Australian-born, Chicago-based guitarist MICHAEL CHARLES is preparing to return home for his Guitars, Music, and Miles 225 Tour this November, an annual pilgrimage that reconnects him with his roots and longtime fans. Speaking with Australian Musician’s Greg Phillips, the Grammy-elected, Chicago Blues Hall of Famer reflected warmly on his lifelong relationship with the guitar, his journey from the pubs of Melbourne to the stages of Chicago, and his enduring passion for performing and creating music.
MORE ABOUT THE MICHAEL CHARLES TOUR INTERVIEW
Raised in Coburg, Melbourne, Charles credits his father for sparking his lifelong love affair with the guitar. “There was always a guitar around the house,” he recalls. “My dad taught me basic chords, and from there, there was no looking back.” His early inspirations included guitar legends like Glen Campbell, whose technical brilliance and musicality still resonate deeply with him today.
By his teens, Charles was performing regularly in local bands, including his first serious outfit Black Venom, and working the Melbourne pub circuit in venues such as The Central Club and The Corner Hotel. Those early experiences, he says, laid the foundation for his career. “We all owe those corner pubs and their owners so much, that’s where Australian rock and blues really found its feet.”
His life changed dramatically in 1989, when management arranged for him to perform at Buddy Guy’s Legends in Chicago. What began as a two week invitation turned into a 36 year journey. “You don’t say no to Buddy Guy,” he laughs. “Meeting and playing alongside people like Junior Wells, Sugar Blue, and Jimmy Dawkins, it was surreal.” That initial experience evolved into a fully fledged career in the U.S., where Charles eventually became a citizen and an integral part of Chicago’s blues scene.
A turning point came when blues legend Jimmy Dawkins invited him on tour and allowed him to open the shows with his own material. “That changed everything,” Charles recalls. “It was the moment people really started to notice me as an artist in my own right.” Since then, he’s built a prolific body of work, with 41 releases and a relentless touring schedule that sees him perform around 120 shows a year across North America and Australia.
Charles’ upcoming Australian tour promises the same fiery, multi-genre blend of guitar-driven blues, rock, and roots that has defined his long career. While he jokes that each tour is “a continuation from 1984,” he’s committed to constantly improving and evolving as a performer. “It’s about growing, learning, and living up to the belief others have in you,” he says.
For this tour, Charles will reunite with drummer Winston Galea, whom he first met through the late Dutch Tilders some 35 years ago. “It’s going to be fun reconnecting,” he says. “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do.”
On stage, Charles remains a purist when it comes to tone. He tours with multiple guitars,Fender, PRS, Ovation, and Taylor among them and a customized amp originally built by Dex Audio’s Daniel Desire in Melbourne. “The tone’s in the fingers,” he insists. “I like a pure guitar sound – not too many effects, just that natural voice of the instrument.” His main Ovation acoustic, a gift from his first U.S. label in 1995, still travels with him everywhere. “I named it Jack after the man who gave it to me. Every time I play it, he’s there with me.”
Currently, Charles is recording both a new studio album and material for another live release due next year. His creative process remains instinctive. “I’ve never sat down and said, ‘I’m going to write a song,’” he explains. “Songs just come naturally from something I’m playing, or from a story that moves me.”
Reflecting on his proudest milestones, Charles points to his induction into the Chicago Blues Hall of Fame. “That one touched me,” he admits. “I still see myself as that kid from Coburg with a guitar in his hands.”
As he gears up for his Australian run, Charles remains deeply grateful to his audiences. “Every time I step on an Australian stage and see people still coming out to see me, it blows me away,” he says. “After all these years, I’m still doing what I love and my fingers haven’t fallen off the neck yet.”
The Guitars, Music, and Miles 225 Tour will see Michael Charles celebrating four decades of guitar mastery with the same unrelenting energy that’s defined his remarkable journey from Melbourne’s corner pubs to the heart of Chicago’s blues legacy.