Charles Jenkins (musician)
| Charles Jenkins | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Chuck Skatt |
| Born | 1966 Mildura, Victoria |
| Instruments | Vocals, Guitar |
| Labels | Parole Records, Dust Devil Music, Rubber Records, Silver Stamp Records |
| Associated acts | The Mad Turks From Istanbul, Icecream Hands |
Charles Jenkins is a musician based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. He was a member of Icecream Hands, has released three solo albums and is a member of Charles Jenkins and the Zhivagos in 2014.
Following his birth in Mildura, Victoria, Jenkins moved to Adelaide, South Australia.
Jenkins started as a solo performer and later joined the band The Mad Turks From Istanbul. In 1989, Jenkins relocated to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia with the band, but the Mad Turks disbanded soon after the move and Jenkins formed a new band called 'Icecream Hands'. The band formed in 1992 and was originally named 'Chuck Skatt and His Icecream Hands'. Jenkins revealed in 2007 that the first of the five albums that Icecream Hands recorded, Travelling... Made Easy , sold poorly and he attributed this to "too many chords and too many words".
Icecream Hands functioned as a band for 16 years and Jenkins has stated that becoming a father significantly affected the manner in which he wrote songs for the quartet, as he was forced to exercise a greater degree of self-restraint: "I'm very fond of that album because of the heartache that went into it. It was a real struggle."
The band's fourth album Sweeter than the Radio was released in 1999 and the independent label they were signed to had secured an arrangement with major label Bertelsmann Music Group, otherwise known as BMG. Up until that point, the band had never received the backing of a corporate music company and subsequently released five songs from their BMG-backed work, followed by constant touring. Jenkins explained afterwards: "I never saw (the lack of chart success) as a missed opportunity. I thought we were lucky just to have a major label."
By the time the third album Sweeter Than The Radio was released, again through independent Melbourne, Australian label Rubber Records, but BMG was no longer involved and Jenkins spoke of "one girl in Melbourne" handling duties by that stage. Prior to the band's fifth and final album, a 'best of' compilation, titled The Best of the Ice Cream Hands - You Can Ride My Bike was released by Rubber Records on the first day of 2004. Containing 43 songs, the live performance that coincided with the release of the compilation was described by an Australian music journalist as "strong, poetic songs filled the show with moments of sweet sonic purity. Melbourne is lucky to have them [Icecream Hands]."
...
Wikipedia