Artist Spotlight – Charlie Albertson

By: Marsha Channell

For this month, I am putting the spotlight on a gentleman that was born in Beulaville, NC and has many honors and distinguished service awards for all he has done as a man, for his country and as an amazing advocate for the agricultural community. On top of all the recognition he has had in his career, he has also had a lifelong passion for music. It is my honor to share this spotlight of Charlie Albertson with you and providing a quick snapshot of his amazing work through music.

Albertson grew up in the small town of Beulaville, NC where in the early 1900’s the town was rich in family and community. Music then was the form of entertainment, fellowship and passing time. It wasn’t until he was around 12 yrs old when he finally started guitar lessons.  Singing in the church choir as a child was a norm but that strong foundation is still true today, attending church and singing in the choir regularly. At the young age of 18 yrs old, Albertson was attending the weekly Saturday Dance at the American Legion in Wallace, NC and the next thing he knew, Donald Stroud and the Dixie Pals asked him to sing along with them. That was the start of playing/singing music as a paid professional, followed by singing with them regularly.

After graduation in 1950, Albertson felt the calling for public service – starting with service in the NC National Guard (1949-1951) and the U. S. Air Force (1951-1952).  Albertson married “the girl next door”, Grace Sholar, and remained married to her for 71 years until she passed away in January of 2024.

For the next 52 years, Albertson was the lead vocalist for the popular and in-demand country band, Charlie Albertson Show, originally known as The Swingmasters. When Albertson had the chance to move to Nashville, TN and pursue a high-profile career in country music, he chose his family and hometown.  As a son and later tobacco and corn farmer, it was natural to work in the field that he had done for years.  As I mentioned before, Albertson was a strong advocate for the agricultural community – that was a result of his 30 years working for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer. As a Plant Protection and Quarantine Officer, it was his job to inspect and treat crops for parasitic plants and pests, such as witchweed and fire ants. Albertson spent many years interfacing with farmers and walking crops which helped regulate produce coming into the local ports.

Befriending and serving hundreds of farmers in Duplin and surrounding counties in NC, Albertson gained their trust and confidence in protecting and treating their crops. Building this type of foundation within the community, it was easy for Albertson to participate in many organizations, committees and foundations. Having the love of service and wanting to make more of an impact, Albertson ran for and won a seat in the NC Legislature in 1988.  He served 22 years, two terms in the NC House of Representatives and the nine terms in the NC Senate. During those years, Albertson saw NC becoming the first state in the Southeast to have a renewable energy portfolio standard (REPS) and he also sponsored legislation that led to a constitutional amendment that added restitution as an option in sentencing.

While serving his country through the government in the agriculture field, he found his music passion continuing in many ways. His musical and political careers meshed when Albertson sang his song “Carolina the Place I Gotta Be” in the NC Senate chamber.  Albertson also entertained the Armed Forces in the late 1970s. The Charlie Albertson Show conducted four tours on behalf of the Armed Forces Professional Entertainment Office in Washington, DC along with entertaining troops in more than 26 countries. For such service, the band was awarded two certificates of Esteem from the U.S. Defense Department. Those awards cannot replace the gratitude that all the troops felt and Albertson’s memory of performing on the stern of a ship and a second ship anchored next to it in Naples, Italy.

Having the opportunity to honor our troops was one of Albertson’s favorite memories, he will also keep the memory of playing at the Grand Ole Opry in late 1973 close to his heart. Fun fact and if you didn’t remember, the Grand Ole Opry in 1973 was in the original location of the Ryman Auditorium. The Grand Ole Opry played its final regular broadcast at the Ryman Auditorium on March 15, 1974, and opened at the new Grand Ole Opry House on March 16, 1974. The first night performing on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, Charlie Albertson performed two original songs written and recorded by him, ‘Love is the Best Thing Going Round’ and ‘Nobody Cares’. While he performed several other times there, a stand out performance was the night he performed ‘Tie A Yellow Ribbon’ and received a standing ovation.

Having great success throughout Albertson’s life, both personally and in his career, Albertson will tell you that within the music industry his best decision he ever made was turning down the recording contract with Johnny Cash’s brother, Tommy. Albertson truly feels that if he would have taken the contract, it would have possibly forced him to move to Nashville, TN and in return losing his family. That just was not a price he was worth chancing. Family is highly important to Charlie Albertson.  On the flip side, the worst decision he probably made was not promoting his song, ‘Lucky Me’ when it was doing well on the charts and turning down the opportunity to play in Las Vegas. Coming off a long tour playing for the troops overseas created a hard decision that he felt he couldn’t afford by being away from his family and job any longer.

Throughout this spotlight I have continually talked about Charlie Albertson and his success he has had through the years, now, I could have listed many awards and honors that he has obtained but there is one that I think he has been given lately and that will live for years to come. I am speaking of him being dubbed “The Singing Senator”.  To me, it completely meshes two of his passions in life – music and serving others.  You can learn much more about his story on his website thesingingsenator.com and while you are there, definitely check out the music he has available.

Rapid questions –

What is your favorite Holiday and why?  Memorial Day when we remember those who sacrificed everything for our freedom.

What is your favorite saying/quote?  Dr. Martin Luther King said, “The time is always right to do what is right”.

What has been your favorite destination?  North Carolina

Do you have a hobby outside of music?  Reading and keeping up with current events.

What is your favorite kind of Ice Cream? Hershey’s Coconut Chocolate Almond

What is your favorite junk food?  Homemade Coconut Cake

What’s been happening lately –

Charlie Albertson is excited that he has a new single coming out soon. It is a bluegrass song titled ‘Good Good Day’. He feels blessed to have the famous artist, Linda Davis, to sing background vocals on it. Linda Davis is known for singing with Reba McEntire on the song “Does He Love You”.

You can find all of Charlie Albertson’s, “The Singing Senator”, music on his website thesingingsenator.com along with downloading it wherever you download your music.