deli is a Jewish-style delicatessen, opened in 1931 in Boyle Heights, and later moved to the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California, near the border of West Hollywood. It has been frequented by many movie stars and celebrities. ...

Kibitz Room, a small nightclub in a larger deli in Los Angeles's Fairfax District, where Weiss also played habitually. His regular band was called The Goddamn Liars. Weiss' next album after ''Extremely Cool,'' ''Old Souls & Wolf Tickets,'' was released in 2001. It was also produced by Gilkyson and is perhaps less reminiscent of Tom Waits and more redolent of

Delta blues Delta blues is one of the earliest-known styles of blues. It originated in the Mississippi Delta and is regarded as a regional variant of country blues. Guitar and harmonica are its dominant instruments; slide guitar is a hallmark of the s ...

acts decades older. "Down the Road a Piece," from ''Old Souls & Wolf Tickets'', is a 1970 recording of the Weiss and Willie Dixon playing together. In 2006, Weiss released the album '' 23rd & Stout'', an album more reminiscent of Waits's 1980s output, featuring an exploration of many blues and rumba styles, as well as a tribute to

Sterling Holloway Sterling Price Holloway Jr. (January 14, 1905 – November 22, 1992) was an American actor who appeared in over 100 films and 40 television shows. He did voice acting for The Walt Disney Company, playing Mr. Stork in ''Dumbo'', Adult Flower in ...

, entitled "Sho' Is Cold". Also featured is long time friend and collaborator, Diablo Dimes. In 2013, Weiss wrote and recorded "Anthem for Old Souls" for the

Sea shanty A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ...

-compilation '' Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys'' (2013). In 2014, Weiss released ''Red Beans and Weiss'', on the

Anti- Anti- is an American record label founded in 1999 as a sister label to Epitaph Records. Founded by Andy Kaulkin, Anti- first gained attention by releasing Tom Waits's Grammy Award–winning '' Mule Variations'' in 1999. Other veteran recordin ...

label.

Television

Weiss acted in occasional

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisio ...

s on American television. He made brief cameos on two 1990 '' Married... with Children'' episodes as a homeless man, and one on an episode of '' Brotherly Love'', as Leo the garbage man in 1995. He also made an appearance on ''

My Wife and Kids ''My Wife and Kids'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC from March 28, 2001, to May 17, 2005, with a total of 123 half-hour episodes spanning five seasons. The series, produced by Touchstone Television in association with Wayan ...

'' (2001-2005). In the May 14, 2002 episode of ''

Gilmore Girls ''Gilmore Girls'' is an American comedy drama television series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. The show debuted October 5, 2000, on The WB and became a flagship series for the network. The show ran fo ...

'' entitled "Lorelai's Graduation Day", Weiss appeared as the proprietor of a record store in New York City. Weiss was a frequent guest on Art Fein's Poker Party, a long running Public Access "Rock-n-Roll Talk Show" in the mid 1980s and early 1990s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP_GrmYVF6c

Personal life

Weiss was a lifelong

bachelor A bachelor is a man who is not and never has been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". (). Etymo ...

and had no children. His

next of kin A person's next of kin (NOK) may be that person's spouse A spouse is a significant other in a marriage. A female spouse is called a wife while a male spouse is called a husband. Married The legal status of a spouse, and the specific righ ...

was his older brother, Byron "Whiz" Weiss. Weiss died on July 20, 2021, in Los Angeles at the age of 76. He suffered from cancer prior to his death.

References

External links

Chuck E. Weiss Audio Portrait
at ASCAP * *

at PopEntertainment.com

by Rip Rense {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Chuck E. 1945 births 2021 deaths American Jews American male singer-songwriters Singers from Denver Deaths from cancer in California Singer-songwriters from Colorado Anti- (record label) artists Rykodisc artists Cooking Vinyl artists Select Records artists