‘Songs For Charlie: Volume 1’ Announced, ft. Christian Lee Hutson, Ohtis, Johanna Samuels and more
Above: cover art for ‘Songs For Charlie: Volume 1
SONGS FOR CHARLIE: VOLUME 1
10-TRACK ALBUM SET FOR FRIDAY, MAY 14 RELEASE
FEATURING:
ADAM BRISBIN, CHRISTIAN LEE HUTSON (ANTI– RECORDS), DYLAN RODRIGUE, EVA B. ROSS, JACK SYMES, JOHANNA SAMUELS (MAMA BIRD RECORDS), JACKSONPORT, NICK CIANCI, OHTIS (SADDLE CREEK RECORDS), STEVEN VAN BETTEN, WILL FOX, WILSEN (SECRET CITY RECORDS)
AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY ON BANDCAMP WITH ALL PROCEEDS GOING TO
501c3 NONPROFIT, SONG FOR CHARLIE
NASHVILLE, TN (April 29, 2021) — The music community has come together to honor the life of Charlie Ternan, and they do so by recording an album of what were his favorite songs—spanning decades and genres. Set for release on Friday, May 14, the anniversary of Charlie’s accidental fentanyl poisoning and death, the beautifully executed 10-track album features artists such as: Adam Brisbin, Christian Lee Hutson (ANTI– Records), Dylan Rodrigue, Eva B. Ross, Jack Symes, Johanna Samuels (Mama Bird Records), Jacksonport, Nick Cianci, Ohtis (Saddle Creek), Steven Van Betten, Will Fox, Wilsen (Secret City Records) and others.
The album, Songs For Charlie: Volume 1, will be exclusively available on Bandcamp with all proceeds going to the Song For Charlie 501c3 nonprofit that made headlines earlier this year when it launched to raise awareness about the emerging dangers of self-medication and casual drug use in the fentanyl era. The nonprofit also works with kids and schools to raise awareness and encourage healthier strategies for coping with stress. Click here to watch Ed and Mary Ternan discuss their son’s tragic passing and why they founded the Song For Charlie nonprofit on NBC’s TODAY show (aired February 2021).
Thinking he was buying a Percocet from a dealer on Snapchat, Charlie was actually sold a counterfeit pill made of fentanyl. Charlie was just one of several who died in Santa Clara County that weekend from the same cause and is one of thousands who have died from fentanyl poisoning in the United States in this last year alone.
“I was immediately drawn to this project as someone that has lost multiple loved ones in my life to suicide and struggled with the many weights that come out of loving an addict,” shares Johanna Samuels who recorded an inspired rendition of Nirvana’s “Lithium” for Songs For Charlie: Volume 1. “With fentanyl, our country has swiftly and heartlessly raised the frequency with which Americans are quite literally killed for profit and my heart breaks for the many struck by these tragedies. The songs on this record all strike chords with me as ones I grew up with...honored to be a part of such a beautiful project.”
Orchestrating the Songs For Charlie: Volume 1 project is L.A.-based singer-songwriter Jack Symes. Symes was a dear friend of Charlie and penned the original, “Song For Charlie,” that concludes the album’s flowing ten-song collection.
“I wrote ‘Song For Charlie’ the day that Charlie passed in May 2020,” says Symes. “Immediately after hearing the news. I was in North Carolina staying with my girlfriend’s family and I just isolated myself out on their dock for the day with a notebook and guitar. Even though I was surrounded by her amazing family, I felt really alone and far from home. I think writing the song that day was the only kind of therapy I could get into since I was so far from anyone that knew Charlie. I recorded it the following day on a Zoom handy recorder and sent the demo to Charlie’s family and a couple close friends, and that too was a really difficult thing to do. It was all just a very overwhelming time, but I know that song provided some comfort and emotional release for so many who knew Charlie, including myself.”
SONGS FOR CHARLIE: VOLUME 1 TRACK LISTING
Click here to download full album credits.
“Its My Life” / Jack Symes with Steven Van Betten (originally by No Doubt)
“When I Come Around” / Eva B. Ross with Christian Lee Hutson (originally by Green Day)
“Lithium” / Johanna Samuels (originally by Nirvana)
“Everlong” / Nick Cianci (originally by Foo Fighters)
“Bittersweet Symphony” / Dylan Rodrigue with Sie Sie Benhoff (originally by The Verve)
“Black Hole Sun” / Will Fox (originally by Soundgarden)
“That’s Life” / Jacksonport with Adam Brisbin (originally by Frank Sinatra)
“1979” / Wilsen (originally by Smashing Pumpkins)
“Ooh La La” / Ohtis (originally by Faces)
“Song For Charlie” / Jack Symes (original song by Jack Symes)