Biography
Charlie Winston, a British folk-pop singer and songwriter, first cut records for Peter Gabriel’s Real World imprint before achieving widespread recognition in France in 2009, when the single “Like a Hobo” reached the top of the charts and propelled his second album, the platinum-certified Hobo, to commercial prominence. Later releases, notably Running Still in 2011 and Curio City in 2015, likewise performed strongly in France and Belgium, where he remained a regular presence on the charts.
Born in Cornwall in 1978, Winston spent his childhood in Bungay, Suffolk, in the hotel managed by his parents. He began drumming at eight, later took up piano, and eventually relocated to London, where he wrote music for the stage and performed on bass alongside his brother, the singer-songwriter Tom Baxter, already established in the United Kingdom and Ireland. During sessions for one of Baxter’s projects at Real World Studios he encountered Peter Gabriel, who soon became a friend and offered him a contract. After issuing his self-produced debut, Make Way, in 2007, Winston supported Gabriel on tour; the following year his version of the Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man” appeared in a high-profile Volkswagen Polo advertisement.
Relocating to France, he made his next album with producer Mark Plati, whose credits include David Bowie and the Cure. The resulting Hobo, issued jointly by Real World and the French label Atmosphériques, yielded the chart-topping single “Like a Hobo” and earned platinum status in France. Already honored with a European Border Breakers Award as Best U.K. Artist in Europe, Winston returned in 2011 with Running Still, which entered the French Top Ten; its song “She Went Quietly” closed the mid-season finale of Grey’s Anatomy’s eighth season. Curio City, his fourth album, arrived in 2015 and blended electronic elements with folk and pop textures. Although mainstream success in Britain remained elusive, his audience in France and Belgium stayed loyal. In 2018 he resurfaced with the socially conscious Square 1, its title signaling the stripped-down method he deliberately adopted.
Born in Cornwall in 1978, Winston spent his childhood in Bungay, Suffolk, in the hotel managed by his parents. He began drumming at eight, later took up piano, and eventually relocated to London, where he wrote music for the stage and performed on bass alongside his brother, the singer-songwriter Tom Baxter, already established in the United Kingdom and Ireland. During sessions for one of Baxter’s projects at Real World Studios he encountered Peter Gabriel, who soon became a friend and offered him a contract. After issuing his self-produced debut, Make Way, in 2007, Winston supported Gabriel on tour; the following year his version of the Spencer Davis Group’s “I’m a Man” appeared in a high-profile Volkswagen Polo advertisement.
Relocating to France, he made his next album with producer Mark Plati, whose credits include David Bowie and the Cure. The resulting Hobo, issued jointly by Real World and the French label Atmosphériques, yielded the chart-topping single “Like a Hobo” and earned platinum status in France. Already honored with a European Border Breakers Award as Best U.K. Artist in Europe, Winston returned in 2011 with Running Still, which entered the French Top Ten; its song “She Went Quietly” closed the mid-season finale of Grey’s Anatomy’s eighth season. Curio City, his fourth album, arrived in 2015 and blended electronic elements with folk and pop textures. Although mainstream success in Britain remained elusive, his audience in France and Belgium stayed loyal. In 2018 he resurfaced with the socially conscious Square 1, its title signaling the stripped-down method he deliberately adopted.
Albums
Square 1
2018
The Weekend
2018
Under Cover
2016
Running Still
2016
Curio City
2015
Hobo
2009
Make Way
2007
Mischifus
2007
Singles
