Review Text
Dr Charlie, the alter ego of Kevin Charles Scott, is a blues phenomenon. A guitarist in the Eric Clapton mould, he was a well known "face" playing the London clubs in the late sixties. Managed by the legendary Don Arden, the Svengali like figure who created the Small Faces, the Animals and many other chart-topping groups, Kevin fronted a number of outfits playing the driving Chicago-style blues that evolved into the archetypal British rock sound of bands like Cream and Led Zeppelin. Then came the summer of love, and the inculcation to "turn on, tune in and drop out". Kevin did precisely that, and turned his back on the management that wanted to mould him into a pop hit machine. He wandered far and wide, finally making Perth his home - a place where he eventually found a few other industry refugees who enjoyed playing the same kind of music that he did. It's been a long trip for Kevin, but the music is back and better than ever. Perhaps the voice now sings with the timbre of experience. Songs of regret resonate with authenticity. Forty years is, after all, a long time in the wilderness - but the music has been well worth waiting for. "Prodigal Son" spans an emotional journey lasting a whole generation, an artistic and personal chronicle articulated within the great traditions of R & B.
