Charlie Waller passes – THE Country Gentleman

Oh boy…..

I just listened to his new CD 2 days ago. I will never forget a private conversation I had with him in the 70’s, well before I got into the radio biz. I was at a festival in Shade Gap, Pa and Waller was in his prime. No one came close to his voice. He told me about a woman he had met in China during a tour who he wanted to marry. Who the heck was I that he opened up to me at a water fountain? I was so flattered. He was one of my heroes. Along with John Duffey, now 2/3 of the original Country Gentleman harmony is gone. Six years later at another festival in Geneva , Ohio, of all places, Eddie Adcock, now the lone original member, told me how the three of them would match inflections in intricate detail without ever talking about it in advance. Adcock looked me in the eye and swore that they were experiencing a psychic connection on stage, changing their trios on the spot at many performances. Call it what you like, the results were magic. Charlie Waller was a legend.