Charles Wesley Godwin is creating a buzz. With his 2019 debut album, Seneca, reaching 5 million streams on Spotify without the help of a label or even a manager, Godwin is quickly catching some eyeballs.
“I started writing songs and playing them out in front of people in 2014. It was my last year of college and I’d sneak them into my college bluegrass band’s set,” he remembers. “I’d say my career didn’t start looking like an actual career until 2019 when Seneca came out. Since then everything’s changed in my work life for the better.”
With the help of Seneca’s success, three years of constant touring (not including COVID times), and being covered by Rolling Stone, Paste, Billboard, Americana Music Association, and NPR, Godwin is quickly gaining friction.
”The initial reaction to Seneca was overwhelmingly positive. Word has spread about the album steadily by word of mouth over these last couple years and it continues to do so.” He goes on, “There are still a lot of fans of that album out there that don’t even know it exists yet, but they will someday and they’re going to love it. “
Inspired by the likes of Bruce Springsteen and Chris Knight, it’s hard to place Godwin in a certain genre besides the blanket term “country.” When asked what he’d label himself, Godwin was also hesitant to decide at first.
”That’s honestly a tough question. I’m not sure that I can answer that with any 100% honesty. If I had to narrow it down to be more specific as to what type of Country it is, I’d say it’s Appalachian Country.”
No matter what kind of label you slap on his his style of music, one thing’s for certain – it’s damn good. With the perfect mix of folk and Americana, Godwin always delivers both sonically and with his songwriting, which is very methodical.
“I show up to the notebook on a regular basis whether I’m inspired or not to apply my focus and attention to whatever song I’m working on. I usually have the guitar in hand with a pencil and notebook on the desk. I just take it line by line, melody by melody,” he explains.
His upcoming release, How the Mighty Fall, is set to release in November. Instead of the autobiographical theme of Seneca, HTMF will contain character-driven stories of mortality, hope and regret.
About HTMF, Godwin states: “HTMF is going to make you feel alive. It’s going to remind you of just how lucky you are to even be here right now on this earth, that life is precious. It’ll probably give you goosebumps a time or two and you’ll come out on the other end feeling a little better about yourself and your purpose here on this earth. You may even go for a little run, I don’t know.”
It’s safe to say that this is an album that should definitely be on any true country fan’s list to listen to in the later part of this year. Judging from Godwin’s previous releases, this could possibly be an album of the year for many people.
Another exciting thought is what he has to offer for 2022. “You can expect to see me in a town near you at some point in the Spring/Summer/Fall. You can expect that I’ll be putting on one hell of a show. And hopefully I’ll catch some nice fish and get a nice buck next year too.”
Be sure to watch for Charles Wesley Godwin’s upcoming record, How the Mighty Fall, on November 5th and be sure to stream the music he has already available, buy some merchandise and follow him on his socials!