Chuck E. Weiss

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Chuck E. Weiss
Birth nameCharles Edward Weiss
Born(1945-03-18)March 18, 1945
Denver, Colorado, U.S.
DiedJuly 20, 2021(2021-07-20) (aged 76)
Los Angeles, California
Occupation(s)Singer, songwriter, actor

Charles Edward Weiss

beat poetry, and rock and roll. His music included strains of every rhythmic style from nursery rhymes to zydeco
.

Early life

Weiss was born in Denver, Colorado, on March 18, 1945.[2] His parents owned a record store (The Record Center, 434 16th Street). Through his parents, and by spending time at a local music venue, Ebbetts Field, he met Lightnin' Hopkins. Hopkins was impressed with his drum playing and took him on tour, where Weiss had the opportunity to play with Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Roger Miller, Dr. John, and others.[3] Weiss was a disc jockey on alternative rock station KFML-FM-Denver in the early 1970s.[4][5]

Music

Weiss' first credited releases are on

Chuck E.'s In Love", from her 1979 debut album. At the time, Jones was linked romantically to Tom Waits. All three lived in the Tropicana Hotel in Los Angeles, in the middle of a fertile musical scene including Levi and the Rockats, Stray Cats, Black Flag, Frank Zappa and others.[8]

Weiss's first album, The Other Side of Town, was released in 1981.

Viper Room, which later became notorious when River Phoenix died there in 1993.[10] Weiss was featured on the 1990 album L.A. Ya Ya, a compilation of performances by Los Angeles–based blues artists.[11] In 1995, Weiss played on P's self-titled album. The band featured Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers and actor Johnny Depp.[12]

Weiss released his second album, Extremely Cool, in 1999, featuring extensive collaboration with

Fairfax District, where Weiss also played habitually. His regular band was called The Goddamn Liars.[16]

Weiss' next album after Extremely Cool, Old Souls & Wolf Tickets, was released in 2001. It was also produced by Gilkyson and is perhaps less reminiscent of Tom Waits and more redolent of

23rd & Stout, an album more reminiscent of Waits's 1980s output, featuring an exploration of many blues and rumba styles, as well as a tribute to Sterling Holloway, entitled "Sho' Is Cold".[19] Also featured is long time friend and collaborator, Diablo Dimes. In 2013, Weiss wrote and recorded "Anthem for Old Souls" for the Sea shanty-compilation Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys (2013).[20][21] In 2014, Weiss released Red Beans and Weiss, on the Anti- label.[16]

Television

Weiss acted in occasional bit parts on American television.

He made brief cameos on two 1990 Married... with Children episodes as a homeless man, and one on an episode of Brotherly Love, as Leo the garbage man in 1995. He also made an appearance on My Wife and Kids (2001-2005).[22][23]

In the May 14, 2002 episode of Gilmore Girls entitled "Lorelai's Graduation Day", Weiss appeared as the proprietor of a record store in New York City.[22]

Weiss was a frequent guest on Art Fein's Poker Party, a long running Public Access "Rock-n-Roll Talk Show" in the mid 1980s and early 1990s. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP_GrmYVF6c

Personal life

Weiss' gravestone in Denver's Fairmount Cemetery

Weiss was a lifelong bachelor and had no children. His next of kin was his older brother, Byron "Whiz" Weiss.[1]

Weiss died on July 20, 2021, in Los Angeles at the age of 76. He suffered from cancer prior to his death.[1][24]

References

  1. ^ a b c Roberts, Randall (July 22, 2021). "Chuck E. Weiss, musician and raconteur of 'Chuck E.'s in Love' fame, dies at 76". L.A. Times. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  2. ISBN 9781584653035
    .
  3. ^ "Chuck E. Weiss | Biography & History | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  4. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  5. ^ "Chuck E. Weiss: Mensch, Monkey, and Liar". www.riprense.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  6. ^ "Chuck E. Weiss and Rickie Lee Jones". Tomwaitsfan.com. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  7. ^ "Chuck E. Weiss discography". RateYourMusic.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  8. ^ "The Tom and Rickie show: Why the relationship of rock's superstar". The Independent. March 8, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  9. ^ "Chuck E. Weiss". Discogs. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  10. ^ "Chuck E. Weiss Biography". OLDIES.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  11. ^ Dougan, John. "L.A. Ya Ya - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
  12. ^ "P - P". Discogs. November 21, 1995. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  13. ISBN 9780813537795
    .
  14. ISBN 9780813537795
    .
  15. ^ Divola, Barry (May 8, 2014). "Chuck E stars in his own songs". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on July 22, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Stream Chuck E. Weiss's Red Beans and Weiss "American Songwriter". Americansongwriter.com. April 8, 2014. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  17. ^ "Album: Chuck E Weiss". The Independent. January 18, 2002. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  18. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  19. ^ "Album: Chuck E Weiss". The Independent. September 29, 2006. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  20. ^ Leggett, Steve (February 19, 2013). "Son of Rogues Gallery: Pirate Ballads, Sea Songs & Chanteys - Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved November 1, 2015.
  21. ^ "Anthem for Old Souls - Chuck E. Weiss | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  22. ^ a b "Chuck E. Weiss". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 22, 2021.
  23. ^ "Johnny Depp Rocks: Chuck E. Weiss". Johnnydepprocks.com. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  24. ^ "Rickie Lee Jones remembers Chuck E. Weiss: 'He was a Svengali to Tom Waits and everyone who knew him'". Msn.com. Retrieved July 21, 2021.

External links

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