Charles Chalmers

Charles Chalmers is an American saxophonist, backup vocalist, songwriter and producer. He has written several hit songs for many recording artists, and has also arranged and performed on many Grammy winning recordings. Seven of those recordings are in the Grammy Hall of Fame: Al Green's "Let's Stay Together"; Aretha Franklin's "Respect," "Chain of Fools" and "Natural Woman"; Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man"; and Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally" and "Land of a Thousand Dances." He also holds an Album of the Century award for his work on Aretha Franklin's, I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You.

Early life and education Chalmers attended South Side High School in Memphis, Tennessee, where he learned to read music. His mother bought him a used tenor saxophone as a graduation gift. They also sang on Green's album, I Can't Stop, produced by Mitchell, for Blue Note Records (2003). Chalmers wend on to arrange the horns and played sax on many other Aretha Franklin songs, including "I Ain't Never Loved A Man", "Respect", "Do Right Woman", "Chain of Fools", and "Dr. Feel Good".

Las Vegas and Miami years After Rhodes, Chalmers & Rhodes sang on Paul Anka's hit "(You're) Having My Baby", they performed live dates with Anka in Las Vegas for three years at Caesars Palace. Chalmers located a studio in Las Vegas, where they sang back up on a Frank Sinatra session. Also among Chalmers' songs are "One Woman", on the Isaac Hayes album Hot Buttered Soul, and "One Big Unhappy Family", on the album The Isaac Hayes Movement. Both albums are double Platinum sellers. "Alice Is In Wonderland" is on The Oak Ridge Boys' Deliver. Al Green also recorded "One Woman" on his Green Is Blues album. The Staple Singers recorded "City In The Sky" for their City In The Sky album, Boz Scaggs recorded "Look What I Got" on his self-titled Atlantic album Boz Scaggs, and Etta James recorded the popular "It Hurts Me So Much" on the album Tell Mama for Chess Records.

Chalmers also wrote "Tell Him Tonight" recorded by Rudolph Taylor, ranked as one of the 60 greatest Memphis soul songs of all time by the Commercial Appeal in 2017.

Personal life Chalmers was married to Sandy Rhodes.