Charlie Huhn
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Charlie Huhn is an American rock singer and guitarist.
Huhn is a native of the Detroit area, and first came to prominence when he joined Ted Nugent's band in 1978. Huhn replaced Nugent band member Derek St. Holmes, and was thrust immediately into the spotlight, as he joined when Nugent was one of the hottest acts in the world.
Huhn handled lead vocals on the classic Nugent anthem Weekend Warriors, and was also featured prominently on the album of the same name. Huhn remained with Ted Nugent's band until 1982, and recorded three studio albums and one live album during his tenure with the Nugent camp. Another live recording from a 1979 show at London's famed Hammersmith Odeon was later released in 1998.
After leaving Ted Nugent, Huhn worked briefly with Irish guitar legend Gary Moore, and then teamed up with some former members of the Alice Cooper group in a project called DeadRinger. His next job was front man for the band Victory, a group based in Hannover, Germany. He recorded three releases as Victory's lead vocalist, and the band had minor success with their 1986 single The Check's In The Mail. He left the group in late 1987.
In 1989 former Humble Pie and Fastway drummer Jerry Shirley organized a new version of Humble Pie in which he would be the group's leader and only original member. He hired Huhn as the group's lead singer, which worked quite well as the band's original vocalist Steve Marriott and Huhn both had very similar vocal styles. Humble Pie Featuring Jerry Shirley was based in Cleveland, Ohio, where Shirley worked as a DJ at a classic rock radio station. Huhn and Shirley were the mainstays in the band, and together with numerous rotating musicians performed Humble Pie music regularly all over the U.S.A. for the next ten years. No official recordings with Huhn as the band's singer were ever released, although the group was broadcast live on special radio concerts on several occasions, and bootlegs of those performances do exist. During the latter part of the 1990s, Jerry Shirley developed a string of legal problems and moved back to his native England, taking the Humble Pie name with him. Huhn ended his longtime stint with Shirley in 1999.
Since 2000, Charlie Huhn has been the lead vocalist for another classic rock act, Foghat. Original Foghat vocalist Dave Peverett died of cancer in 2000, and the band's remaining members wanted to continue performing. Huhn accepted the band's offer to join and has since become an important addition to Foghat. His energetic and entertaining style has allowed the band to continue it's career in the same tradition that made Foghat one of the most successful acts of the 1970s. Aside from his vocal duties, Huhn also plays guitar, and demonstrates that not only is a very capable singer, but an accomplished rock guitarist as well. He and Foghat's other guitarist, Bryan Bassett(formerly of Wild Cherry and Molly Hatchet) complement each other in true rock form. Although Bassett handles most of the lead guitar work, Huhn provides steady rhythms and does play solos as well. Since joining Foghat, Huhn has recorded one studio release, Family Joules, released in 2002, and one live CD, Live II, a double CD collection featuring the band's greatest hits released in 2007. Huhn can also be seen on the 2005 Foghat DVD release Official Bootleg--Volume One.
In 2003, he took part in a reunion with his former Victory bandmates. The result was the CD release Instinct. Huhn declined an offer to rejoin Victory as the band's permanent lead vocalist, and chose instead to continue his work with Foghat. He remains a vital part of the Foghat organization today, and has become quite popular with the group's large and loyal fanbase. In 2007, he recorded an album together with the German guitar player Matt Roehr. In 2008 he will do some dates with Matt Roehrs Solo Band in January before Foghat kicks off their 2008 tour.
Having been affiliated with some of rock music's most successful acts during his long career, Charlie Huhn has unquestionably cemented his place in American music history as a versatile rock and roll vocalist.
