Charles Otis Waller (January 19, 1935 – August 18, 2004) was the lead singer and guitarist for the bluegrass band

The Country Gentlemen The Country Gentlemen was a progressive bluegrass band that originated during the 1950s in the area of Washington, D.C., United States, and recorded and toured with various members until the death in 2004 of Charlie Waller, one of the group's ...

. Waller was involved with The Country Gentlemen for 47 years. As a member of The Country Gentlemen, Waller was inducted into the

International Bluegrass Music Hall of Honor For a professional in the bluegrass music field, election to the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame is the highest honor the genre can bestow. An invitation can be extended to performers, songwriters, promoters, broadcasters, musicians, a ...

in 1996 and the

Southern Gospel Museum and Hall of Fame The Southern Gospel Music Association (''SGMA'') is a non-profit corporation formed as an association of southern gospel music singers, songwriters, fans, and industry workers. Membership is acquired and maintained through payment of annual dues. ...

in 2009.

Biography

Waller was born in

Joinerville, Texas Joinerville is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community in East Texas. It is located in western Rusk County, Texas, United States approximately seven miles west of the city of Henderson, Texas, Henderson. History The community was or ...

and moved to

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

at the age of 2 with his family. He began to play guitar at the age of 10 and moved with his mother to

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. In 1952, Waller joined Earl Taylor's bluegrass band, the Stoney Mountain Boys. He returned to Louisiana in 1956 as a guitar player with

Buzz Busby and the Bayou Boys Bernarr Graham Busbice (September 6, 1933 – January 5, 2003), known professionally as Buzz Busby, was an American bluegrass musician, known for his mandolin style and high tenor voice. He was nicknamed the "Father of Washington, D.C. Bluegra ...

, making appearances on television. In 1957 he and Busby returned to the Washington, D.C. area, where Waller met

mandolinist A mandolin (, ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of eight strings. A ...

John Duffey John Humbird Duffey Jr. (March 4, 1934 – December 10, 1996) was an American bluegrass musician. Biography Duffey was born on March 4, 1934, in Washington, D.C., and lived nearly all his life in the Washington D.C. area. He graduated from ...

and

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and in modern forms is usually made of plastic, where early membranes were made of animal skin. ...

player

Bill Emerson Norvell William Emerson (January 1, 1938 – June 22, 1996) was an American politician. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri from 1981 until his death from lung cancer in Bethesda, Maryland in 19 ...

. When Busby was injured in an auto accident in July 1957, Emerson formed a temporary band with Waller and Duffey to fulfill Busby's bookings. The temporary band soon became permanent, and

would continue for more than fifty years. The Country Gentlemen achieved fame across the United States and internationally even touring Japan in 1971. While more than 100 musicians have been members at one time, Waller was always an original member of the group and has many famous songs to his credit. Waller was held in high regard for his singing ability especially on songs like Legend of the Rebel Soldier,

Two Little Boys "Two Little Boys" is a sentimental song about two friends who grow up to be soldiers. Recorded as early as 1903 in the United States, it became an international hit for Australian Rolf Harris 66 years later. It was published in 1903 by American ...

House of the Rising Sun "The House of the Rising Sun" is an American traditional folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid the ...

and many others. Though Charlie usually played rhythm guitar, he flatpicked lead on some songs such as

Under the Double Eagle "Under the Double Eagle" (), Op. 159, is an 1893 march composed by Josef Wagner, an Austrian military music composer. The title is a reference to the two-headed eagle in the coat of arms of Austria-Hungary. It was published in the United States ...

, Spanish Two Step and Electricity among others. The band released a new album, '' Songs of the American Spirit'', in September 2004. On August 18, 2004 Charlie Waller suffered a heart attack at his

Gordonsville, Virginia Gordonsville is a town in Orange County in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Located about 19 miles northeast of Charlottesville and 65 miles northwest of Richmond, the population was 1,402 at the 2020 census. The town celebrat ...

home. A month before his death Charlie Waller told his bus driver, Kenny Wurzburger, that he had a pain in his liver. An autopsy would reveal that Charlie was in the early stages of liver cancer at the time of his death.

References

1935 births 2004 deaths 20th-century American guitarists 20th-century American musicians American bluegrass guitarists American male guitarists The Country Gentlemen members Guitarists from Texas People from Gordonsville, Virginia People from Rusk County, Texas 20th-century American male musicians {{US-country-musician-stub