Marietta, GA
The piano lessons began at age twelve. Reluctantly, of course. However, my piano teacher, Ms. Rollin, was just out of college and really pretty. And that made all the difference (at least to me).
But over time, I came to appreciate the instrument itself (and I seemed to have a little bit of a knack for it). Of course, I was the ‘difficult piano’ student, always “adding stuff that wasn’t there” to the music. Fortunately, Ms. Rollin was a patient teacher and guided me, channeling my energies in positive directions. She also got married, at which point, my unrequited love for my teacher turned into full out love for the piano.
And being born into a musical family didn’t hurt either. I started performing (professionally) with my father at age fifteen. This was at various Elks Clubs, Moose Clubs and others places like that around the Upper-state South Carolina area. Pretty much any place with antler!. This continued on through high school (which also included another great piano teacher, Ms. Bridges).
Once in college, I was faced with a decision… music or something else. Music was the obvious choice. I had a scholarship offer and a love of performance. But, I didn’t really want to teach. And frankly, all of the musicians that I personally knew at the time were either teaching or starving.
So, being a Taurus (and a very practical person), I went into Computer Science (which I also seemed to have a knack for), while continuing music on the side. This went on throughout college, both undergraduate and graduate school. Even got my MS in Computer Science from Clemson University. Go Tigers!
Once out of school, real life (as they say) began. A series of jobs, a marriage, two beautiful daughters - Lauren and Sarah, several moves across several states, a divorce, another marriage (to a wonderful woman - Sharon). It has been an interesting ride.
And through it all, I’ve always had my music, primarily in the form of special event bands across the southeast. Currently, I’m the band leader for a phenomenal group of musicians called ‘The Neons’ (of which more can be found at http://www.theNeons.com). I’ve truly been blessed in my musical career, working with lots of great people in all access of the events industry.
The band is great, but my first love has always been the piano. Since those first early days, I’ve arranged, re-arranged and re-re-arranged songs, time and time again for the instrument. And yes, I’ve been influenced by many wonderful artists… Stan Kenton, George Winston, Vince Guaraldi, Oscar Peterson, Rick Wakeman, Billy Joel, John Williams, etc.., etc… the list goes on and on. Probably, to some degree, I’ve been influenced by every song I’ve heard, every artist I’ve listened to and every concert I’ve attended. Obviously, some more than others, but all important. And if you listen closely, you can hear these influences in my playing and arrangements.
So, after years of performing with other people, I felt it was time for me to do something with just me and the piano. A Christmas Album. Because while I love all music, I’ve always been a huge lover of all things ‘Christmas’. This was instilled in me by my Mom, who was also a huge lover of all things ‘Christmas’. And the end result was all of my recent efforts: my first solo CD, ‘In The Spirit Of Christmas’ (and yes, there will be others), the website (http://www.ChuckCape.com), the videos, etc.., etc… It’s been an absolute blast doing all of this. And the best part is, it’s just getting started.
One special note… None of this would have been possible without the support and love of my beautiful wife, Sharon. She’s truly the light of my life.
I just wanted to say thank you to Matthew and SoloPiano.com for making me the current featured artist. It’s quite the honor and I truly appreciate it. Thanks! - Chuck
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