BETHALTO - Charlie Brown is not a normal teacher.
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Before he taught culinary arts at Civic Memorial High School, Brown lived in Nashville, where he wrote and recorded songs. You might recognize Brown’s name on Blake Shelton’s “Pure B.S.” album with the song “What I Wouldn’t Give,” also recorded by Lila McCann. When Shelton released the song, Brown knew he had hit it big. And then he did what most people wouldn’t: He came home.
“I just wanted to be home,” he said. “I just knew I was a Riverbend guy, so I came back to my roots.”
Brown grew up in Wood River, where he and his family listened to music constantly. In college, he saved up enough money to buy a guitar and taught himself how to play.
He wanted to be a teacher, but he couldn’t ignore the calling he felt toward music. After a few years teaching at East Alton-Wood River High School, he pulled the trigger and moved to Tennessee.
To Brown, Nashville was a “five-year town”; “You stick around five years and see if something cool happens,” he explained. He made quick friends with other singer-songwriters, including Luke Bryan and Tommy Karlas, who convinced him to stay when his five years were up.
Seven years into teaching in Tennessee, and “some really cool things happened.” Shelton picked up “What I Wouldn’t Give.” Brown talked his way backstage at a Shelton concert and met the artist, who told him to keep writing.
Though Brown ultimately moved back to the Riverbend region, he didn’t slow down. His “really cool wife” urged him to start writing on a schedule, so Brown spends three nights a week in their backyard “Song Shack,” a converted garage where he writes and plays music. His summer breaks are filled with music.
He still releases two or three new songs a year, and he’s currently crowdfunding for his sixth album project. The Kickstarter campaign is live through the month of February. Brown hopes to raise enough money to record this album.
“I actually have enough [songs] for three or four albums,” he said. “But recording just takes a lot of money. It’s so dang expensive. So what I usually do is save up and I’ll record a song and release it and then I’ll wait three or four months and save up some more money. With the Kickstarter, I’m hoping I can knock out a whole album.”
While he is asking for the community’s help, he noted that his students have always been “really supportive.” He often brings his guitar to class and strums a few songs in between lessons. Once, he wrote a diss track poking fun at the Civic Memorial high schoolers, and they helped him film a music video.
“I wouldn’t say I’m the normal teacher,” he laughed. “I run the class and I teach the curriculum like I’m supposed to, but I’m not afraid to get down to their level and ask them what’s going on in their life and say, ‘Hey, I got a new song, want to hear it?’ And try to be a real person, I guess.”
The diss track was fun, but his current album project is a little more personal, and Brown decided to write honestly about the affection he feels toward his students. His song “Parking Lot Prayers” details the prayer he says every morning for his students, asking God for guidance as he helps them chase their dreams and think bigger than their life circumstances.
“This song just poured out,” he said. “I just love writing songs. And the teaching gig, I love spending time with those students.”
As Brown prepares for his sixth album project, he hopes he is able to record his songs soon and distribute them throughout the Riverbend region and beyond. He believes there’s value in writing honestly about his experiences as a teacher and a songwriter, and he looks forward to sharing that unique perspective through his music.
“The more honest you are with your writing and the deeper you dig, the more success you have,” he added. “The bottom line is, I hope they like the songs that I’m so excited to get out to them.”
For more information about Charlie Brown, visit his official website at CharlieBrownSongwriter.com or check out his TikTok page @CharlieBrownSongwriter. You can learn more about his forthcoming album project or donate at the official Kickstarter campaign page.
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