KINGMAN, Ariz. – Arizona Thunder, a popular classic country, classic rock and pop band, performed at the Kathryn Heidenreich Senior Center Wednesday, July 15, and put on an amazing show. The most amazing thing was to learn that band drummer Charlie Brown, of Bullhead City, can’t hear, and to talk with him, you have to stand where he can read your lips.
“He plays barefoot so he can feel the vibrations,” band leader Dorado-Corwin said. “He’s deaf.”
Not completely though Charlie Brown stated. “I’m 90% deaf. I’ve been playing the drums since I was 12 and been around loud music over 60 years now. It’s caused me to lose my hearing.”
Hearing or not, Brown said he does feel the vibrations and there’s nothing he’d rather be doing.
“I got the rhythm in me, ” Brown said. “It consumes me, makes me feel good. There’s nothing that makes me feel as good as drumming. Nothing.”
Brown said when he was just a kid, he saw Ringo Starr (Beatles) playing drums on the Ed Sullivan Show, “and I said, ‘That’s what I want to do.'”
He’s been playing drums ever since.
Although he’s played for many groups, he’s now happy to have played with the Arizona Thunder for three years now, and said he loves it.
“They sing the music that I grew up on,” Charlie Brown said.
Two band members live in Kingman, Brown said.
“Selwyn David is moving here soon. Guess I’ll have to think about moving here too,” he said. “Besides, it’s cooler over here.”
