At 104, Charlie Burrell is no longer playing music, but he still listens to it, from an old CD player in his room at a senior home in Denver. Along with the CD player, the small room is adorned with photos and memorabilia, including poster boards from his many birthday celebrations.
Burrell was 12 when a teacher at school introduced him to what would be his instrument of choice.
“He took me to the music room and pointed to that thing, as I like to call it, and it was a big bass violin,” Burrell recounts.
The only problem, Burrell says, was that he was 4’10” at the time and the instrument was bigger than he was.
“I had to stand on two Coca-Cola boxes to reach the top of the instrument.”
Despite the obstacles, it was love at first sight.
“I think music’s played the most important role in my whole life because that's all I’ve thought about since the time I was 12 years old,” Burrell said. “And every day since then I’ve practiced like a dog. But I enjoyed every second of it.”
After discovering the bass violin, Burrell heard the San Francisco Orchestra playing Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony on the radio conducted by the famous maestro Pierre Monteux. Burrell said he was awestruck and became obsessed with the idea of one day playing under Monteux.
But Burrell put that dream on hold when he joined what was then the Denver Symphony in 1949, becoming the first Black American member of a U.S. orchestra.
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Burrell, who has four kids, said the symphony salary wasn’t enough to make ends meet, so he took other jobs, including stints as a plumber and an auto worker. Burrell remembers one hot summer he spent painting linseed oil on every seat at Red Rocks Amphitheater.
“That was my job,” Burrell said. “To resurrect those seats. It took me three months.”
Sometimes after a grueling day in the hot sun at Red Rocks, he would have to change clothes and head onstage to play a concert that same day. He said Red Rocks is a special place, in part because the acoustics are unmatched.
“The best in the world. You can't believe it. Mother Nature did it,” Burrell said.
Asked whether he has a favorite kind of music, Burrell smiles.
“Yes, I have a very favorite and it’s called all types of music.”
Well, almost all types of music.
“I don't particularly like rock and roll, but it's here. And that's the name of that game.”
After 10 years with the Denver Symphony, Burrell did achieve his dream of playing under Pierre Monteaux when he was hired by the San Francisco Symphony and spent five years there.
Burrell also proved gifted as a jazz musician, playing on-stage with greats like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday. His niece is jazz singer Diane Reeves, who was raised in Denver.
At 104, Burrell has had a lot of time to consider his life’s work and his values and he has a simple philosophy about how to live life to the fullest.
“Talk less, think more, and whatever you do it with a vengeance and everything will be OK.”
