RENFRO VALLEY – Last Saturday, October 26, Charlie Sizemore, originally of Puncheon Creek, in Magoffin, and Salyersville High School graduate from the Class of 1978, was inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, a pinnacle of his long and successful music career.
At the young age of 4, Sizemore started to save his money and by 6 years old he had saved a total of $25 to buy himself a fiddle.
Charlie Sizemore
Sizemore’s father and grandfather played the banjo, so he naturally grew up “fascinated” by mountain music and bluegrass, and by 12 years old he started learning the guitar by listening to the Stanley Brothers’ records.
After getting the hang of the guitar, he joined his dad’s band, the Half Mountain Boys, and stayed with them for a couple of years before making connections and eventually playing with Lum Patton, a local celebrity of sorts, and the Goins Brothers. Through those experiences, he became acquainted with Keith Whitley.
“He wanted to get me on as lead guitar with Ralph Stanley, but while that was going on, Keith left the band, so Ralph had me audition for lead singer,” Sizemore said. “I auditioned on November 19, 1977, and he hired me on November 21, 1977. I turned 17 on November 23, 1977.”
Sizemore finished school, but missed his own graduation, playing on stage with Ralph Stanley’s Clinch Mountain Boys that night, and staying with his band for nine years and appearing on 16 of Ralph Stanley’s records.
“I was just a kid, but some credit goes to Keith Whitley,” Sizemore said.
As for his style, all of Sizemore’s earlier experiences and influences paid off and led to the creation of one of the most subtle and sophisticated styles of lead singing in bluegrass music. His remarkable tone and understated attack underpin the notion that he is a singer’s singer with exquisite taste and feeling.
In 1986, Sizemore started his own band, continuing to record a series of highly acclaimed bluegrass albums, while also enrolling in college. He earned his political science degree from the University of Kentucky, and eventually secured his law degree and opened a private practice as an attorney in Nashville.
Due to health reasons, Sizemore retired in 2012, and hasn’t picked up a guitar since, opting instead to enjoy a much quieter life now.
“Every day I’m grateful,” Sizemore said about accepting his health and needing to slow down. “Over time I’ve stopped being disappointed I couldn’t do anything and become grateful I didn’t have to. I didn’t have to travel to New York tonight. I didn’t have to be in the courtroom all day.”
“I had a good time playing music and building my law practice, and I’m not sure what’s in front of me, but I’m enjoying a much simpler and slower life right now,” Sizemore said. “There’s enough time in my life for another act, but it’s not up to me.”
Which is a theme through his life, with Sizemore noting, “I’ve had an interesting life, but I can’t take much credit for it. You have to do the best with life where you are.”
Sizemore said he never could “engineer” anything, explaining the best things in his life happened when he would take his hands off the wheel and let it happen.
One of his favorite music projects he did was his first album with Rounder Records, “Good News,” which he said they recorded mostly live and was produced by the great Buddy Cannon, remembering he stipulated he wanted to write the songs at home, doing it just be doing something, but Rounder Records heard the tape and wanted to release it.
“One minute I’m sitting in my law office, and the next I’ve got a band, buses and a record deal,” Sizemore said. “It just kind of happened.”
“Songwriting is the most fascinating aspect of this business and I’ve been really fortunate to have Paul Craft and Tom T. Hall as my mentors,” Sizemore said.
Another one of his “it just kind of happened” moments occurred when he decided to have his album release party on Puncheon Creek, which ended up being what he considers the highlight of his career.
He was releasing an album of Tom T. Hall songs, called “The Story Is…The Songs of Tom T. Hall,” in 2002, and he had been off the road for a few years, so when the record company started trying to plan the party, he said he only agreed to it if he could pick where it was held.
He wanted to have it at Tom Whitaker’s cabin at the head of Puncheon Creek.
“I figured we’d go up there, just a few people, play the record – that’s what I had in my mind,” Sizemore said. “Dixie Hall, Tom T.’s wife started inviting people and all the sudden you could not get on Puncheon. It was the highlight of my career. Not the Lincoln Center in New York. Not the Grand Ole Opry. Tom Whitaker’s cabin at the head of Puncheon Creek doing Tom T. songs, and being right there on Puncheon Creek with people I grew up with. That’s about as good as it gets.”
As for being inducted into the Hall of Fame, Sizemore is nothing if not humble.
“This area and this county have a reputation for producing musicians and we’re accustomed to being around really good musicians,” Sizemore said. “I don’t have any special talents they didn’t have, but the cards turned out differently for me. I know people who may never be on a big stage, but they are first-rate musicians. We have Terry Miller, and Jackie Williams on banjo. Larry Minix, on Oakley, on guitar. I didn’t feel special around here. Being able to play and sing doesn’t make you special – it makes you normal.”
“I was shocked,” Sizemore said of hearing he was to be inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame, remembering he received a text from Danny Risner, who was at the Exile show at the MAC when they announced the inductees.
“He sent me a text saying, ‘Congratulations,’ and I wrote back, ‘What are you talking about,’” Sizemore laughed. “I was shocked and I still am. I could find people more deserving, but I appreciate it and I’m glad they thought of me. Kentucky is not an easy place to stand out with musical talent. I’m really lucky to be here along with such truly great names, like Gary Stewart.”
While Sizemore wasn’t able to attend the ceremony on Saturday, his son, Patrick, stood in for him, accepting the award in his honor.
