Charles & Gwen Scales

Charles & Gwen Scales

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About Charles & Gwen Scales

Charles & Gwen This is Charles & Gwen. Pianist, Vocalist, Composer, Arranger, Songwriter, Producer, Business Owner – this dynamic duo has racked up quite a few titles between them over their 20+ plus years in the music business. Known domestically and internationally, Charles and Gwen have shared the stage with such artists as Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman, Najee, and Hamilton Bohannon; have performed for presidents, governors, and mayors; have produced and worked on musical productions with national and international recording artists such as Gwendolyn Joy, Gene Dunlap, David McMurray, Ron Otis, Al Turner, and Althea Rene; run their own entertainment agency (CGS Entertainment) and record label (Big Axle Music); and regularly perform at least 200 dates a year. Based out of their hometown of Detroit, Michigan over the course of their careers, they choose to remain in the city, an oft-forgotten nexus of creative musical energy, because as they put it, “we’re family centered and Detroit is where our family resides.” The creative pair always seems to bring it both on stage and in-recording. What is “it” you may ask? Something soulful, jazzy, powerful and intense, but smooth and subtle – the’ je ne sais quoi’ that follows all musical greats. Charles’s Story “My love of music began at an early age. I began taking piano lessons at Grinnell Brothers piano store in Downtown Detroit. Later, my mother bought an Whitney-Kimball upright piano from the same store, and I began having weekly lessons at home throughout elementary and junior high school. I still have that piano at my home today. I studied music and science at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, where I played piano in the jazz band and played in several bands. My first band was called “Hot Ice”. By the eleventh grade I was apart of my first serious project, the band Peyote. We were an all-purpose band; we liked to play anything from George Duke and Chick Corea to the Ohio Players. We were playing concerts, parties, and dances all over the city, and I began to get my first taste of being an arranger, arranging most of the music for the groups, as well as sharing the booking responsibilities. I went on to go to college at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor. I started off college pre-med, still torn between creating music and the social pressures to do something “safe”, that I could “make a living” at. In the end, I transferred to the Composition and Arranging Department of the School of Music, studying by day and playing professionally by night. I continued to play with the jazz band at the University of Michigan, and joined the music director, Lou Smith’s, band. I also played with a group called Solid force, started by a few frat brothers (Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.) over at Eastern Michigan University – we were gigging a minimum of 2-3 nights a week. On top of that, I was leading my own projects! It was tough to balance but prepared me for what it would be like as a professional. After graduation, I went to work as a drafter for my father’s architect & engineering firm before booking a tour with the Bride of Funkenstein with George Clinton. I went on to play with the group Martini, then the Ortheia Barnes Band – both were gigging 5 nights a week. The rhythm section of Ortheia’s band put together another group to work on the weekdays with Belita Woods (Brainstorm). One night, we needed a last minute sub for Belita, and Gwen just happened to know most of the tunes (she had gone on a break from singing at the time). Gwen sang and completely knocked it out of the park. She was the singer from then on out, and our duo evolved from that group. For every group I was a part of, I was always writing charts and arrangements, trying to push the envelope. Early on in my performance career, I decided to go back to school for studio engineering to become a producer as well. I joined Paragon Records as a staff producer/studio co-owner and got involved in various aspects of the music business, from contract review and negotiations to marketing and promotion, radio, etc. As an arranger and producer I’ve been able to work with Detroit staples like Kevin Saunderson, Gene Dunlap, Ron Otis, Al Turner, and Althea Renée. Later, I worked for a stint at Oracle Audio, composing and producing commercials. Today, I am focusing on producing new music for myself, Gwen, and our daughter, Lauren, who has been making waves of her own in the music scene. Every day that I get to wake up and create, I’m happy.” Gwen’s Story “My success began at an early age. I would waltz into the living room and start singing whatever song I had just heard over the radio. At about nine years of age, I happened upon a talent contest being sponsored by the Parks and Recreation Department of Detroit, and decided to enter on a whim. I sang a Motown selection and wowed the crowd – the judges voted me the winner! From that moment on I knew that I wanted to sing. As a teen I had access to lots of records – my step-father was a popular Detroit DJ- and had literally every R&B, Soul, and Jazz record available. After school, against his wishes, I would regularly go through his collection and play all the latest songs on his hi-tech stereo system. I would mimic the artists voices, close my eyes and imagine myself onstage. Some days I was Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson or Sarah Vaughn, while other days I was Aretha Franklin, Roberta Flack, or Chaka Kahn. I continued my musical education throughout high school, performing as a member of an all – female singing group. On our first gig, we sung three songs at a local night club (even though we were under age at the time). After the gig I was approached by the leader of a band who was also scheduled to play that day. He asked me if I wanted to be their singer. I said yes and I ended up performing with this band for the next several years. We were one of the top bands in the city at the time and performed every weekend at dances, concerts, and more. I honed my writing talents while pursuing a degree in journalism at Wayne State University. This balance of music and writing skills has revealed itself as a match made in heaven, as I believe that having something to say while singing is just as important as hitting all the right notes. Singing other people’s songs was never enough; I needed the freedom to showcase not only the voice resonating from my chest, but also the voice inside my head. Reflective songs about the dimensions of human relationships, commentaries of social issues affecting our society today, and songs about love are the topics most dear and close to my heart. I took those themes to “heart” (no pun intended) with the release of my debut solo album, “Love Is”, tackling many different kinds of love – agape, familial, friendship, partner or spouse relationships – from a lot of different angles. I saw international success with that record on Expansion Records, charting the Neo-Soul charts in England. I’m just happy I was able to communicate something it seemed like people needed to be expressed. I work to embody, both in life and in song, the change I want to see. Today, I continue to record and perform my music, and am constantly widening my horizons as a writer. Charles & I have new music we’ve been working on that I’m excited to release. I am also the founder of One Step Ahead, a non-profit organization committed to helping young people find scholarships to college, am a certified personal trainer, and have started my own health and wellness company, Health Options, dedicated to providing alternatives to sickness and over-medication through fitness and proper nutrition.” https://www.charlesandgwenscales.com/ https://www.discogs.com/artist/1183893-Charles-Gwen-Scales

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