Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Charlie was mesmerized by the bagpipes at the age of three when his parents would take him to the highland games. He was enthralled by That Fantastic Instrument when he heard great numbers of pipes played in beautiful polyphony during the parades. So hooked, he himself started to play both Highland Pipes and Flute in his early teens.

In the early 1980's Charlie had a room in a wonderful old Victorian mansion on Pittsburgh's north side, known as Calliope House. The house soon evolved into a place where folk musicians of every persuasion and from every corner of the globe could meet and exchange musical ideas and influences. Charlie not only learned how to play differently, he also learned how to play new instruments and discovered the true art of music.

Charlie's passion to study the intricacies of the the Highland Pipes and Irish Uillean Pipes took him to the green hills of Ireland in 1991. He studied with Celtic masters and played a top the cliffs and crags where the sounds of the pipes have echoed for centuries. He had indeed found the musical Love of his Life.

In addition to playing Celtic Music, Charlie practices as a Doctor of Oriental Medicine and crafts fine Bamboo Flutes. For sport, he repairs to the Mountains whenever possible for climbing, backcountry skiing, mountain biking and the like. Notable ascents have included that of Mt. Rainier and the Grand Teton - on the summit of which he of course played The Great Highland Pipes.