Bobby Charles

Although his songwriting brought him wider recognition than his own vocal work, Bobby Charles left a lasting mark on Louisiana music through both pursuits. He penned multiple chart successes for leading figures during rock & roll’s formative era, among them Bill Haley and Fats Domino, and despite largely recording out of the spotlight he is regarded as a foundational figure in swamp pop.

Born Robert Charles Guidry on February 21, 1938, in the Cajun stronghold of Abbeville, Louisiana, he absorbed traditional Cajun sounds throughout childhood. As a teenager he embraced rock & roll and rhythm & blues, fronting a local group called the Cardinals at community dances. Around this time he composed “See You Later, Alligator,” a number that caught the ear of a Crowley, Louisiana, record-store proprietor acquainted with Chess Records founder Leonard Chess. Guidry auditioned by telephone and earned a session at Cosimo’s renowned New Orleans studio. Impressed by the finished single, Chess signed the artist—reportedly unaware at first that he was a white Cajun—and promptly shortened his name to the more marketable Bobby Charles. The label issued “See You Later, Alligator” as his debut single in 1955; after finishing high school he toured in support of the release. While the track found favor with R&B listeners, it only reached national pop prominence in 1956 once Bill Haley recorded his own hit version. Charles followed with another modest success that year, “Time Will Tell,” and remained with Chess until 1957, delivering R&B sides already colored by a distinct Cajun sensibility.

In 1958 he joined Imperial, where he continued issuing singles into the following year. After a 1959 one-off rendition of “Goodnight Irene” for Farie, he fell silent on record for several years, yet his standing as a songwriter steadily increased. Fats Domino carried “Walking to New Orleans” into the Top Ten in 1960, and early the next year Clarence “Frogman” Henry achieved similar results with “(I Don’t Know Why I Love You) But I Do.” Charles next cut material for Hub City in 1963, Jewel in 1964, and Paula in 1965, during which period he began exploring country influences.

With limited commercial traction under his own name, he stepped away from the industry for a stretch. He resurfaced in 1972 on Bearsville with a self-titled debut album, co-produced by the Band’s Rick Danko. Most of the Band participated as backing musicians, joined by Dr. John, David Sanborn, and Amos Garrett. Despite strong critical praise the album sold modestly; after a 1973 collaboration with Paul Butterfield, a disillusioned Charles once more withdrew. He joined the Band on stage for a single number during their filmed farewell concert The Last Waltz in 1976. The following year he returned to Bearsville to record another album featuring Spooner Oldham on piano, yet the project remained unreleased.

He stayed largely inactive through much of the ensuing decade before issuing a pair of singles on Rice n’ Gravy in 1986 and the European-only album Clean Water in 1987. Throughout these years numerous artists across blues, rock, country, and soul recorded his compositions; among them were Joe Cocker, Delbert McClinton, Lou Rawls, Ray Charles, Tom Jones, Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge, Etta James, Junior Wells, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Bo Diddley, David Allan Coe, and UB40. In 1995 Charles signed with the Canadian blues and roots imprint Stony Plain and released Wish You Were Here Right Now, drawn from 1992–1993 sessions together with tracks from a 1984 jam at Willie Nelson’s studio. Nelson himself appeared among the guests, alongside Neil Young, Fats Domino, and slide guitarist Sonny Landreth. A follow-up, Secrets of the Heart, arrived in 1998. Thereafter he retreated to rural Cajun country, sustained by songwriting royalties and active as a local environmental advocate. His well-regarded Bobby Charles album has seen multiple reissues, including a 1988 edition titled Small Town Talk after its best-known song. In 2008 he delivered a fresh collection, Homemade Songs. Early in 2010 he suffered a collapse at his Abbeville, Louisiana, residence and passed away.