Charles Earland

Charles Earland (May 24, 1941 – December 11, 1999) was an American jazz organist and pianist.

Biography Earland was born in Philadelphia and learned to play the saxophone in high school. With Earland's playing on synthesizer, the track also has an uncredited female vocalist. He had several moderate Billboard R&B chart hits in the mid-1970s and early 1980s on Mercury and later Columbia Records.

Earland traveled extensively from 1988 until his death in 1999, performing throughout the U.S. and abroad. One of the highlights of his latter years was playing at the Berlin Jazz Festival in 1994. Among the musicians that performed with him at the Berlin Jazz Festival was the Alabama-born Chicago resident, Zimbabu Hamilton on the drums.

Earland died in Kansas City, Missouri, of heart failure at the age of 58.

Discography As leader Boss Organ (Choice, 1969) – recorded in 1966 Soul Crib (Choice, 1969) Black Power (Rare Bird, 1969) Black Talk! (Prestige, 1970) – recorded in 1969 Black Drops (Prestige, 1970) Living Black! (Prestige, 1970 ) – live Freakin' Off (Big Chance, 1971) – live Soul Story (Prestige, 1971) Intensity (Prestige, 1972) Live at the Lighthouse (Prestige, 1972) – live Charles III (Prestige, 1973) The Dynamite Brothers (Prestige, 1973) Leaving This Planet (Prestige, 1974) Kharma (Prestige, 1974) – live Odyssey (Mercury, 1976) The Great Pyramid (Mercury, 1976) Revelation (Mercury, 1977) Smokin' (Muse, 1977) Mama Roots (Muse, 1977) Perceptions (Mercury, 1978) Infant Eyes (Muse, 1978) Pleasant Afternoon (Muse, 1978) Coming to You Live (Columbia, 1980) – live In the Pocket... (Muse, 1982) Earland's Jam (Columbia, 1982) Earland's Street Themes (Columbia, 1983) Front Burner (Milestone, 1988) Third Degree Burn (Milestone, 1989) Whip Appeal (Muse, 1990) Unforgettable (Muse, 1991) I Ain't Jivin'...I'm Jammin' (Muse, 1992) Ready 'n' Able (Muse, 1995) Blowing the Blues Away (HighNote, 1997) Charles Earland's Jazz Organ Summit (Cannonball, 1997) – live Slammin' & Jammin' (Savant, 1998) Cookin' with the Mighty Burner (HighNote, 1999) Charles Earland Live (Cannonball, 1999) – live Stomp! (HighNote, 2000) If Only for One Night (HighNote, 2002)

LP/CD compilations Burners (Prestige MPP 2501, 1980) Organomically Correct (32 Jazz, 1999; reissued on Savoy Jazz in 2003) The Almighty Burner (32 Jazz, 2000; reissued on Savoy Jazz in 2003) Charlie's Greatest Hits (Prestige, 2000) (compilation drawn from 4 different Earland albums, and 1 track from Boogaloo Joe Jones' Right On Brother + 2 previously unreleased live tracks from the Living Black! sessions) Anthology (Soul Brother [UK] Records, 2000) (2CD compilation) Charles Earland In Concert: At The Montreux Jazz Festival And The Lighthouse (Prestige, 2002) (compilation of Live At The Lighthouse + Kharma) Funk Fantastique (Prestige, 2004) (compilation of Charles III + 4 bonus tracks from the same sessions) The Mighty Burner: The Best Of His HighNote Recordings (HighNote, 2004) Scorched, Seared & Smokin': The Best Of "The Mighty Burner" (HighNote, 2011) (3CD compilation of Blowing The Blues Away, Slammin' & Jammin' , Cookin' With The Mighty Burner, Stomp!, If Only For One Night, plus 3 tracks with Earland backing vocalist Irene Reid)

As sideman With Lou Donaldson Say It Loud! (Blue Note, 1968) Hot Dog (Blue Note, 1969) Everything I Play Is Funky (Blue Note, 1970)

With George Freeman Introducing George Freeman Live with Charlie Earland Sitting In (Giant Step, 1971) Franticdiagnosis (Bam-Boo, 1972)

With Willis Jackson Bar Wars (Muse, 1977) Nothing Butt... (Muse, 1983)

With Irene Reid Million Dollar Secret (Savant, 1997) I Ain't Doing Too Bad (Savant, 1999) The Uptown Lowdown (Savant, 2000)

With others Eric Alexander, Alexander the Great (HighNote, 2000) Rusty Bryant, Soul Liberation (Prestige, 1970) Bob DeVos. Breaking the Ice (Savant, 1999) Sonny Hopson, Life & Mad ...Featuring Charlie Earland (Giant Step, 1970) Boogaloo Joe Jones, Right On Brother (Prestige, 1970) Houston Person, The Nearness of You (Muse, 1977)