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Chuck Prophet

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Chuck Prophet
Prophet in the club Thumb's Up, in Yokohama, Japan
Prophet in the club Thumb's Up, in Yokohama, Japan
Background information
Birth nameCharles William Prophet
Born (1963-06-28) June 28, 1963 (age 61)[1]
Whittier, California[2]
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • guitarist
  • record producer
InstrumentGuitar
Years active1985–present
Labels
Websitewww.chuckprophet.com

Charles William Prophet (born June 28, 1963)[3] is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American psychedelic/desert rock group Green on Red, with whom he toured and recorded in the 1980s.[3] He has also recorded a number of solo records, and gained prominence as a musician and songwriter.

Life and work

[edit]

Chuck Prophet was born in Whittier, California,[2] United States, and calls San Francisco home.

After recording one E.P. and eight albums with rock group Green on Red, he released his first solo record Brother Aldo on Fire Records in 1990. It was not released in the U.S. until 1997.[4]

He records and tours with his wife Stephanie Finch, who is a singer, keyboardist and guitarist.[5][6]

Prophet was signed to New West Records by Peter Jesperson in 2002. He made two records for New West: No Other Love and Age of Miracles. After years of mostly European and UK success, 2002’s No Other Love was a breakthrough record for Prophet stateside due to the success of the summer single "Summertime Thing" and endorsements from Lucinda Williams, who gave him the opening slot for her summer tour.[7]

Prophet was signed to Yep Roc Records in 2007.

Recorded in San Francisco and Nashville, 2007's Soap and Water received critical praise. Prophet toured Europe and North America in support of the album and appeared with his band on the Late Show with David Letterman and Last Call with Carson Daly. To better motivate the various musicians and engineers who were involved in the production of this album, Prophet gave them a stake in the master recordings.[8]

Prophet has contributed to several Kelly Willis records, and produced 2007's Translated From Love for Rykodisc. Willis and Prophet co-wrote six of the album's tracks and Prophet played guitar throughout.

Evangeline Recording Co. released a limited-edition work entitled Dreaming Waylon's Dreams, which he recorded in San Francisco. The record re-creates Waylon Jennings' 1975 country album Dreaming My Dreams in its entirety and features, among others, members of American Music Club and Meat Beat Manifesto. The package and booklet were printed by the legendary Bruce Licher (Savage Republic, Independent Music Project, REM fan club etc.) using a custom letterpress design on original stock. Included in the packaging is a recounting of the events surrounding the recording of the record by close friend John Murry (who also played on the record). Each piece was printed and numbered by hand on a circa 1930's printing press. Dreaming Waylon's Dreams is one of the rarest and most sought-after items in Prophet's discography. It is a limited edition of only 1000. Released by Rounder Records, in 2001, Raisins in the Sun was a one-off collaboration with Jules Shear, Harvey Brooks, Paul Q. Kolderie, Jim Dickinson, Sean Slade, and Winston Watson, recorded in May 1999.

In 2008 Prophet co-wrote all the songs on Alejandro Escovedo's Real Animal, to which he also contributed guitar and vocals. The LP was recorded in Lexington, Kentucky and produced by Tony Visconti.

In May 2009, Prophet along with a band of musicians including Ernest "Boom" Carter headed to Mexico City to record a collection of "political songs for non political people".[9] ¡Let Freedom Ring! was released on October 27, 2009, on Yep Roc. Michael Hoinski of The Village Voice compared ¡Let Freedom Ring! to Bruce Springsteen's Born in the U.S.A., citing the recordings as "albums that manifest patriotism through disenchantment, and both rely heavily on marginalized characters to expose socioeconomic woes."

In January 2011, he formed the Spanish Bombs along with Chris Von Sneidern and San Francisco rhythm section The Park. The Spanish Bombs performed The Clash's LP London Calling in its entirety at the Actual Music Festival in Spain. This special project came at the invitation of curators Houston Party. This festival show was followed by a 12-date tour of Spain.[10]

February 7, 2012, was the release date of the Temple Beautiful CD, a "nuanced, insightful and passionate ode to San Francisco" on Yep Roc Records. It was met with positive reviews scoring 82 on Metacritic. The title track, "Temple Beautiful" (featuring Roy Loney of the Flamin' Groovies), was proclaimed "Coolest Song in the World" on Little Stevens Underground Garage.

