A lot of people figured listening to laid back country music from one of Canada’s best, was the best way to spend a Sunday night.
So a good sized, mostly listening audience gathered at Average Joes, Nov. 20 to hear Ottawa based country star Charlie Major who charted a number of hits in the mid-’90s. He played pretty much all of them.
Major, dressed simply in a red plaid shirt and jeans, started strong with “(I Do It) For the Money” and “Some Days are Better.”
The show was just Major and his voice and guitar, who showed a great song shines through acoustically.
He told a story about touring Alberta in 1980 and 81 and played a wistful version of “ Someday I’m Gonna Ride In a Cadillac” from his “Lucky Man” album. He added a harmonica solo to it, which drew applause from the crowd.
He played several cuts from that album including “Solid as a Rock,” “Life’s Too Short,” and “ I’m Somebody.”
While the show focused on earlier material, there was also some newer songs like “Side By Side” and “ One of the Lost and Lonely.”
He admonished the audience for talking during his set before playing another wistful number “My Brother and Me.”
He wound down the show with “Edge of the World” and sent everyone home happy with his first big hit “ It Can’t Happen To Me.”
Up and comer Mark Maxwell opened a pleasant night of picking and grinning with a solid acoustic set of mostly covers including Jamey Johnson’s “ In Colour” and Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings’ Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to be Cowboys,” as well as some Garth Brooks.
