Charlie Ainley

Charlie Ainley – The Way It Was

From the past to the present 

Charlie Ainley was an intriguing songwriter and singer whose long career began in 1974 with his country rock band, Charlie and the Wideboys.  Signed to Anchor Records during the pub rock era, the band’s repertoire reflected Charlie’s influences which included Bo Diddley, the Rolling Stones, George Jones, Gene Clarke and Waylon Jennings.  Charlie’s quest to craft country music with an English sensibility was one he pursued throughout his life.  

Sadly, Charlie left us in August 2020 but his long-time friends and collaborators Simon Fraser and Rick Worthy have taken twelve new songs that Charlie was working on just before his untimely death and completed them with the help of some talented musicians and singers. The result is The Way It Was, a finely crafted blend of English Americana. Charlie had strong opinions on how his music should be presented and might well have said: “Yes but - why? Isn’t the first take the best?”  

After the Wideboys crashed and burned in the mid-Seventies, Charlie found new management with John Gilbert and Neil Aspinall, renowned for their work with the Beatles, and signed with EMI in the UK and CBS in the US.  He released two solo albums, Too Much Is Not Enough in 1977, followed by a quick American tour and Bang Your Door the following year.  But by then musical styles had moved into a new era and, with a lack of opportunities in London and a growing family of four children, Charlie left London and took up the country life in Somerset in the mid Eighties where he worked as a house restorer. 

But though his life had taken a different track, Charlie never stopped writing songs.  He was well read; his favourite authors being Virginia Woolf and John Le Carré and his lyrics were driven by a strong, captivating narrative, the musical equivalent of a short story.

In 2016 together with some of his old band - The Wideboys - Charlie released “Far Away in the West”. This was a 5 track 10” vinyl EP that showed off Charlie’s more considered songwriting skills and was supported by gigs in Somerset and Cornwall. 

The twelve tracks that form The Way It Was were all written and recorded in 2018 and 2019, reflecting a maturity that nonetheless stays true to his songwriting skills, be it in the humour of the raucous Insolvency Blues, a paean to the simple country life in the title track or Stoney Broken Lane, a love song about an epic but short-lived affair.

Charlie Ainley was a perennial ball of energy and had a wicked and immediate sense of humour.  His arrival anywhere always seemed a major event, and the room was lit by his sheer force of personality.  His sensitivity to human emotion and relationships was tender and empathetic, and though he could be challenging, he was never overbearing.  In later years his insistence on kindness and consideration were always to the fore.  The Times crossword, good food and James Bond films amused him and he loved driving his red pick-up truck which features on the cover of the album.  He is greatly missed by his family and his many friends who all have funny and alarming Charlie stories to enjoy.

This record is a reminder of his inherent ability to express universal emotions and thoughts with skill and a tender heart.

Charlie Ainley – The Way It Was