On March 3, 2013, Prophet played a Benefit Concert at The Great American Music Hall for Tom Mallon, a producer who documented much of the San Francisco Punk scene and went on to produce the early American Music Club records. (Mallon at that time had a brain tumor, which he died of in 2014.)[11] Members of many seminal San Francisco bands played as well including members of American Music Club, Frightwig, Ugly Stick, Flying Color.

On September 23, 2014, Prophet released Night Surfer on Yep Roc Records. The album was met with positive reviews, including a three-and-a-half out of five star rating from All Music Guide.

On February 10, 2017, Prophet released Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins. The album was given four out of five stars from All Music Guide.[12]

On February 19, 2017, he appeared on the BBC Sunday morning political show The Andrew Marr Show singing "Bad Year For Rock and Roll," one of the standout tracks from his latest album Bobby Fuller Died For Your Sins.

In 2018, Prophet was tapped to co-write and produce a new LP for The Rubinoos. The album, From Home, released in 2019, was recorded at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco, formerly Wally Heider Studios, where the group made some of its first recordings.

Songwriter

[edit]

In 1996, Prophet was signed to Funzalo Music BMG Publishing and spent much of 1997 in Nashville as a staff writer.

  • Work with klipschutz

Prophet's primary co-writer, over three decades, is klipschutz (pen name of Kurt Lipschutz). Their collaborations on every release starting with Prophet's second solo album, total over 100 songs. On the San Francisco-centric Temple Beautiful (2012), they share credit on every song (and a theatrical musical of this has been written). In 2008, Prophet performed their co-write “Doubter Out of Jesus” on the David Letterman Show. Their writing process starts by sitting "in a small room" and shooting "gloomy looks at each other”[13] (No Depression, 2017).  Prophet’s Cumbia-inflected 2024 release Wake The Dead includes 8 Prophet/klipschutz co-writes.

Between 2000 and 2010, the duo stopped writing together due to what has been humorously described by klipschutz as “falling out over money – there was too much of it” and by Prophet as "creative differences"[14]. During that time, Prophet drew from their back catalogue.

  • Collaborations and Covers

Prophet has collaborated, written with and been covered by many other artists including Alejandro Escovedo, Bruce Springsteen, Solomon Burke, Heart, Michael Grimm, Kim Carnes, Peter Wolf, Kim Richey, Carter's Chord, SistaStrings, Jace Everett, Arc Angels, Penelope Houston, Latin Soul Syndicate, Micky & the Motorcars, Peter Mulvey, Bun E. Carlos, Mark Erelli, Mofro, Kevin Bowe, Calvin Russell, The Cadillac Three, Ryan Hamilton, Chris Knight, Dann Penn and Kelly Willis. He has toured with Memphis producer and pianist Jim Dickinson, who recorded Prophet's "Hungry Town", which was co-written with klipschutz. In Nashville, Tennessee, Prophet and songwriter Kim Richey penned "I'm Gone", a top-40 country hit in 2002 for singer Cyndi Thomson.[15]

[edit]
  • The song "No Other Love" was covered by the rock group Heart at the suggestion of Cameron Crowe.[16] It was also featured in an episode of the television series The L Word, and in the film P.S. I Love You. In 2011, it was recorded by Michael Grimm, the winner of America's Got Talent, and included on his Don Was-produced debut CD.
  • He appears as an actor playing "The Connection" in Revolution Summer, a film directed by Miles Matthew Montalbano and produced by Jonathan Richman.[17]
  • "You Did (Bomp Shooby Doobie Bomp)" was contributed as the theme song to the film Teeth. "You Did" was also featured in the closing credits of the HBO series True Blood episode "Keep This Party Going" (S02E02).[18]
  • The songs "Leave the Window Open" and "Love Won't Keep Us Apart," the latter co-written with klipschutz are featured in the FX program Sons of Anarchy.[18]
  • The song "Holding On" was featured in Californication

The Mission Express

[edit]

The "Mission Express" is a bus line that runs through Prophet's neighborhood and is the name of his current band.

