Biography
Charlie Pickett fused the guitar-driven rock of the British Invasion era with unfiltered punk drive, establishing himself as a key figure in Southern Florida’s independent scene across the 1970s and 1980s. With the Eggs and later the MC3 supplying the backing, he put out several respected though little-known albums, later anthologized on 2008’s Bar Band Americanus, before stepping away from regular music-making. Activity resumed with the 2018 album See You in Miami.
Born in Athens, Ohio in 1953, Charlie Pickett moved with his family to Dania, Florida at age two, where an initial attachment to Alvin & the Chipmunks gave way to LPs by Jan & Dean, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks. Guitar study began at 14, followed shortly by exposure to punk rock. Local performances were already underway by high-school graduation, delivering a hard-edged punk and garage-rock attack on material from British acts such as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and Manfred Mann. Enrollment at the University of Florida took place in 1974, the same stretch during which he mastered slide guitar on his own and launched Charlie Pickett & the Eggs. Steady local support grew through shared bills with like-minded groups including the Cichlids, the Eat, and the Reactions. His lean, blues- and R&B-rooted approach drew listeners from punk, new-wave, and roots-rock circles alike. The first album, Live at the Button, appeared in 1982 and captured the band’s raw sound, highlighted by South Florida guitarist John Salton of the Psycho Daisies. Recording first as the Eggs and then as the MC3, Pickett released several acclaimed if under-the-radar albums on Twin/Tone, among them 1986’s Route 33, produced by former Suicide Commando member Chris Osgood. Two years later came The Wilderness, tracked in Athens, Georgia with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.
Over the ensuing decade, touring fatigue and other pressures led Pickett back to school to obtain his law degree. Occasional live appearances nevertheless continued. Bloodshot Records released Bar Band Americanus in 2008, a retrospective of his strongest recordings with the various bands. The renewed attention prompted more frequent performances, resulting in 2018’s See You in Miami, his first studio album in ten years. The set includes the single “What I Like About Miami,” which features Peter Buck.
Born in Athens, Ohio in 1953, Charlie Pickett moved with his family to Dania, Florida at age two, where an initial attachment to Alvin & the Chipmunks gave way to LPs by Jan & Dean, the Rolling Stones, and the Kinks. Guitar study began at 14, followed shortly by exposure to punk rock. Local performances were already underway by high-school graduation, delivering a hard-edged punk and garage-rock attack on material from British acts such as Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and Manfred Mann. Enrollment at the University of Florida took place in 1974, the same stretch during which he mastered slide guitar on his own and launched Charlie Pickett & the Eggs. Steady local support grew through shared bills with like-minded groups including the Cichlids, the Eat, and the Reactions. His lean, blues- and R&B-rooted approach drew listeners from punk, new-wave, and roots-rock circles alike. The first album, Live at the Button, appeared in 1982 and captured the band’s raw sound, highlighted by South Florida guitarist John Salton of the Psycho Daisies. Recording first as the Eggs and then as the MC3, Pickett released several acclaimed if under-the-radar albums on Twin/Tone, among them 1986’s Route 33, produced by former Suicide Commando member Chris Osgood. Two years later came The Wilderness, tracked in Athens, Georgia with R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck.
Over the ensuing decade, touring fatigue and other pressures led Pickett back to school to obtain his law degree. Occasional live appearances nevertheless continued. Bloodshot Records released Bar Band Americanus in 2008, a retrospective of his strongest recordings with the various bands. The renewed attention prompted more frequent performances, resulting in 2018’s See You in Miami, his first studio album in ten years. The set includes the single “What I Like About Miami,” which features Peter Buck.
Albums
