Charlie Mudford

Renowned jazz and western swing keyboard artist, Charlie Mudford, 83, left this earth on April 13, 2017 to make music with Jesus in heaven. Charlie was born August 30, 1933, into a musical family. His father Eddie, played fiddle and his mother, Goldie, played guitar, piano, and sang. In his teens, Charlie played with local bands, learning to play different styles of music. He played the French Horn in high school but playing piano was always his first and foremost love. Charlie began his professional music career at the age of eighteen, playing with bands at the local nightclubs. By the age of 20, he was touring with the Tex Dean Show based in Florida. He appeared with Tex on the Louisiana Hayride with Faron Young, Slim Whitman, the Wilburn Brothers and Johnny Horton. When drafted into the Army and sent to Germany, Charlie didn't miss a beat with his music. He hosted a weekly radio show and played at the USO, Enlisted Mens' Clubs and Officers' Clubs. Out of the Army and back in the USA once again, he moved to Houston, Texas where he worked with Jim Reeves, Floyd Tillman, Little Red Hays and many others. Moving to Roswell, New Mexico, he played with Ray Reed, Tommy Duncan and Tag Lambert. One more move found him in Fort Worth, Texas where he backed many great musicians including Tommy Allsup, Merle David, and Cesar Massey to name a few. During the years that followed, Charlie backed more great musicians, such as Jim Reeves, David Frizzle, Hank Thompson, Wanda Jackson and Ray Price. In 2001 while traveling in California, Charlie was invited to sit in and play with new friends and musicians. It wasn't long before he was inducted into the California Western Swing Society. In 2002, Seattle, Washington inducted Charlie into their society. Wherever Charlie played his piano, people seemed to take notice. Oklahoma and Texas formed the Western Swing Society of the Southwest and inducted him in their society in 2004. Charlie's whole life has revolved around music and he has promoted music in many waysplaying music, marketing music products, working in radio, appearing on television and recording music. During all these years, Charlie enjoyed flying his own airplane and dancing. Charlie is survived by his wife, Carolyn Duke Mudford, two daughters, Donna Mudford and Christy Waid; two sons, Nick Duke and Neely Duke; seven grandchildren, Haley Ambler, Jessica Cowley, Hannah and Ty Waid, Palmer, Carter and Blakely Duke; and three great-grandchildren. A celebration of Charlie's life will be held at 5:00 p.m. Sunday, April 23, 2017 at Williams Memorial United Methodist Church, 4000 Moores Lane, Texarkana, Texas 75503. Pastor Brad Morgan will conduct the service with visitation following the memorial. Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer's Alliance Tri State, P.O. Box 7812, Texarkana, Texas 75505 or Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 8th Ave., 7th floor, New York, New York 10001.