Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012

GOODTIME CHARLIE BRECHTEL, THE GODFATHER OF BIKER MUSIC

BY BRIAN MCKINNY

Goodtime Charlie Brechtel is an icon in the realm of Biker Music. In fact, you might call him the Godfather of Biker Music, and you wouldnt be exaggerating. Charlie has played with numerous blues, rock, country, and soul artist along the way to getting where he is now. Biker Music is a genre that he helped to pioneer, as he writes music that is about his biggest passion in life, a religion of sorts that he has come to call Motorcyclism. His original music celebrates the lifestyle that he has chosen to lead a combination of music and motorcycles that fuses the freedom of the road into his music. It is music that speaks to the soul of bikers in America and around the world. Charlie was born in New Orleans, and was raised by his Aunt Mamie, who owned a whore house on Decatur Street that catered to a clientele where the likes of Dr. John, The Neville Brothers, and other New Orleans music staples would come after shows for drinks, to tell stories, and unwind. Charlie, just a kid, would run around, serving drinks to guests of his Aunt Mamies, all the while listening to the stories and the music that was being bantered about in that storied establishment. Charlie also earned money as a kid cleaning up after the previous nights festivities at jazz greats, Al Hirt and Pete Fountains bar on Bourbon Street. So Charlie got his education in blues and jazz music early on in life. Charlie didnt start off in music playing guitar. He started out playing the drums, but when he realized that It was the guys in the front, singing and playing guitar who were getting all the girls, and they didnt have to work that hard, he decided it was going to be the guitar for him. So then I said, Damn, Im gonna learn how to do that, so I just started plucking And I wasnt really good at picking up songs on albums, you know I was just really good at writing my own shit. It kind of made it a problem though, cuz when I first started going to jam sessions, I wouldnt know any of the songs they was playin. Everybodyd be like, Lets play this, and Id go, Well, I dont know that, but I got my own songs. The other guys would be all, Yeah, well, sit down. So later on, those guys were the ones either sittin down, or playing in my band, playing my music. So I guess I did the right thing, playing my own music, which helped me to come up with my own style. Later on, I came out to California and started playing, and thats where I met you, and started playing all the bars, and jam sessions, and local jam nights, and all that. Charlies musical roots are what you would expect from a guy who grew up in the circumstances in which he found himself, and the place was as much an influence as the people he grew up listening to and idolizing. New Orleans is that kind of place. It influences the mind, brings out the imagination and creativity in people who are open to receiving what it has to offer. Charlie grew up listening to the likes of the Neville Brothers, Dr. John, and Professor Long Hair, to mention just a few. Charlie took those influences and added them to his own unique vision for his musical style. He took his Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012

Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012 influences from the aforementioned legends, as well as from the genres that were surrounding him in his native New Orleans Cajun Zydeco, Swamp Boogie, Delta Blues, Southern Rock, Country music, and Rock and Roll. Within him, he fused those different styles with his life-long love of motorcycles, and the lifestyle that goes along with it. And then I met a guy named Deacon Jones, who had played with people like Curtis Mayfield, and Freddie King, and then of course, with John Lee Hooker. I was one of the Bucket of Blues guys, remember? Oh yeah, I remember, I replied. And so, Deacon took me out on the road with him, and I was the only white boy in the band. And so, then I got to play with Hook, and all that cool shit. I met Gregg Allman around that time, too. My roots have always been The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, and Professor Long Hair That backbeat, the two-and-the-four, you know My drummers, I always make them leave that little space for the bass player to pop in there and do their thing, and always with a good, bottom beat. You know, John Lee Hooker influenced me, big time. Heres a man, I went to his house, and got to hang out with him when I first met him, and he was the one who gave me the nickname, Goodtime Charlie. Deacon (Jones) brought me there to Hooks house on Easter Sunday, and I brought the Hooker Girls (lady fans of Hook, not hookers!) over there, and Hook was chasing them all around the house, and he came and sat down next to me on the couch and said, Whats your name again, boy? I said, Charlie, and he said, From now on, its Goodtime Charlie and youre welcome at my house 24/7!, and the name stuck. And it also was the start of what became a really good friendship. I started hanging out at his house, frying chicken and making red beans and rice - he loved New Orleans food - and hed tell me all these cool stories about the old days. I mean, heres a guy who could hardly even write his own name, he had no formal education. Sound familiar? I mean, I can write my name, but hey But he got ripped off by a lot of people who stole his songs. His most famous song, Boom, Boom, he never made a cent off that song, because the record people ripped him off. They used to give him a pack of smokes and a couple of bottles of whiskey, and hed do a whole album. ZZ Top jacked him over, on La Grange, thats The Boogie(Boogie Chillen, first recorded by John Lee Hooker in 1948) and Hooks song. Its what he was famous for Hook invented the boogie. They even did his trademark Haw, haw, haw, haw (from Boom, Boom, recorded in 1962) on it So Hook took them to court and sued them for copyright infringement and won $8 million dollars in a settlement. Anyway, a couple years ago, I was supposed to open up for ZZ Top at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis, and when they saw my resume, that I had played with and was friends with John Lee Hooker, I got bumped off of that show. So fuck ZZ Top, those long-bearded, long haired motherfuckers! Fuck them, and fuck that hot rod car! Get a motorcycle! (Laughing very jokingly, of course.) Charlie really doesnt hold any grudges over it, but his feelings were definitely hurt by being bumped from the show by a band he had looked up to, and was obviously looking forward to sharing the stage at the Buffalo Chip with. The only one who ever really treated Hook right in the music business was George Thorogood. George went to Hooks house himself and paid him his royalty money for all the songs (One bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer, and all the others) of Hooks that he had played or recorded. You know, I wrote some good songs back in the day, but I really didnt know how to do the hooks, and how to put a good bridge in there until I met Gregg Allman. When I met Gregg, he kind of made me his little brother, you know? I was living at his house, and of course, we were fucking up. I was definitely getting fucking strung out to the bone... But that was part of being a rock star, I guess. And Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012

Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012 through all the bullshit I went through, even the high-speed car chase with the cops, getting thrown in jail, and all that other bullshit, I still managed to learn what Gregg was trying to teach me; how to write a hit song. Still to this day, Dennis (San Fillippo, Charlies best friend) and other people will say, Man, Gregg taught you right, because your musics jumping now. Your songs Youve got the whole package. Ive got to say, Ive been in a lot of shit with Gregg over the years I mean, a lot of shit with Gregg, the most of any trouble Ive ever been in was while I was hanging with Gregg Allman. But, I gotta say that if I hadnt met him, I wouldnt have ever learned how to really write good songs. There is a formula to good writing, and if you hook up with the right people Look, say I was hooked up with an English guy like Phil Collins, or whatever, it probably wouldnt have worked because Im a Southern boy. God put me with the Blues, and then put me with Gregg Allman, who is... Who is Gregg? Hes the grand daddy of Southern Rock. He is. Who else would it be? The Allman Brothers started playing Southern Rock when they were calling it Progressive Rock. They didnt even have a name for it because they didnt know what else to call it, or where it fit into the Rock and Roll genre. The first time anyone called it Southern Rock was when describing The Allman Brothers. Marshall Tuckers big hit, Cant you see?, was written by Gregg Allman, and if you listen to it, you can tell he had his hand on it. Its the same thing with songs like Midnight Rider. Its just a real, simple song in D, but its a hit. All my songs are simple. I dont write no complicated shit, but I put words in there that mean something, and I put the little hook in there, where you listen to it and go, Wow, thats cool, and its got a meaning to it. Its usually just a couple of chords, a good hook, and I think that is the best formula for writing a good song. Charlie says that his songs are simple, but his songs always tell a story. They paint a picture for your mind, and that makes a big difference to the listener. Charlie creates imagery, where you can see a story unfold in your head as you listen to his music. I dont know how to explain it, but I seen this thing about Buddy Holly, and I guess it would be the same kind of deal. I write about what I know, or who I know, and I usually know their story well. Because, when I pick up my guitar, and I start strumming it and coming up with a song, about five minutes into it, I can hear all the other instruments in my head. I can hear the bass, I can hear the drums... I can hear what instruments I want in that song. And there are some songs I have that have horn sections, and its a biker album. And I got, you know, Tom Poole, and all those guys who used to play with Lydia Pense (of Cold Blood fame), they all came in and look at the horn lines for the song, and theyd tell me, this is stuff that we would write!. So its something of a feel thing when writing songs. You have to know what you want, and how to get it.
M O TO R C Y C L E S A N D M U S I C

I always was into motorcycles, and my grandfather rode with the Galloping Goose Motorcycle Club in New Orleans. He also served under General Patton during World War II, so he was a feisty mother. His name was Eric, so my middle name is Eric, so all my kids are named Eric, even my daughters name is Erica. Erica is Charlies daughter from his first marriage, and she used to get up and sing on stage with her daddy at outdoor festivals, and she was just adorable up there. Then shed start singing Rock Me Baby in her little 6-year old voice, and she charmed the pants off the crowd. Shes all grown up now and is a nurse, but no longer has any interest in singing, according to her dad.

Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012

Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012 Shortly after coming to California and working his way into the realm of musicians the likes of Deacon Jones, Gregg Allman, and John Lee Hooker, he started getting gigs playing biker events rallies, parties, and was being introduced to members of the San Jose Hells Angels Motorcycle Club, including Sonny Barger, the founding member of the Oakland Chapter of the Hells Angels. Charlie has numerous friends in many different outlaw biker clubs, but he has always been able to maintain his neutrality, largely in part because of his music is so universally loved in the biker culture, and he is able to stay above the intra-club politics and occasional squabbles. Still, those associations have also afforded Charlie opportunities to play his original music in some unique venues, from outlaw biker parties to the highly successful Love Ride for charity in Los Angeles, opening up for Lynyrd Skynyrd and ZZ Top (finally, he didnt get bumped from the bill this time!), music festivals in England, Europe, Russia, and the infamous Buffalo Chip shows in Sturgis, South Dakota. Woody, of the Buffalo Chip, is like the Bill Graham of the motorcycle world. Hes got the biggest outdoor concert venue around, and hes been doing it for the longest time. We sent him a CD years ago, my first one, the one with Milwaukee Steel and all that on it. The whole album is bike music. Thats the one that Shogun produced, with Ainsley Dunbar on drums, Dale Ockerman from the Doobie Brothers was on the keyboards, Daddy Ray Arvisu from Elvin Bishop is on it I had all the top guys on it. When Woody heard the album, he just said, Hey man, what a concept. Heres a guy that plays all motorcycle music, and Ive got the biggest motorcycle venue, so thats how we did it. He really went all out, so its pretty damn cool that it all worked out so well. Now, Ive got my own stage there at the Chip. Im a dignitary there man, I ride in all the Legends Rides with all the famous people, and Ive even got me my own Victory bike to ride there. Ive done it for years now, and its pretty damn cool. Im very thankful for it all, I can tell you that. Over the years, the Buffalo Chip has invited various artists to come play at their venue. Recently, theyve started inviting more different types of bands and styles of music to play at Sturgis. The first show Woody did at the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis was Johnny Paycheck, with only about 250 people there and most of the audience was Hells Angels. And now he has 50 60 thousand people there, with bands like Kid Rock and Bob Dylan. Hell have on the same night, Stevie Nicks with Bob Dylan. All the other places in town are in trouble. Theyll have KISS playing at another place in town, and their parking lot will be empty because theyre all at the Chip. And the Chip is a big campground, so you have all these people camping out, listening to music and having a good time. You dont have to worry about police, or whatever. People just have a lot of fun, because its like a bikers Woodstock. Charlie has been very successful utilizing technology to advance the biker music genre. He is into every aspect of the Internet, from hosting his own production company website at BICProductions.com, where he posts everything from his band updates, to his sponsor affiliations, and he has even started up his own Internet radio station, playing biker music and interviews, old time radio shows, and a host of other things that his fans want to hear. What blows my mind too, is that Id look on Google back in the day, and Id look up biker bands, or motorcycle music in there, and nothing would come up, except for some crappy cover bands. I wouldnt even be on the list. None of us, not even the Fry Brothers, none of us were coming up on the list. But now, you look on Google, and you type in biker bands, Im the top one on the list! They finally got it right! Thank God for Google. The Internet has played a big part in Charlies ability to get the word out about his music, and biker music in general. His Facebook page, Bikers Inner Circle website, and BIC Productions are all ways Charlie promotes his band, sponsors, and his production company.

Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012

Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012 Nowadays, Charlie plays where he wants, and when he wants, and thats a good place to be. He is focused on his music, but in the winter time, he hunkers down and spends time with his family his wife and his kids. But when the good weather returns in the springtime, thats when he and his music come back to life. Life is good, playing shows all over the world, promoting biker music and Motorcyclism where ever he goes. Hes heading down to Galveston, Texas in November for a big show there, and then hell be heading back to Russia early next year for an encore performance at the Total Flame Biker Festival, promoting cultural understanding between musicians and bikers in the US and Russia. For Charlie, its all about the brotherhood of bikers and the music they love to listen to, and that is what his mission in life has become. In a word, Motorcyclism.

Copyright, Brian McKinny 2012