CHARLIE SATTENFIELD

When Charlie was five years-old his mother said he borrowed a tune and a few words from a nursery rhyme and wrote his first jingle: “Twinkle, Twinkle, Buy a Car.” His mother bought him his first guitar at the age of 12 and he began to write songs. Charlie then learned to play the trumpet and played in the high school marching band, as well as forming a combo with his cousins. His band, The Superstitions, opened for a lot of R&B artists around North Carolina. Charlie and his high school best friend formed a duo called The Songs of Earth and recorded two of Charlie’s original compositions: “The Times Are Moving Forward” and “No, She Didn’t Stay” and auditioned for Screen-Gems Records in Hollywood.   After receiving his master’s degree from Rice Seminary, Charlie started to work at WTQR/WSJS radio stations in Winston-Salem, NC.  His first successful local jingle was written for the Carolina Thunderbirds ice hockey team, “Flying High Now”, which later became a popular 45 RPM single sung by Chuck Martin and produced in Nashville. Later, Charlie moved his jingle company, Ad Jingles, to Nashville and he began to write local, regional, and national jingles for Chevrolet, Goodwrench, Wrangler, Bud Light, Biscuitville, etc. Ad Jingles largest project was to co-write and produce a song and video “Run to the Front” for Winston Cup Racing (NASCAR) champion Dale Earnhardt, which was played at the 1987 NASCAR banquet in New York and featured in the 1988 CBS broadcast of the Daytona 500. The song was sung by Dave Gibson and Billy Dean. Terry McMillan, Warren Haynes, and Lloyd Green played on the song, which was co-written by Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter, John Jarrard, who co-wrote “There’s No Way” for Alabama.  The video in 1988 was the #1 most watched country video according to Billboard Magazine. It was aired on TNN, TBS, ESPN and on several Canada TV stations. Charlie appeared on Nashville’s WSM’s Weekly Racing Show as well as on M.R.N., Eli Gold’s NASCAR Live. Charlie appeared on Ned Jarrett’s World of Racing syndicated radio show. Charlie’s company has been featured on TV’S PM Magazine and he was called “The Jingle Man.” He was a guest judge for a week on TNN’S You Can Be A Star with Lane Brody, Buddy Killen, and Mae Boren Axton, writer of “Heartbreak Hotel”, by Elvis Presley and mother of Hoyt Axton. Charlie has been featured in several magazines as well as newspapers.  “Run to the Front” has appeared on several TV and radio ads as well as promotions for Winston Cup, Chevrolet, Goodwrench, and Wrangler Jeans in conjunction with Dale Earnhardt. Billy Dean also performed a song for Ad Jingles and Dale Earnhardt called “Leader of the Pack”, written by Charlie and Kent Blazy, co-writer of “If Tomorrow Never Comes” by Garth Brooks. The song was commissioned by Chevrolet and Goodwrench, Dale’s sponsors at the time.    

In 1990, Charlie sold his jingle company and studio in Nashville to pursue his dream of being a songwriter. He signed a publishing deal (single song contracts) with Warner- Chappell Music and Maypop Music (Alabama’s publishing company) before starting his own publishing company, Now Hear This Music, BMI. Charlie co-wrote songs with Hall of Fame songwriters Bob Morrison, John Jarrard, Kent Blazy, and Tommy “Leonard Sipes” Collins, and over a ten-year period had more than 20 songs recorded, but no major hits. In 1984, as a result of working with Archie Bell on a Bud Light jingle, he produced a beach music album with Archie, with songs written by him as well as Bruce “Hey Baby” Channel, Archie Jordan, John Scott Sherrill, etc. While the record company was sold to another company, the album was never released. In 2017, Craig Woolard of the famed beach music group, The Embers, (who Charlie produced a jingle with in the 1980’s) asked to record one of the songs on the album, Beach Vacation written by Charlie and Archie and it appeared as a duo with Archie Bell and The Embers, ft. Craig Woolard. The song was on the Together LP by the Embers as well as on an Archie Bell CD. It stayed #1 on the charts for a total of 17 weeks and was nominated for a CBMA award as the duo of the year. In 2019, Ocean Drive, by Archie Bell was released and it also went to #1 and has been on the charts for over 30 weeks. It was released in the U.K. on vinyl and also charted in the U.K. In 2016, Charlie wrote a song called “damNation” which was recorded by The Deplorables, Nashville session players, and it was released as a CD and became a popular protest song.  In 2019, Charlie also wrote another #1 song “Living It Up (Since You Let Me Down)” by the Randy Clay Band. He is the current writer of “New Lattitude” by Calypso Joe and the Coconuts, Nashville studio musicians, which is already on the charts. Charlie has a dozen more beach songs recorded and set to be released including “Summertime Memories” by Craig Woolard and “I Miss You Babe” by Christina Cooper Black. His new CD of 20 country songs, Country Songs…Take Me Home, recorded by various artists is set to be released in 2021. Charlie also has two Christian songs set to be released in 2021. Charlie is a frequent guest on local radio stations and is not shy when it comes to talking about his relationship with the Lord and songwriting.   

Charlie and his wife Laurie live full-time at Lake Tillery, NC, and enjoy traveling in their spare time. They both are imperfect Christians who are dedicated to serving the Lord, children, and the homeless.