Charlie Gracie
b. Charles Anthony Graci, 14 May 1936, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. When guitarist and songwriter Charlie Gracie recorded the original version of the rock ‘n’ roll song Butterfly in 1957, he faced stiff competition from Andy Williams’ cover. Charlie's ‘ Elvis Presley-like vocal’ took the song to number 5 in the US charts and Top 20 in the UK, but Williams’ charted higher, number 1 in the UK and US. They both sold over a million copies. He started out appearing as a teenager on Paul Whiteman's top-rated American television show. Gracie's subsequent singles were styled to suit his voice, including the ballads, Fabulous and Wanderin Eyes’, both Top 10 smashes in the UK in the same year. For many years he has been a legend rather than a performing artist. Often controversial he has changed record labels countless times and still performs in the UK and the USA.