Chuck Prophet is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and producer. A Californian, Prophet first achieved notice in the American rock group Green on Red, whom he toured and recorded with in the 1980s. He has also recorded a number of solo records, and gained prominence as a musician and songwriter. His composition shave been covered by musicians like Alejandro Escovedo, Solomon Burke, Heart, Kim Carnes, Peter Wolf, Kim Richey, Carter's Chord, Chris Knight and Kelly Willis. He has toured with Memphis producer and pianist Jim Dickinson, who recorded Prophet's "Hungry Town". In Nashville, Tennessee Prophet and songwriter Kim Richey penned "I'm Gone", a top-40 country hit in 2002 for singer Cyndi Thomson. He records and tours with his wife Stephanie Finch, who is a singer, keyboardist and guitarist.
Life and work
Chuck Prophet was born in Whittier, California. Prophet's father appears briefly in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle. After recording one E.P. and eight albums with rock group Green on Red, he released his first solo record Brother Aldo on Fire Records in 1990. He has worked as a sideman or session musician with many artists, including Bob Neuwirth, Kelly Willis, Aimee Mann, Warren Zevon, Jonathan Richman, Lucinda Williams and Cake. He has frequently collaborated with songwriter Dan Penn and Jim Dickinson.
Prophet was signed to New West Records by Peter Jesperson in 2002 after the label promised to pay off his touring van. He made two records for New West: No Other Love and Age of Miracles. After years of mostly European and UK success, 2002’s No Other Love was a breakthrough record for Prophet stateside due to the success of the summer single "Summertime Thing" and endorsements from Lucinda Williams, who gave him the opening slot for her summer tour.
The song "No Other Love" was covered by the rock group Heart at the suggestion of Cameron Crowe. It was also featured in an episode of the television series The L Word, and the film P.S. I Love You.
Chuck Prophet parted with New West Records in 2005 after a restaurant tab argument involving an extra order of garlic bread.
Recorded in San Francisco and Nashville, 2007's Soap and Water received critical praise. Prophet toured Europe and North America in support of the album and appeared with his band on The Late Show With David Letterman, and Last Call with Carson Daly.
Prophet has contributed to several Kelly Willis records, and produced 2007's Translated From Love for Rykodisc. Willis and Prophet co-wrote six of the albums tracks and Prophet played guitar throughout.
Prophet has released a limited-edition work entitled Dreaming Waylon's Dreams, which he recorded in San Francisco. The record re-creates Waylon Jennings' 1975 country album Dreaming My Dreams in its entirety and features, among others, members of American Music Club and Meat Beat Manifesto.
In 2008 Prophet co-wrote Alejandro Escovedo's Real Animal, to which he also contributed guitar and vocals.
Raisins in the Sun was a one-off collaboration with Jules Shear, Harvey Brooks, Paul Q. Kolderie, Jim Dickinson, Sean Slade, and Winston Watson, recorded in May 1999 and released by Rounder Records two years later.
Chuck appears as an actor playing The Connection in Revolution Summer, a film directed by Miles Matthew Montalbano and produced by Jonathan Richman.
Chuck contributed "You Did" (bomp shooby doobie bomp) as the theme song to the "smart, original, and horrifically funny" Teeth (film). Chuck's song Love Won't Keep Us Apart is featured in the FX program Sons of Anarchy.
"You Did" was also featured in the closing credits of the HBO series True Blood episode "Keep This Party Going" (S02E02).
In May 2009, Prophet along with a cast of characters including Ernest "Boom" Carter headed to Mexico City to record a collection of "political songs for non political people". ¡Let Freedom Ring! will be released on October 27, 2009 on Yep Roc.
The Mission Express
The "Mission Express" is a bus line that runs through Chuck's neighborhood and is the name of Chuck's current band.
The lineup:
- Stephie Finch: (singing, Vox organ)
- Kevin White: (bass guitar)
- Todd Roper: (drums, vocals)
- James Deprato: (guitar, lap steel)
Selected discography
Solo
- Brother Aldo (1990)
- Balinese Dancer (1992)
- Feast of Hearts (1995)
- Homemade Blood (1997)
- The Hurting Business (1999)
- Turn the Pigeons Loose (2002)
- No Other Love (2002)
- Age of Miracles (2004)
- Soap and Water (2007)
- Dreaming Waylon's Dreams (2007)
- Let Freedom Ring (2009)
Other contributions
with Green on Red
- Gas Food Lodging (1985)
- "No Free Lunch" ( Mercury, 1985)
- The Killer Inside Me (1987)
- Here Come the Snakes (1988)
- "Live at the Town & County (China 1988)
- "This Time Around (China, 1989)
- "Scapegoats (China, 1991)
- "Too Much Fun (China, 1992)
- "Live at the Rialto" (2005)
- "BBC Sessions (Cooking Vinyl, 2006)
External links
