Bobby Charles
January 15, 2010
Bobby Charles
US singer and songwriter Bobby Charles has died at the age of 71 at his home in Abbeville, Louisiana on Thursday. Charles, who penned hits such as ‘Walking to New Orleans’ and ‘See You Later Alligator’, had diabetes and was in remission from kidney cancer, according to his publicist Karen Johnson. The cause of his death was not known yet. Charles’ friend and music collaborator Dr. John, whose real name is Malcolm “Mac” Rebennack had just wrapped up an album together, entitled ‘Timeless’, and it will still be released next month.
Dr. John said,
“We were very close for 40, 50 years. We started writing stuff together in the 70s. He was very easy to work with and a special guy.”
Charles, whose real name is Robert Charles Guidry and his manager Jim Bateman, gathered recordings spanning 20 years for the double-CD ‘Last Train to Memphis’ in 2003. Bateman said,
“He always said he didn’t write songs, they came through him. I wouldn’t necessarily call it religious, but spiritual.”
Charles recorded several albums, including Wish You Were Here Right Now in 1995, Secrets of the Heart in 1998, and Homemade Songs in 2008.