Musician. He was Elvis Presley's professional colleague, close friend, and confidant. Born Charles Franklin Hodge, he was simply "Charlie." At age 20, his singing career began in a gospel quartet with Bill Gaither, before he went to country music as the lead singer for the Foggy River Boys. While sources state he first met Elvis on the United States Army transport ship from New York to Germany in September of 1958, other sources state that they appeared together on a Red Foley show in 1956. They stayed friends until Elvis' death in August of 1977. He lived seventeen years at Graceland with Elvis. His role in Elvis' career was to sing back up, played guitar, handed Elvis water, gave Elvis scarves on stage during the shows in the 1970s, and manage anything else to keep the show moving. At 5'3', he was called by Elvis, "the little guy who sings harmony with me." He had a big influence on the song lists of the seventies shows. He also played himself in several of Elvis's movies. In 1962, he and Elvis co-authored the song "You'll Be Gone." He would suggest song titles for Elvis. After Elvis' death in 1977, Hodge made a cameo appearance in the television movie "Elvis" starring Kurt Russell. He played himself and served as a technical adviser for the project. In 1988, Hodge wrote an autobiography-memoir, "Me 'n Elvis."
Musician. He was Elvis Presley's professional colleague, close friend, and confidant. Born Charles Franklin Hodge, he was simply "Charlie." At age 20, his singing career began in a gospel quartet with Bill Gaither, before he went to country music as the lead singer for the Foggy River Boys. While sources state he first met Elvis on the United States Army transport ship from New York to Germany in September of 1958, other sources state that they appeared together on a Red Foley show in 1956. They stayed friends until Elvis' death in August of 1977. He lived seventeen years at Graceland with Elvis. His role in Elvis' career was to sing back up, played guitar, handed Elvis water, gave Elvis scarves on stage during the shows in the 1970s, and manage anything else to keep the show moving. At 5'3', he was called by Elvis, "the little guy who sings harmony with me." He had a big influence on the song lists of the seventies shows. He also played himself in several of Elvis's movies. In 1962, he and Elvis co-authored the song "You'll Be Gone." He would suggest song titles for Elvis. After Elvis' death in 1977, Hodge made a cameo appearance in the television movie "Elvis" starring Kurt Russell. He played himself and served as a technical adviser for the project. In 1988, Hodge wrote an autobiography-memoir, "Me 'n Elvis."
Bio by: Dustin Raymond
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