Born in a musical family and raised in Brooklyn, NY, music was and still is Charley Drayton’s first language. His grandfather Charlie played upright bass {Louis Jordan, Ben Webster, Billie Holiday, Lena Horn}; and his father Bernard began his musical career as a recording engineer and is now a jingle and record producer. At age three, Charley began spending much of his time attending recording sessions and live performances. At times, even home felt like a nightclub, as new music would find its way in daily. Through his training in the sights and sounds of the New York City music scene, Charley began taking piano lessons at the Yamaha Piano School in Brooklyn.
Through the years, he has shared musical settings with Chaka Khan, Herbie Hancock, Taj Mahal, B52s, Divinyls, Ivan Neville, Late Night with David Letterman, The Brecker Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Keith Richards & the Xpensive Winos, Mariah Carey, Michelle Branch, Fiona Apple and Sara Bareilles. It would be difficult not to mention some of the bass work he has done over the years, too, with such artists as Seal, Iggy Pop, Neil Young, Courtney Love, Janet Jackson, and The Cult, just to name a few. Charley has been heard in many musical circles over the past two decades. His energy and love for music continue to reach new plateaus.