Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings R&B / blues vocalist known as ‘The Mayor of B-Town.’
Originally from Hobbsville, SC, came to Baltimore after serving in the Army. He and Army buddy J.T. Bryant were members of the Antwans. Stallings later worked with Ellison & Brent, and released mid-‘70s recordings as Flyface. He later formed The Dance Band along with ex-Antwans bandmate Leroy Flowers.
Between bands Stallings did freelance work and drove a truck to make ends meet.
In the ‘80s Charles went by the monicker ‘B-Town’ and established B-Town Records, an enterprise that lasted through 2004 with the release of his first CD as Charles ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings. It was at that point he was contacted by a Boston artist using the B-Town name and he also found out that the name was being used by many artists. Since he hadn’t secured rights to the name, he decided to find a name that no one else would be likely to use and renamed his label Tai Jeria after his granddaughter back home in SC.
Stallings played for a while as guitarist for the Bleu Lights and is featured in backing band for MPT doo-wop video (circa 2000) behind Pookie Hudson & the Spaniels, the Orioles, and others. He formed his blues band in 2004 backed by a band that included Black Ice alumni Kelvin O’Neal (trumpet), Joe Thomas, Jr. (sax), and Ronald Bland (bass), with Leroy Flowers (bass), Russell Hayward (drums ex-Dynamic Corvettes), Ronnie Jenkins (drums), Michael Devilson (drums), Wayne Johns (guitar), Steve Levine (harp), Anthony Clark (harp). Vocalists Nadine Rae, Nova Peele, Deletta Gillespie, Debbie Brown, Aleyshia Stallings, Quesse Stallings…
His record releases feature sessions by many top local musicians including guitarists Sterling Patterson, bassist Gail Parrish, trumpeter Wendell Shepherd, Clarence Ward III, saxophonists Steve Turner, harpists Mark Wenner, Rich Sampson, keyboardists Bill Pratt, Corey Brooks, Dennis Fisher, Deanna Bogart, Glenn Workman, drummer Tommy Gunn, and others…
Ronald Bland (bass), ‘Big Daddy’ Stallings (guitar, vocals), Ronald Jenkins (drums), Wayne Johns (guitar).
Photo courtesy of Joe Thomas.
Russell Hayward II (drums), Clarence Ward III (trumpet), Joe ‘EFlat’ Thomas (alto sax, vocals),
Wayne Johns (guitar, vocals, Steve Levine (harp). Photo courtesy of Joe Thomas.
2004(CD) B-Town One Night Lover
2007(CD) Tai Jeria 7589 Blues Evolution
2012(CD) Tai Jeria 3868 Call Me Big Daddy
