I've been watching-we've been watching you.' And she said, `Are you serious about being clean and sober?' And I said, `I'm trying to get it now, you know?' And she said, `Well, what are you going to do when you get out of here?' And I said, `I don't have anywhere to go,' 'cause I was graduating the Wednesday following that Friday. The head of the department, she said, `Let me just ask you a question. And when I was really homeless and I ended up going to this rehabilitation center in Acton, California-and now we're getting toward the end of my program. We even took-the music part left out.ĭrugs-alcohol and drugs destroy dreams, 'cause I had lost everything. And after just a long period of time it was just sex and drugs. When The Gap Band got in the music business, it was sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll. WILSON: You know, it was a struggle 'cause basically I really didn't think there was a way out.
GORDON: Charlie, when you talk about longevity one might look at your history, and had we stopped some years back we'd have thought, `We're not going to hear from Charlie Wilson,' because you had run into-as many musicians and entertainers do-the world of drugs and alcohol. Dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dooby dah.
This is what represents The Gap Band'-what song would you pick? GORDON: What song of The Gap Band-if you had to pick one that said, `This is us. THE GAP BAND: (Singing) You're burning, girl, to change my world. WILSON: And to believe that it would last this long and be in the clubs this long or for me to even be still singing this long is a blessing in itself. (Soundbite of "You Dropped A Bomb On Me") We only was recording from our heart and just making music that felt good. I would-not an inkling of an idea that it would last this long, either. WILSON: No, I wouldn't never had an idea. Coming out of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Charlie, would you have ever imagined that you would have been the kind of R&B staple that you've become? We should note that The Gap Band, really, formed by you and your brother, and then as one dropped out your other brother came to the group. Charlie, let me take you back to the day when you all formed. I was listening to the CD the other day and singing and you know I threw my name up in there, so I think we all do it. GORDON: I'm going to tell the truth, Charlie. Last name Wilson-Wilson.Ī lot of people don't want to admit that they've been using the line, but you've been using the line. How you doin'? How you doin'? My name is Charlie-Charlie. Now that I'm in this club, I might as well. It's time to share this fortune and fame-dream-with someone else. It's just a great way-it's a great pick-up line, and everybody's been using it. I had a show the other night in Memphis, Tennessee, where I said, `I know you guys have been dying and you ladies have been dying to put your name in this song, so don't play.' So everybody started laughing, so I started the song back up and let everybody put their name in it. (Soundbite of "Charlie, last name Wilson") I was wondering if I could take you out, show you a good time, invite you to my house. CHARLIE WILSON (Singer): First of all, we just thought it'd be a great way to reintroduce myself to the world, to just simply say, `Hey girl, how you doing? My name is Charlie, last name Wilson. Charlie Wilson has just released his latest solo album, called "Charlie, last name Wilson," and it's one of the hottest records in the country. Their longevity and continued popularity is due in great part to the voice up front. GORDON: Gap Band recorded albums well into the 1990s and remain a popular act on the road. I never, ever had a lover who put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber on me, Charlie. THE GAP BAND: (Singing) Never, ever had a lover who put the pedal to the metal and burn rubber on me, Charlie. Some of their classic hits include "Outstanding," "You Dropped A Bomb On Me" and their first number-one single, "Burn Rubber." The Gap Band became one of the most successful groups of the golden era of black music. Twenty-five years ago, Charlie Wilson, along with his brothers Robert and Ronnie, topped the black music charts.