Charlie Booty is a fine blues and boogie-woogie piano player with a great, soulful style.
(photo copyrighted by Rob DeLand, Grayslake, IL)

Charles D. Booty, a/k/a Charlie Booty, was born 2 Jan 1928, in Flora, Louisiana, a small saw-mill town in the northwest piney woods part of the state. A self-taught musician, Charlie began playing piano in 1943 after a flirtation with the clarinet. Throat surgery in 1971, for cancer of the larynx, caused muscles to be cut in his left shoulder, requiring a re-training of his left arm to continue playing piano. In 1973 Charlie became a licensed pilot and in 1977 was in a plane crash, resulting in some loss of memory, including a total loss of how to play the piano. Relentlessly, he went about learning to play all over again.

Between 1968 and 1978 Charlie played several times year on the Steamboat Delta Queen, presenting musical programs, with narration, on the history of piano boogie, blues, stomps and ragtime. From 1970 to the current time, he played the annual Goldenrod Jazz/Ragtime Festival in St Louis, later in St Charles, MO, after the boat was moved from the St Louis waterfront. From 1973, until its demise, he played at the annual Toronto Ragtime Bash. In the book, A Left Hand Like God, written in 1988 by Peter Silvester, Devon, England, Charlie received honorable mention among all the past pioneers of boogie woogie, as well as among the current practioners of the art in the US and in Europe. In 1973 he received honorable mention in the book, The Delta Queen - Last of the Paddlewheel Palaces, specifically in the article, Affair With King Jazz, by Bill Crais. These days Charlie plays primarily festivals, private parties and special events.

Charlie has made eight albums, as of May, 1999. Three LP's, made in the 1970's and 1980's, are out of print and are no longer available. They are Barrelhouse Boogie (solo and 2 piano duets with Ben Conroy) on the Dirty Shame Records, Boogie Woogie - Eight To The Bar (solo and 2 piano duets with Ben Conroy) on Jazzology Records and Best of the Fest (solo and 1 piano duet with Ben Conroy along with all other festival performers in 1982), a very limited issue, 2 LP album on the Conservatory label. His five CD's are currently available, Solo Art #SACD-108, After Hours With Charlie Booty (solo), Piano Joys #PJ001, Fort Worth Stomp (solo and 2-piano duets with Carl Sonny Leyland), Piano Joys #PJ002, South Side Blues (solo), Piano Joys #PJ003, Rent Party Echoes Vol 1 and Piano Joys #PJ004, Rent Party Echoes Vol 2 (solo and 2-piano duets featuring Charlie Booty, Charlie Castner, Tom Harris, Ben Conroy, Chris Page and Phil Kiely) recorded at piano parties in Louisville, KY, between 1973 and 1991.

Now retired from 30+ years as a field engineer in the X-ray equipment manufacturing industry, and 12 years in Real Estate Appraisal, Charlie lives in Milan, Tennessee.

For CD price and ordering information, contact Charlie Booty, 1141 Broad Street, Milan, Tn 38358-2335, USA, e-mail cdbooty@aeneas.net or phone/fax at 901-686-3873.

Fort Worth Stomp
featuring 19 solo & duet piano performances by Charlie Booty and Carl "Sonny" Leyland
(Piano Joys PJ-001) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 70:34

This CD was issued in 1998 from recordings Charlie & Sonny made during private piano parties made between 1988 and 1997.

South Side Blues
featuring 19 solo piano performances by Charlie Booty
(Piano Joys PJ-002) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 73:31

This CD was issued in 1998 from recordings Charlie & Sonny made during private piano parties made between 1988 and 1997.

Rent Party Echoes, Louisville, Vol. 1 / 1973-1991
featuring 22 solo & duet piano performances by Charlie Booty, Charlie Castner, Ben Conroy, Tom Harris, Phil Kiely, and Chris Page with occasional accompaniment by Dick Mushlitz and vocals by John Welch.
(Piano Joys PJ-003) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 72:19

This CD was issued in 1999 from recordings made during private parties hosted by Charlide & Katie Castner, Louisville, KY.

Rent Party Echoes, Louisville, Vol. 2 / 1973-1991
featuring 24 solo & duet piano performances by Charlie Booty, Charlie Castner, Ben Conroy, Tom Harris, Phil Kiely, and Chris Page with occasional accompaniment by Dick Mushlitz and vocals by John Welch.
(Piano Joys PJ-004) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 71:49

This CD was issued in 1999 from recordings made during private parties hosted by Charlie & Katie Castner, Louisville, KY.

Russ Gilman - Stompin' Ground
featuring 26 solo piano performances by Russ Gilman
(Piano Joys PJ-005) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 70:44

This CD was issued in 1999 from recordings made during private sessions.

Richard Egan - From the Land of Ragtime
(Piano Joys PJ-006) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 69:13

This CD features 21 fine piano solos by composers such as Tom Shea, Blind Boone, Arthur Marshall, Brun Campbell, Trebor Tichenor, David Thomas Roberts, Harry P. Guy, Charles L. Hunter, and Richard himself - plus others you probably don't know yet. It was recorded on a Yamaha PF-100 grand in April 2000 in a St. Louis studio with excellent quality.

Rent Party Echoes, Dallas - Fort Worth, Vol. 3 / 1978-1999
featuring 23 solo & duet piano performances by Martin Pyrker, Ben Conroy, Charlie Castner, Charlie Booty, and Carl "Sonny" Leyland on piano with occasional accompaniment by Dick Mushlitz on washboard.
(Piano Joys PJ-007) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 66:05

This CD was issued in 2000 from recordings made during private parties. The liner notes are nice with photos of all of the pianists. I love the cover, with an imitation 78 rpm record & sleeve!

Russ Gilman - Back to the Barrelhouse
featuring 26 solo piano performances by Russ Gilman
(Echoes 2001) AAD (analog recorded) total time: 75:00

This CD was issued in 1997 from recordings made during private sessions. This last CD was issued on Ed Sprankle's "Echoes" label, and NOT available through Charlie. I just threw this in because Charlie refers to it in the liner notes, and it is worth your time to seek it out!