1. Charles Nicholas Hodges was an English musician and singer.
19 Facts About Chas Hodges
1. 2.
Chas Hodges was born at the North Middlesex University Hospital in Edmonton on 28 December 1943 to Albert and Daisy Chas Hodges.
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Chas Hodges was named Charles Nicholas, but called Chas as it is a common abbreviation for Charles.
4.
Chas Hodges was raised in north London, and moved to Kent in the summer of 1947.
5.
Chas Hodges's father committed suicide just before Hodges turned four.
6.
Chas Hodges attended Eldon Road School, and later Edmonton Higher Grade School but left just before he was 15 at the end of 1958.
7.
Chas Hodges first became interested in Rock 'n' Roll music after listening to Little Richard on Radio Luxembourg around 1956.
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Chas Hodges was then inspired by Lonnie Donegan to learn to play the guitar when he was 12, and joined a skiffle band a year later in 1957, The Horseshoe Skiffle Group.
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Chas Hodges worked for a while in a jeweller's shop after leaving school.
10.
Chas Hodges became a professional musician by the age of 16, playing bass guitar with various local bands until he joined Billy Gray and the Stormers in 1960.
11.
Chas Hodges claimed that he learnt the piano by watching Jerry Lee Lewis whilst backing him.
12.
Chas Hodges had known Dave Peacock for a number of years; they met in 1963 when a friend of Peacock gave Chas Hodges a lift home and found they had similar taste in music.
13.
Chas Hodges played bass with Purple for one show on 8 March 1971, at Music Hall Aberdeen, substituting for the regular bassist, Roger Glover, who was ill.
14.
Chas Hodges played piano for short-lived supergroup called the Rockers, which featured Roy Wood, Phil Lynott and John Coghlan.
15.
In 2012, Chas Hodges wrote and recorded a charity single with his band and 2012 Premier League Darts players called "Got My Tickets for the Darts".
16.
In 2009, Chas Hodges released an eponymous solo album on Talking Elephant Records In 2010, he guested on an album by Vince Eager called 788 Years of Rock n Roll; the following year, Chas Hodges returned to the label to record a solo album titled Together We Made Music.
17.
In 2014, Chas Hodges guested on Simon Fowler's new band Merrymouth's album, Wenlock Hill, contributing piano on the song "Salt Breeze".
18.
On 6 February 2017, it was announced that Chas Hodges had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer.
19.
Chas Hodges died in his sleep in the early hours of 22 September 2018, from complications of pneumonia, aged 74.