1. Charlie McCoy was born on Charles Ray McCoy, March 28,1941 and is an American harmonica virtuoso and multi-instrumentalist in country music.
31 Facts About Charlie McCoy
1. 2.
Charlie McCoy was a member of the progressive country rock bands Area Code 615 and Barefoot Jerry.
3.
Charlie McCoy is a member of three halls of fame, including the Country Music Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame; he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2007 as a part of a group of session musicians dubbed "The Nashville A-Team".
4.
For 19 years, Charlie McCoy worked as music director for Nashville's popular television show, Hee Haw.
5.
Charlie McCoy was born in Oak Hill, West Virginia, United States.
6.
Charlie McCoy's family moved to nearby Fayetteville when he was a boy and then to Miami, Florida.
7.
Charlie McCoy soon learned to play 4 songs that he performed at his elementary school assembly.
8.
Charlie McCoy acquired records of the great blues harmonica players by mail-order.
9.
Charlie McCoy learned to play the guitar, and in his teens, the bass and trumpet.
10.
Charlie McCoy enrolled at Miami University, majoring in musical education.
11.
Charlie McCoy replied that he was willing to quit his work at the barn dance if they would give him a scholarship.
12.
Unfortunately for Charlie McCoy, he had only rudimentary knowledge of drumming, but was desperate for a job.
13.
Charlie McCoy bought a drum set and joined the group; unfortunately they were not well-received, and disbanded shortly thereafter their first job.
14.
Charlie McCoy said, "Even though I was still learning to play the drums, I wasn't the worst musician in the group".
15.
Charlie McCoy then received a call from the booking agent Jim Denney, who informed him that Archie Bleyer of Cadence Records had listened to McCoy's tapes and wanted to sign him.
16.
Charlie McCoy's first recording session for RCA as a harmonica player was with an unknown singer from Sweden named Ann-Margret.
17.
Charlie McCoy was beautiful, and only 18 at the time.
18.
Charlie McCoy accompanied her on the song "I Just Don't Understand" Fred Foster of Monument Records then booked McCoy for McCoy's second session, this time with Roy Orbison, which included the song, "Candy Man".
19.
Charlie McCoy said they needed to come up with an intro.
20.
Charlie McCoy has won two CMA Awards and seven ACM Awards.
21.
Charlie McCoy was visiting in New York in 1965; his friend and producer, Bob Johnston, mentioned that he was producing a Bob Dylan session, and he invited Charlie McCoy to come and meet Dylan.
22.
Several months later, Charlie McCoy got a call that Dylan was indeed coming to Nashville, and a date had been set.
23.
Charlie McCoy would be the session leader and was tasked with picking the musicians.
24.
Charlie McCoy brought Kenny Buttrey and Wayne Moss, Hargus Robbins, Jerry Kennedy, Henry Strzelecki, Joe South, and Wayne Butler.
25.
Charlie McCoy said the album took 39 hours to record, "an eternity by Nashville standards".
26.
Charlie McCoy went on to record with many other artists including Elvis Presley, Perry Como, Gordon Lightfoot, Joan Baez, Steve Miller Band, Johnny Cash, Roy Clark, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Simon, Barefoot Jerry, on Ringo Starr's Beaucoups of Blues, on Gene Summers' Gene Summers in Nashville and 12 Golden Country Greats by Ween.
27.
For 19 years Charlie McCoy worked as music director for the popular television show Hee Haw, and was a member of the Million Dollar Band, a group of all-star session musicians who performed on the show.
28.
On May 17,2009, Charlie McCoy was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
29.
Charlie McCoy is a member of the International Musicians Hall of Fame and the West Virginia Music Hall of Fame.
30.
Charlie McCoy was inducted by Larry Gatlin on July 13,2022.
31.
Charlie McCoy has two children with his first wife and five grandchildren.