Biography

Formed in 2001, Baby Charles built up a strong reputation as a compelling live attraction schooled in late-'60s funk before signing to the Milan-based Record Kicks label. Their early singles "No Controlling Me" and "Back of My Hand" were followed by their acclaimed rework of the Arctic Monkeys' "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" in 2008. By now the Brighton-based ten-piece -- Dionne Charles (vocals), Simon Hill (bass), Alex Kirkwood (drums), Toby Sendall (guitar), Lee Nicklen (organ), Oliver Minkley (percussion), Sigi Beare (saxophones), Natasha Gawlinski (saxophone), Georgina Carrol (flute) and Will Rumfitt (trombone) -- had gotten the attention of the U.K. funk/soul cognoscenti. Their run of heavyweight funk singles and debut self-titled long-player earned plaudits from Gilles Peterson, Snowboy, Keb Darge, Jazzman Gerald, DJ Andy Smith, and Mark LaMarr, with the latter contributing sleeve notes to Baby Charles (2008). Despite the acclaim for their self-produced and largely self-written opener, however, this was to be Baby Charles' final release with the outfit disbanding in 2010. Former BC players went on to form Beta Hector and retro-R&B outfit Derriere, among others. ~ Matthew Garbutt, Rovi