After graduating in 1952, he signed to Cadillac Records and released his first single, ‘Boogie Woogie Blues’, which led to his first appearance on American Bandstand. In 1956, the new Cameo label in Philadelphia signed him, and his first single for them, ‘Butterfly’, went to number one for jukebox plays on the Billboard chart.The song sold over two million copies and earned Charlie a gold disc. It was followed by ‘Fabulous’, a Top 20 hit in the US and a Top Ten hit in the UK, and ‘Wanderin’ Eyes’ provided his third Billboard hit and another Top Ten hit in the UK.

He appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show and in the 1957 rock and roll film Jamboree, and played on major tours with such artists as Chuck Berry, the Everly Brothers, Bo Diddley and his close friend Eddie Cochran. Charlie was also a great admirer of Buddy Holly. In 1957, he became only the second American rock and roll artist to tour Britain, returning the following year and headlining major UK venues including the Liverpool Empire and the Birmingham Hippodrome. Future members of the Hollies and The Beatles were among his audiences, including lifelong fans Graham Nash and George Harrison, who was a big admirer of his guitar technique.

Charlie was an inductee of the Broadcast Pioneers of Philadelphia Hall of Fame, the Rockabilly Hall of Fame and the British Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was welcomed into the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation in 2018 while performing at a UK festival in Pakefield, Suffolk. He returned to play the same venue less than a month before he died in December 2022. 

Mike Read