Charles Hemphill born to a sharecropping family at Blytheville, Arkansas.

At the age of 10. he moved with his parents and six sisters to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

He was the lead singer of the Checkmates, Ltd. in the 1960s and 1970s, and it is his vocals that are heard out front on their 1969 Phil Spector-produced hit, "Black Pearl".

Written by Charles with producer Bobby Paris, the song went to #2 on the R&B Singles chart[3] and reached #40 on the Billboard Hot 100 in early 1983.

[1] The follow-up single, "Always on My Mind", peaked at #53,[3] but Charles quickly fell from view.