Editing Craig Charles (section)

== Music ==
Charles has been involved in the music industry through much of his career. His bands have included Watt 4 (1980), in which he played keyboards and sang; Craig Charles and the Beat Burglars (1989); The Sons of Gordon Gekko (1989), where he wrote lyrics and also composed tunes; and The Eye (2000–02), with whom he recorded the rock album ''Giving You the Eye, Live at the Edinburgh Festival''. Charles plays guitar and piano.

In 1987, Charles provided the poem track used for the opening credits of the BBC series ''The Marksman'' (in which he also acted), which is included on the album "The Marksman: Music from the BBC TV Series". Charles wrote lyrics for [[Suzanne Rhatigan]]'s album ''To Hell with Love'' (1992). In 1993, Charles was signed to the [[Acid Jazz Records|Acid Jazz]] record label.<ref>Interview with Charles by Terry Christian, ''The Word'', Channel 4, 1994</ref>

In 2009, Charles formed the [[The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show#The Fantasy Funk Band|Fantasy Funk Band]] from the leading British musicians in the genre, and has presented the band at festivals, including [[Glastonbury Festival|Glastonbury]] and the BBC's [[Proms in the Park]]. As a continuation of his 6 Music show, Charles regularly takes the [[The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show#The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club|Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club]] to varied venues across the UK and abroad, and to the major UK music festivals. He performs live DJ sets, occasionally comperes and curates events, including his own Craig Charles Fantasy Weekender, and has broadcast the radio show live from festival locations.<ref name="united"/>

In 2012, Charles released the compilation album ''The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club'', on CD and as a digital download, as part of a three-album deal<ref>''Metro'', 28 November 2012, Andrew Williams [http://www.metro.co.uk/tv/919157-craig-charles-i-only-thought-red-dwarf-would-last-two-series "Craig Charles"], London</ref> with Freestyle Records.<ref>Freestyle Records, 26 November 2012 [http://www.freestylerecords.co.uk/index.php/the-craig-charles-funk-soul-club/ "ALBUM: The Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club"]</ref> The second volume was released in the same format in 2013, and the third in 2014. He followed these with a ''Craig Charles Funk and Soul Classics'' album of three CDs in 2015.<ref name="united"/>