Charles Wesley Godwin (born May 18, 1993) is an American

country-folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid-20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century, a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradi ...

musician from

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

Early life

Godwin was born in

Morgantown, West Virginia Morgantown is a city in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Monongahela River in North Central West Virginia and is the home of West Virginia University. The population was 30,347 at the 2 ...

. He played football in high school for

Morgantown High School Morgantown High School is a public high school in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. It is one of three secondary schools in the Monongalia County School District. Athletic teams compete as the Morgantown Mohigans in the West Virginia Seco ...

Musical career

Godwin began playing music while studying finance at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

, where he first learned to play the guitar and practiced songwriting. He describes his musical style as inspired by "...artists such as

Kris Kristofferson Kristoffer Kristofferson (June 22, 1936 – September 28, 2024) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville sound and toward a m ...

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...

John Prine John Edward Prine (; October 10, 1946 – April 7, 2020) was an American singer-songwriter of country-folk music. Widely cited as one of the most influential songwriters of his generation, Prine was known for his signature blend of humoro ...

, Chris Knight and

Ryan Bingham George Ryan Bingham (born March 31, 1981) is an American singer, actor, songwriter, and guitarist whose music spans multiple genres. He is currently based in Los Angeles. As of 2019, Bingham has released six studio albums and one live album, ...

". His first album, ''Seneca,'' was released on February 15, 2019. His second project, ''How the Mighty Fall,'' was released on November 5, 2021, and was also received positively, being described as less autobiographical and more focused on telling other people's stories, compared to his previous record. Godwin has toured with

Zach Bryan Zachary Lane Bryan (born April 2, 1996) is an American country singer-songwriter and rock musician from Oologah, Oklahoma. After two self-produced studio albums—''DeAnn'' (2019) and '' Elisabeth'' (2020)—he signed with Warner Records to ...

, whom he collaborated with on Bryan's song “Jamie”, on Bryan's 2022 EP, ''Summertime Blues.'' The song and album were released on July 15, 2022. Godwin was featured on Huey Mack's song "Carry Me Home", the 1st track on Mack's 6th album ''The Cozy Bar'', it was released on October 21, 2022. Godwin released a live EP, ''Live from the Church'', on February 17, 2023. The track list included covers of Chris Knight's "The Jealous Kind" and Bryan's "Crooked Teeth," as well as live versions of several songs from ''How the Mighty Fall''. Charles was featured on the soundtrack for '' The Hunger Games: The Ballads of Songbirds & Snakes,'' with “Winter’s Come and Gone”. The song and film were released on November 17, 2023. He released his third full length studio project, ''Family Ties'', on September 22, 2023. The album was released under the

Big Loud Big Loud is an American independent multi-sector entertainment company located in Nashville. It consists of a record label, along with music publishing and talent management divisions. Big Loud was founded in 2013 by Craig Wiseman, Joey Moi, Kevi ...

label, who signed Godwin in early 2023. ''Family Ties'' centers of Godwin's relationship with his family and includes tributes to many of his close relatives; for example, "Miner Imperfections" honors his father, "All Again" is addressed to his wife, Samantha, “Gabriel” is addressed to his son, and "Dance in the Rain" is addressed to his daughter. “Cue Country Roads”, the 17th song on the album, honors

’s tradition of playing

John Denver Henry John Deutschendorf Jr. (December 31, 1943 – October 12, 1997), known professionally as John Denver, was an American Country music, country and Folk music, folk singer, songwriter, and actor. He was one of the most popular acoustic m ...

’s “

Take Me Home, Country Roads "Take Me Home, Country Roads", also known simply as "Country Roads", is a song written by Bill Danoff, Taffy Nivert and John Denver. It was released as a single performed by Denver on April 12, 1971, peaking at number two on ''Billboard''s U ...

” after sporting event victories. "10-38", written by Godwin, is a direct sequel to

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...

's 1982 song, "State Trooper", of which Godwin also covered. A single was release with both songs on September 23, 2024. Godwin collaborated with Evan Honer to release a version of "Mr. Meyers", titled "Mr. Meyers (Charles Wesley Godwin Version)"; it was released on October 11, 2024 He released his first non-live EP album ''Lonely Mountain'' ''Town'' on February 28, 2025.

Discography

Studio Albums

* ''Seneca'' (2019) * ''How the Mighty Fall'' (2021) * ''Family Ties'' (2023)

EPs & Singles

* ''Live from the Church'' (2023) * ''Live from Echo Mountain'' (2024) * ''State Trooper / 10-38'' (2024) * ''Lonely Mountain Town'' (2025)

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Godwin, Charles 1993 births Country musicians from West Virginia West Virginia University alumni People from Morgantown, West Virginia Living people