Next Gigs:
Sat. July 19 10am at Frenz Coffeehouse in Rockford MI. see more
Charlie Cheney writes and performs story songs about conflict and the choices people make during times of stress. Solo he fits squarely in the "Folk/Storyteller" tradition, but his band The Dutchmen add three part harmonies, banjo, guitar, and jump. Cheney draws etched portraits laced with images: bill collectors on caller ID, lawn chairs left out in the rain, bulging tattoos, strip malled small towns, sand bagged houses in flood plain, toupees filled with bar smoke. 
He also creates small business software used by over 3000 musicians in 20 countries. He gives seminars at music conferences and universities on songwriting, touring, business, and technology. Contact him for your event, panel, or seminar. You can hear the songs here and try the software over at indiebandmanager.com. He's pretty much a poster child for D.I.Y. so if you call or write, you'll reach him directly. Call anytime.
This site is mostly about his songs. He also maintains a fairly active blog.
What others are saying...
Jackson Browne said "I love your stuff..." and asked Cheney to sing with him on stage.
Pat MacDonald said "I love your really sad songs and your really funny songs." and went on tour with him.
The Capital Times called him "[a] gritty troubadour."
Freedy Johnston simply wrote "Charlie Cheney = Great Music"
Paulie Ryan (Garbage) said "You're the best songwriter I know, your CD makes me laugh and cry both."
Jonathan Spottiswoode wrote "I have now hereby patented the adjective 'charlie cheneyesque' to describe off-beat, dead honest, and beautifully eery songs."
In the past 10 months Cheney's songs have been included on the SteelBridge Songfest compilation CD, the St. John Songfest compilation CD, and the February Album Writing Month compilation CD. A new song "Twirl" is slated for the upcoming SB4CD this June. All the songs were written and recorded during those festivals.
He released a solo CD "Giant Chicken" (available on iTunes or by mail) in late 2006 and is planning a new CD for 2008. He's currently booking spring, summer, and fall tours to the east and west.