Charlie was born in Shenandoah, IA. in 1937. His family moved to Springfield, MO. three years later. My father spent most of his childhood in Springfield.
Springfield is the largest city in the Ozarks. The years he spent there playing hillbilly music were very important to Charlie. In 2008, he recorded Charlie Haden Family & Friends: Rambling Boy in Nashville, TN. He was finally able to put several songs from his youth onto disc. He performed them live at the Grand Ol’ Opry, at the Montreal Jazz Festival, New York’s Lincoln Center, and the David Letterman Show.
Charlie kept in touch with childhood friends, and, over the years, made sure to introduce himself to historians covering the area. He owned several books regarding the Ozark Mountain areas of Springfield, Forsythe, Branson, and other places where he grew up. When The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits (3rd book pictured below) was released in 2005, he purchased about thirty copies directly from the author to give to us kids and to his pals.
All books pictured below are from the Collection of Charlie Haden. Solid, Jackson.
Front cover. Jim McGuire, Nashville Portraits. 2007, Lyons Press. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Flyleaf. Jim McGuire, Nashville Portraits. 2007, Lyons Press. USA. Inscribed to Charlie Haden & Ruth Cameron by Jim McGuire. Undated. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Front cover. Jim McGuire, Historic Photos Of The Opry: Ryman Auditorium, 1974. 2007, Turner Publishing. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Flyleaf. Jim McGuire, Historic Photos Of The Opry: Ryman Auditorium, 1974. 2007, Turner Publishing. USA. Inscribed to Charlie Haden & Ruth Cameron by Jim McGuire. Undated. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Front cover. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. 2005. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Charlie Haden, notes on Charlie Haden Family & Friends: Rambling Boy recording session. 2008. Inserted in Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Charlie Haden, notes on Charlie Haden Family & Friends: Rambling Boy recording session. 2008. Inserted in Wayne Glenn, The Ozarks’ Greatest Hits: A Photo History of Music in the Ozarks. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Front cover. Cliff and Vi Edom, Ozark Photo Album. 1983. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Haden Family on front cover of Gateway Heritage, Spring 1991 issue. Missouri Historical Society. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Gateway Heritage, Spring 1991 issue. Missouri Historical Society. USA. Inscribed to Charlie Haden by author Edgar D. McKinney. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Interior page. Gateway Heritage, Spring 1991 issue. Missouri Historical Society. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
Front cover. Reta Spears-Stewart, Remembering The Ozark Jubilee. 1993, Stewart, Dillbeck, & White. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.,
Front cover. Frank Reuter, ed., In The Heart Of Ozark Mountain Country. 1992, White Oak Press. USA. From the collection of Charlie Haden.
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I was born in a tiny town in SE Kansas near Joplin, MO. I used to go to summer camp right outside of Branson [Lake Taneycomo]. I went to university in Nashville; after that I visited friends in Springfield, MO annually.
Oh, & I got into jazz via my room mate @ Vanderbilt, when I was 17. I only liked the good stuff, so I got to know Charlie via all the early Ornette records. I have all his Quartet West records, plus every recording of his from the '89 Montreal Jazz Festival.
I live in Sydney now. Charlie played here in '81 with Old & New Dreams, & in 2014 @ Sydney Opera House with Quartet West [I saw the latter]. I did see him play with Jack DeJohnette's Directions @ the Village Vanguard, September, 1976 sitting in for the third set.
No wonder I felt like I knew your father!
ps My name is Charlie, also.
ppps I like all styles of music. Country AND Western!
Living in a small country as I do (Slovenia, 2 milion people) a freelance musician simply cannot afford to be exclusivist and play only "country" or only "free jazz". But I only realised that later on. Because for me playing MUSIC instead of a STYLE or GENRE or SCHOOL has only been natural. I have been more than lucky to be raised in an environment where it never really mattered which "style" the music was. Every since I can remember we (my family) attended concerts and listened to records of all kinds: Golden Gate Quartet, Mozart, our traditional folk, Satchmo, Beatles, Duke Ellington, Vivaldi, to name just the internationally known. Pop radio, jazz festival, simphony, you name it. I am eternally grateful to my parents for that. It not only benefited me when I became a freelancer, I firmly believe it benefited me as a human being. Anyway, excuse me for going on about myself. What I actualy wanted to say is that right here it should be aknowledged yet again what a magical path Charlie had walked - from the two year old Yodelling Cowboy to the worldwide touring of all the bands he was a part of. Truly amazing! Humbling and inspiring. And a lesson in humanity.
Old Home Week;
I was born in a tiny town in SE Kansas near Joplin, MO. I used to go to summer camp right outside of Branson [Lake Taneycomo]. I went to university in Nashville; after that I visited friends in Springfield, MO annually.
Oh, & I got into jazz via my room mate @ Vanderbilt, when I was 17. I only liked the good stuff, so I got to know Charlie via all the early Ornette records. I have all his Quartet West records, plus every recording of his from the '89 Montreal Jazz Festival.
I live in Sydney now. Charlie played here in '81 with Old & New Dreams, & in 2014 @ Sydney Opera House with Quartet West [I saw the latter]. I did see him play with Jack DeJohnette's Directions @ the Village Vanguard, September, 1976 sitting in for the third set.
No wonder I felt like I knew your father!
ps My name is Charlie, also.
ppps I like all styles of music. Country AND Western!
;)
Living in a small country as I do (Slovenia, 2 milion people) a freelance musician simply cannot afford to be exclusivist and play only "country" or only "free jazz". But I only realised that later on. Because for me playing MUSIC instead of a STYLE or GENRE or SCHOOL has only been natural. I have been more than lucky to be raised in an environment where it never really mattered which "style" the music was. Every since I can remember we (my family) attended concerts and listened to records of all kinds: Golden Gate Quartet, Mozart, our traditional folk, Satchmo, Beatles, Duke Ellington, Vivaldi, to name just the internationally known. Pop radio, jazz festival, simphony, you name it. I am eternally grateful to my parents for that. It not only benefited me when I became a freelancer, I firmly believe it benefited me as a human being. Anyway, excuse me for going on about myself. What I actualy wanted to say is that right here it should be aknowledged yet again what a magical path Charlie had walked - from the two year old Yodelling Cowboy to the worldwide touring of all the bands he was a part of. Truly amazing! Humbling and inspiring. And a lesson in humanity.