From the website:
Charles Pettee’s fresh approach to the traditional arts of flatpicking and folksinging began during his childhood in Asheville, NC, where he started on guitar and mandolin at an early age. He is co-founder of Flying Fish recording artist The Shady Grove Band from Chapel Hill, NC, which has delighted audiences across the US, Canada, and Europe for over twenty years. His distinctive mandolin style, voice, and original compositions are an essential part of the group’s appeal and garner airplay in over twenty foreign countries. Charles Pettee & FolkPsalm, founded in 2004, has a reputation for musical integrity, professionalism, and ability to inspire. Through their performance, the 3,000 year old sacred poems of the Hebrews – the Psalms – sound startlingly contemporary in their deeply human expressions of ecstasy, dread, defiance, and hope in the hands of these fine NC musicians. Charles has hosted workshops on both guitar and mandolin technique at some of the most prestigious music festivals in the US and Europe (including Walnut Valley Festival, Winfield, KS, and MerleFest, Wilkesboro, NC). Charles has been the driving force behind Chuck and the Waggin’Ears for over twenty years. They have delighted audiences at clubs, festivals, and special events with their blend of traditional bluegrass and original compositions. The Waggin’Ears have the spontaneity and joy of good friends making the music they love, combined with the stage presence and audience appeal of the seasoned professionals that they are. Charles also offers school programs called “Hear the Sound” which share the history of southern string music with audiences of all ages and cultural backgrounds. Either solo, or with The Shady Grove Band, or Chuck and the Waggin’Ears, he has performed over 3500 shows in his twenty years as a professional musician.