The line-up:

  • Stephanie Finch: (singing, Vox organ, piano, guitar)
  • Kevin White: (bass guitar)
  • Vicente Rodriguez: (drums, vocals)
  • James DePrato: (guitar, lap steel)

Former members:

  • Kyle Caprista: (drums, vocals) 2012–2013
  • Paul Taylor: (drums, vocals) -2012

Selected discography

[edit]

Solo

[edit]
  • 1990: Brother Aldo (Fire / Rough Trade)
  • 1992: Balinese Dancer (China / Homestead)
  • 1995: Feast of Hearts (China)
  • 1997: Homemade Blood (Cooking Vinyl)
  • 1999: The Hurting Business (Cooking Vinyl)
  • 2000: Homemade Boot (Live At Roskilde June 29, 1997) (Corduroy)
  • 2000: Turn the Pigeons Loose (Live In San Francisco 2000) (Cooking Vinyl) released 2004
  • 2002: No Other Love (New West / Blue Rose)
  • 2004: Age of Miracles (New West / Blue Rose)
  • 2007: Soap and Water (Cooking Vinyl / Yep Roc)
  • 2007: Dreaming Waylon's Dreams (Evangeline)
  • 2009: ¡Let Freedom Ring! (Cooking Vinyl / Yep Roc)
  • 2012: Temple Beautiful (Yep Roc)
  • 2014: Night Surfer (Yep Roc / Belle Sound)
  • 2017: Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins (Yep Roc)
  • 2020: The Land That Time Forgot (Yep Roc)
  • 2024: Wake the Dead (Yep Roc)

With Green on Red

[edit]
  • 1985: Gas Food Lodging (Enigma)
  • 1985: No Free Lunch (Mercury)
  • 1987: The Killer Inside Me (Mercury)
  • 1989: Here Come the Snakes (Restless)
  • 1989: Live at the Town & Country (China)
  • 1989: This Time Around (Off-Beat / China)
  • 1989–92: BBC Sessions (Cooking Vinyl) released 2007
  • 1991: Scapegoats (Off-Beat / China)
  • 1992: Too Much Fun (Off-Beat / China)
  • 2005: Live at the Rialto (Blue Rose)

With Jules Shear, Jim Dickinson, Harvey Brooks, Sean Slade, Paul Q. Kolderie, Winston Watson

[edit]
  • 2001: Raisins in the Sun (Evangeline)

With Jim Dickinson and the Creatures of Habit

[edit]
  • 1997: Thousand Footprints in the Sand (Last Call)

[4]

As guest musician

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ California Births, 1905 – 1995, Charles W. Prophet
  2. ^ a b "Chuck Prophet Bio". Moorehead State Public Radio. July 23, 2020. Retrieved September 7, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Sullivan, Denise. "Biography: Chuck Prophet". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
  4. ^ a b Berger, Sam (December 31, 1997). "Chuck Prophet – Brother Aldo". No Depression. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  5. ^ Mehr, Bob (October 9, 2006). "It Takes Two". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on April 27, 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
  6. ^ Sullivan, Denise (2001). Rip it Up!: Rock & Roll Rulebreakers. Hal Leonard. ISBN 9780879306359.
  7. ^ Murry, John. "Biography". Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  8. ^ "Press : Soap And Water". Chuck Prophet. November 1, 2008. Retrieved March 25, 2014.
  9. ^ Hoinski, Michael. "On the Haunting Songs of Chuck Prophet". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on July 21, 2010. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  10. ^ Vaziri, Aidin (January 17, 2011). "Chuck Prophet doing 'London Calling'". SFGate, San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 16, 2011.
  11. ^ "Tom Mallon – The Official Website for Mark Eitzel & American Music Club". Americanmusicclub.com. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  12. ^ "Bobby Fuller Died for Your Sins – Chuck Prophet | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 20, 2020.
  13. ^ Brazeau, Jules (April 29, 2017). "www.nodepression.com/interview/klipschutz-steps-out-of-the-shadows/". nodepression.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. ^ Prophet, Chuck (August 17, 2016). "http://web.archive.org/web/20210413130513/http://chuckprophet.com/blog/klipschutz-songsmith-and-poet". chuckprophet.com. Retrieved December 4, 2024. {{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  15. ^ "Soap And Water". Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  16. ^ Bezezekoff, Leigh. "Live in San Francisco, Day 3: Chuck Prophet". KEXP. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  17. ^ "選んで家具ソファー！". Revolutionsummerfilm.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved June 4, 2013.
  18. ^ a b Rogers, Jessie. "The Very Best Noise: Chuck Prophet Checks In". Tea Party Boston. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  19. ^ "Road Call by Jenifer McKitrick – DistroKid".

Further reading

[edit]
  • Simkin, Stevie (2020). The Life and Music of Chuck Prophet and Green on Red. London: Jawbone Press. ISBN 978-1-911036-61-6
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