Pianist, Vocalist, Composer, Arranger, Songwriter, Producer, Business Owner – this dynamic duo has racked up quite a few titles between them over their 20+ plus years in the music business. Known domestically and internationally, Charles and Gwen have shared the stage with such artists as Patti LaBelle, Phyllis Hyman, Najee, and Hamilton Bohannon; have performed for presidents, governors, and mayors; have produced national and international recording artists such as Gwendolyn Joy, Gene Dunlap, David McMurray, Ron Otis, Al Turner, and Althea Rene; run their own entertainment agency (CGS Entertainment) and record label (Big Axle Music); and regularly perform at least 200 dates a year. Based out of their hometown of Detroit, Michigan over the course of their careers, they choose to remain in the city, an oft-forgotten nexus of creative musical energy, because as they put it, “we’re family centered and Detroit is where our family resides.”
Career Highlights
- Performed for President Bill Clinton
- Opened for Phyllis Hyman & Najee
- Performed for Vice-President Al Gore
- Performed alongside Patti LaBelle
- Opened for Hamilton Bohannon
- Winner of Best Jazz Vocalist, The Detroit Music Awards
- Performed for the Mayor Dennis Archer Inauguration, Detroit
- Toured with David Peaston (Warner Bros.)
- Performed with members of Chapter 8 (Anita Baker) and Valerie Pinkston (Luther Vandross)
- Opened for the O’Jays
- Featured Entertainment on Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines
- Played the Former Los Angeles Amphitheater
- Owners of CGS Entertainment, Inc.
- Performed at the Detroit Jazz Festival
- Owners of Big Axle Music
- Performed for Hillary Clinton
- Toured the continental US, Japan, and the United Kingdom
- Played Chene Park (Detroit, MI)
- Performed with Earl Klugh
- Performed for Governor James Blanchard (Michigan)
- Played the Hammersmith (England)
- Performed with Blue Note Recording artist David McMurray, alongside Bob James and The Rippingtons
- Played the Songbird (Yokohama, Japan)
- Featured Entertainment on Celebrity Cruise Lines
- Performed at the Montreux – Detroit Jazz Festival with the Johnny Trudell Orchestra, filmed on CBS
- Featured on Fox 2 News, Fox 4 News, Radio Stations WXYZ, 90.9
- Performed at Jazz on the River; Arts, Beats & Eats; and Detroit Taste Festivals
Affiliations
- International Federation of Musicians (FIM)
- American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, of Commerce (ASCAP)
- Broadcast Music, Inc, (BMI)
- The Mechanical – Copyright Protection Society Limited (UK)
- Budweiser
- Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.
- National Professionals Network (NPN)
- Detroit Regional Chamber of Commerce
- Michigan Minority Supplier Development Council (MMSDC)