Charlie Sexton is an American rock guitarist, singer and songwriter from San Antonio, Texas, born in 1968. He grows up in Austin, where local clubs such as the Armadillo World Headquarters, the Soap Creek Saloon, the Split Rail and Antone’s Blues Club help shape his musical development. He begins performing in his early teens, gains a reputation as a prodigy, and draws early support from Joe Ely and other Austin musicians including Jimmie and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Early career

Sexton releases his debut album, Pictures For Pleasure, in 1985, when he is 16. It includes the Top 20 single “Beat’s So Lonely.” He follows it with the self-titled Charlie Sexton album, recorded when he is 20. As a young player, he works widely as a session musician and records with artists including Ron Wood, Keith Richards, Don Henley and Bob Dylan.

Film, soundtracks and side work

He writes songs for film soundtracks including True Romance and Air America, and makes a cameo appearance fronting a bar band in Thelma & Louise. He also continues to appear on records by other artists, including Lucinda Williams’s Car Wheels on a Gravel Road and Shawn Colvin’s Grammy-winning A Few Small Repairs.

Arc Angels and the Charlie Sexton Sextet

Between 1992 and 1994, Sexton plays in Austin band Arc Angels, alongside Doyle Bramhall II, Tommy Shannon and Chris “Whipper” Layton. The group releases one self-titled album on Geffen Records in 1992 before splitting up. He then forms the Charlie Sexton Sextet and releases Under The Wishing Tree on MCA Records in 1995. The album does not sell strongly, but it receives critical praise.

Work with Bob Dylan

In 1999, Sexton joins Bob Dylan’s backing band, replacing Bucky Baxter. He has already played with Dylan on two Austin concerts in 1996 and on demos recorded in 1983. During his time in the band, he records and performs on material including “Things Have Changed” and the 2001 album Love and Theft, and appears in Masked & Anonymous in 2003. He is part of a line-up that critics often note for the interplay between Sexton and guitarist Larry Campbell.

Producer and later work

After leaving Dylan’s band, Sexton works as a producer on records including Double Trouble’s Been a Long Time and Lucinda Williams’s Essence, both released in 2001. He also produces Edie Brickell’s Volcano (2003), Jon Dee Graham’s Great Battle (2004), Shannon McNally’s Geronimo (2005) and Los Super Seven’s Heard It on the X (2005). In late 2005, he releases Cruel and Gentle Things.

Groups and projects

He is associated with Little Charlie & The Eager Beaver Boys, Charlie Sexton & The Sextones, Arc Angels, the Neverending Tour Band and the Charlie Sexton Sextet.