Charles began his interest in music at an early age, first playing concerts at age 12. At 17, Charles performed on tympani for a world tour in a youth orchestra, playing Carnegie Hall in New York City, as well as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.  Later, Charles was formally trained in percussion, music theory, composition, and recording arts at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Ultimately deciding to pursue recording arts rather than art music performance, he entered the commercial music business, building recording studios in Cincinnati and Chicago. Scoring original music, he wrote for Sony, Kraft, Tide, Hefty, Glade, and dozens of other brands for numerous advertising agencies. In addition, he wrote a raucous score for a feature film entitled “War Zone.”

Charles is also a gifted speaker and portfolio manager. He has shared his life-encouraging messages and financial counsel with hundreds of individuals and in many venues over the years. In addition to being a guest on Fox News, Charles has been quoted by Sean Hannity, the Wall Street Journal,  and Bloomberg News for his financial expertise. Today, Charles is the Portfolio Manager for CB3 Financial Group, Inc. providing personal portfolio management and a weekly live podcast video on YouTube for clients and interested investors.

Although Charles has continued to perform with orchestras in the Chicago area, in 2017 he shifted his focus to music composition. His most recent world premiere was Poem for American Acrimony, Opus 08.

In 2018, the Lake County Symphony Orchestra (LCSO), Ron Arden, Artistic and Executive Director, invited Charles to be their first-ever Composer in Residence. This relationship produced two orchestral works and two chamber works, all of which can be found elsewhere on this web site.

Later in life, Charles married Alice in November 2002. They reside in Greater Chicago. They have six grown children and are the proud grandparents of ten little ones.