Charlie Gracie(1936-2022)

An early Rock n Roll singer, guitarist and composer, he began his career playing at local Pa. clubs and on local radio and TV. In 1957, He had a #1 US Pop hit with the original recording of "Butterfly" , covered at the same time by Andy Williams. In 1957, he was one of the first American R n R singers to tour Europe. That same year, back in The US, he appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and was featured in Alan Freed's Big Beat Rock and Roll Revue. A close friend to Eddie Cochran, he has toured with The Everly Brothers,Chuck Berry and Van Morrison, among others. Other hit songs that he is noted for include "99 Ways" "Fabulous","Wandering Eyes" "I love You So Much It Hurts" and "Cool Baby".which he performed in the 1957 Warner Bros. film "Jamboree." His contributions have been recognized by "The Rockabilly Hall Of Fame". In 1998, Gracie was inducted into The British Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. In 2005, he received the Philadelphia Music Award, and shortly after, a street was named after him in Wildwood, New Jersey where he performed for many years.Gracie is the subject of the 2007 PBS documentary "Fabulous." In 2012, he was inducted into "The Broadcast Pioneers Of Philadelphia Hall Of Fame" In 2014, his autobiography, entitled "Rock n Roll's Hidden Giant" co-written with noted author John A. Jackson,was published by Alfred Music.