Charlie Wilson of GAP Band fame turned the 2013 BET Awards out!! The 60 year old received the Lifetime Achievement Award and gave a knock down, drag out performance today’s younger artists should take note to. He is as relevant today as he was over 30 years ago when he and his brothers sang “Burn Rubber” and my all time favorite “Outstanding”! His new material refrains from sounding like an older man trying to be cool and hip. No! He is who he is; talented and focused! Unfortunately, SOME of today’s young artist are an ongoing production deal waiting to happen. I call this the “drive by” method of entertainment – drive by, perform, see if it catches on, and if not do a reality show about how he or she (or them) are grinding; and that’s cool.
Yet “Uncle Charlie” didn’t need a reality show. He did it the old fashioned way: engaged in hard work, sought out mentorship, and remained coachable. All of this after combating and beating addiction, dealing with a prostrate cancer diagnosis, and deciding to move forward. You see this story could have turned out differently; he could have been found dead due to a drug overdose like many of our great talents before. He could have made a half-assed attempt to make a come back, and quickly faded to black. However, he decided to dig deep and be Charlie Wilson; and we love him!!
Wilson mentioned that he “bridged” the generation gap. I agree. Thank you Uncle Charlie…last name Wilson! Well done.
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