Sonny Charles (Checkmates, LTD)

Sonny Charles (b. Charles Hemphill in Fort Wayne, September 4, 1940 - ) – Singer. Charles first achieved fame in 1960s as the lead singer of the Checkmates, LTD, a five-piece R& B band from his hometown of Fort Wayne. With the Checkmates, he recorded five albums—the first one with Capitol—and got to #13 on the pop charts with the single “Black Pearl” (1969), produced by Phil Spector. After the group disbanded permanently in the late 1970s, Charles had some success as a solo artist with his biggest hit being “Put it in a Magazine,” which reached #2 on the R & B singles chart in 1983. Throughout his solo career, he often had the help of drummer Marvin “Sweet Louie” Smith, one of the original Checkmates.