8 minute read
Legendary Pop Icon Charo comes to NC
Comic actress/musician and LGBTQ ally to perform in Pinehurst and Wilmington
By David Aaron Moore Qnotes Staff Writer
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There’s a good possibility – if you’re under 30 – you might not know the name Charo. She’s been around as a musical artist, comedian, actress and personality since the 1960s when she came to the United States from Murcia, Spain. Charo is a survivor. And if you’re one of those who doesn’t know who she is, you should. It’s nearly impossible to remember a time when there wasn’t a Charo. In all honesty, it seems as though she’s always been there and for much of that time she has been a strong ally to the LGBTQ community. For the over 40 crowd, her story is fairly familiar. She was born Maria Del Rosario Mercedes Pilar Martinez Molina Baeza, although her grandmother reportedly dubbed her with the nickname Charo. As the story goes, Charo married a former Big Band Director Named Xavier Cugat in 1966. It quickly became clear she was talented and more than just a pretty face: as a child she had learned to sing, dance and play classical flamenco guitar. Cugat was well-connected, and that did help Charo got early spots booked on television variety programs like The Ed Sullivan Show with relative ease. In the years that followed she became a regular guest on the Johnny Carson Show, captured the title of record holder for the most “special guest star appearances” on “The Love Boat,” playing a character known as April Lopez, snagged a network television special and even appeared in films like “Airport ’79.” In the late 70s Charo and Cugat divorced. She later married the man she called the love of her life, Kjell Rasten. They were married for 30 years and had one son together, Shel Rasten, who is now 40 and works as a professional musician. More success was still to come. In 1994 Charo recorded the CD “Guitar Passion.” It went platinum and she received a Latin Grammy award for best female album of the year. During that same time Guitar Player Magazine’s reader’s poll listed Charo as the best flamenco guitarist for two years in a row. But tragedy struck in February 2019 when Kjell Rasten, at the age of 79, took his own life. Charo has talked about it in the media since and during an appearance on the television show “The Talk” in July 2019. “He was Swedish, she said. “Such a beautiful man and the love of my life.” That was three years ago. Forever upbeat and exhuberant, Charo returned to performing seven months later. Now, she’s taking her performance just about anywhere she can and living life in the 21st century and keeps busy with regular clips on social media like TicToc, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram. She also has her own homepage which keeps fans up to date about her upcoming performances. Here’s the part where we make a note that she’s coming to North Carolina to perform. On October 21 she will perform in concerts at the Bradley music Hall in Pinehurst, North Carolina and she will teach a master class in flamenco guitar at the local community college. The following day she makes an appearance at Thalian Hall Center for the Performing Arts in Wilmington. But let’s back up a little bit. It’s important to note that it was during the popularity of dance music in the late 1970s that Charo and what was then known as just the plain ol’ Lesbian and Gay Community formed a bond through songs like “Dance A Little Bit Closer,” “Stay with Me” and “Ole, Ole.” She’s been our ally ever since. Although she hasn’t fully divulged her performance plans, it’s expected she’ll be sticking to flamenco guitar, though a message to her via social media might convince her otherwise.
David Aaron Moore: I know you had a long-running show in Hawaii and in Las Vegas as well. But I haven’t heard very much about you performing on the East Coast. Have you been to this region before?
Charo: I’m very excited to be coming to North Carolina, and I think I may have been there once before years ago. Back when my cuchi-cuchi was a ketchi-ketchi (laughs). In my mind and in my heart this visit will be like my first time because I have grown up. It’s very difficult because of my personality, but yes, now I am a grown up person. You know for a long time, for me it was always like everything is beautiful! But over the past few years I’ve learned that not so much is always what is going on and I’ve have had some rough times.
DAM: What did you do during the pandemic?
CHARO: That was a difficult time, but I am very excited because there are so many wonderful and beautiful people now that I’m back out in the world. It is a very exciting time in my life and I have been like a cuccarachi during the COVID. I have been away from the people and I am happy when I am around other people and meeting new people and I am busy and doing things. I am at my happiest when I’m performing. People and music are like oxygen to me. And this terrible Corona thing, it had me locked in the house and it had me thinking what the hell am I going to do? So I decided that I was going to make music and I could dream of a day again when I would be able to perform it for the audience. So I’m very excited and thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about it.
DAM: You know, I’ve gotta’ tell you – I used to DJ a bit in Atlanta – and I still have my hot pink vinyl copy of “Ole, Ole” with you on the cover wearing nothing but a guitar!
CHARO: (Laughs) Yes. I was naked! But I want you to know that was a message. It was a message that music is pure. Music has no complications, music has no enemy, music has no controversy. Music is the most beautiful thing that we get for our times. Now I know you’re going to laugh. My family loves music and my grandpa died singing in bed!
DAM: You and your family left Spain when you were a teenager, right?
CHARO: Yes. I grew up in a family that had been aggravated by political problems. But I come from beautiful parents and beautiful grandparents that teach my sister and me no discrimination everybody is equal and respect all human beings. My sister and me we became survivors.
DAM: Have you been doing a lot of performances in the past year?
CHARO: This has been a good year. Especially to get out of this house. I’ve worried for my friends and I’ve worried for people that have suffered so much. I’ve been trying to take care of all my friends who are dancers that lost their jobs. It was a very sad time for me. And my resuscitation, my comeback to life time was last March 5. I opened a new show at the Mohegan Sun in Hartford, Connecticut. For me it was like I am born again. I’m free, I’m free! I am here with people. I am not afraid of diseases. I was free, and I was lucky because when they announced my name my heart beat was stroking like a drum beat cuz I had to face a lot of people and they were very happy and waiting for entertainment and I have a lot of new material and I put my foot on the stage and I looked up and I could see it was full up to the balcony and they applauded so much I felt like I was born again. I can’t tell you how powerful that was and I knew I needed to do the best job in my life. And I can’t wait to put my feet on the stage at the Pinehurst Theater and do the best job that I can.
DAM: How did that show in Hartford make you feel?
CHARO: There is no other word in any language to explain it how you feel, the feeling to be welcome with a beautiful audience. They wanted entertainment because we had lived through such dark times. And I remember dark times from when I was a little girl living in Spain and a little town called Murcia. I have been down so many times that I have found, my sister and me we have found, the way to find our way up. The audience has so much power with me. And I have no more to tell them [but] thank you, thank you, thank you, I say to them. They lift me up!
DAM: What made you decide to come to North Carolina?
CHARO: That’s a good question. Because friends and fans, when I was in the jailhouse, that’s what I called my house during the COVID, that for me was a jail, but I had the Instagram and I got lots of messages from many nice people. A lot of them were from North Carolina and they had watched my videos. They were so nice I felt like I knew them. I’ve got some special material for this show in North Carolina and I’m going to introduce it there. I feel certain, I hope that the people will really like it because I worked hard to make it class. Class all the way. There are lots of pieces that when they hear it from my heart with the guitar, you can hear a pin and nobody make a sound. It’s like silent. Everybody is so deep into the music.
DAM: Considering everything that’s been going on politically towards the LGBTQ community are there any particular words you’d like to share?
CHARO: Everyone deserves to be equal. It doesn’t matter what color your skin is what culture you come from if you are lesbian gay bisexual or transgender. Everyone deserves happiness and love. ::
