But in 1998, Charlie went through a traumatic split with his Italian wife and was forced to quit mid-tour Soon after, he decided to make a complete break and he relocated to Orlando, Florida. Last year Charlie toured with Nashville country star Trisha Yearwood while gradually infiltrating the expanding Florida music scene and doing "internet drum tracks from his new home. Call that resourceful or what?
Recently Charlie was in Britain backing the amazing guitarist John Jorgenson - another Elton veteran. Dragging themselves the length of the country in a jam-packed hire van is a world away from touring with Elton, but, with Charlie doing all the driving, they approached every gig with the enthusiasm of a bunch of teenagers in their first group.