Ernest Charles (Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 21, 1895 – Beverly Hills, California, April 16, 1984) was an American composer of art songs.
[1] He attended The University of Southern California as a college student and studied singing with Charles Modini Wood.
He eventually went to New York City, changed his surname to Charles, and began his professional life as a singer, performing in vaudeville and Broadway reviews, including Earl Carroll's Vanities in 1928 and the George White Scandals in 1929.
At that time he lived with his wife, a mezzo-soprano, in New York City, and produced the radio program Great Moments in Music.
[6] He joined ASCAP in 1934, and served as an Assistant Executive Secretary of the American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA) from 1937 until at least 1966.