Craig Charles

Born in Liverpool in 1964, Craig Charles first worked as a performance poet and club/cabaret performer on the British circuit in the early 1980s before expanding his career into television, radio and DJing. Musically he operates chiefly within funk and soul, placing particular emphasis on rare groove, disco, boogie and connections to jazz‑funk and northern soul. Since 2002 he has presented The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show on BBC Radio 6 Music; the programme has become the cornerstone of his musical activity and is complemented by numerous sets at clubs and festivals in the UK and internationally. His approach mixes classic selections, reissues, new releases and independent‑scene artists in a dance‑oriented aesthetic rooted in soundsystem, radio and British dancefloor culture. In 2009 he also launched the Fantasy Funk Band, a collective of musicians from the British funk scene. Recordings issued under his name are mainly compilations: The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club (2012), The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club 2 (2013), The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club 3 (2014) and Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club Classics (2015).