In the late 1970s and 1980s, Charlie Wilson, lead singer of the Gap Band was one of the most recognizable voices in R&B. Wilson’s influence was easily witnessed in the music of artists like Aaron Hall, (of Guy) Keith Sweat and R. Kelly, whose vocal stylings were heavily indebted to Wilson. With the help of a new generation of fans, including Kelly and Snoop, “Uncle Charlie,” has made a return to the R&B charts with tracks like “Charlie, Last Name Wilson” , “There Goes My Baby,” and “Can’t Live Without You.” In the midst of his remarkable comeback, Wilson was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After successful treatment, Wilson now serves as a national spokesperson for the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He talked with NewBlackMan about his struggles with the disease and the importance of Black men staying on top of their health.


NBM: I read some information that said that before the age of 40, most men have a 1-in-10,000 chance of being diagnosed with Prostate cancer, but that that numbers increase to 1 in 38 between the ages of 40 and 59. In your case, was this something that you were thinking about? Were you getting exams? Or were you just doing “Charlie Wilson”?


Uncle Charlie: Naw, I wasn’t getting exams, although when I was a teenager I used to get those exams and I remember I used to hate it. As an adult I wouldn’t go to the doctor for those exams and I knew nothing about prostate cancer at all. All I knew is the exam shied me away from getting checked for anything.


NBM: That’s real, I imagine in the times that you’ve had to talk about prostate cancer have you had to deal with men who were a little skittish about having the exam because of previous experiences with it or fears of what it might be like?


Uncle Charlie: Yeah, I sit in on community panels and groups and a brother was like “tell us what really going on with it” and I really didn’t understand where he was coming from and I was like “dude it hurts like hell” and everybody started laughing. I got a chance to talk to a lot of guys and tell them “just go get a check-up” and one homeboy was like “man I don’t know…exit only, exit only” (laughter. But seriously, I found out last month about a case that was 27 years old. That’s crazy.


NBM: How did you get diagnosed? Was it just a regular check-up?

Uncle Charlie: Yeah. My wife, of course talked me into going. (laughter) Before I got married 15 years ago, I was scarcely visiting doctors on a regular basis, as all men just about do—my whole family was like “we gonna die of something.” Buy my wife made me go to the doctor. It was her insistence that made me go get a regular check-up and then she insisted that I get a PSA test.


NBM: What was your initial reaction?

Uncle Charlie: Man, cancer. Just cancer, that word. The doctor told me there was good news and bad news and my wife said “what’s the bad news first” and he tell us it prostate cancer. I immediately couldn’t find my face—it was someplace on the floor. I just felt that everything that I had worked for and all my accomplishments were going to be buried. I just figured that this was the end of it all. And I was looking at this doctor and I just couldn’t hardly hear anything—he was moving his mouth and I was just stunned.


NBM: When were you diagnosed?

Uncle Charlie: July of 2008.


NBM: So you’re in the midst of this amazing comeback and another generation folk are getting the opportunity to hear Uncle Charlie and then all of a sudden you get hit with this news.

Uncle Charlie: It was crazy for me, I couldn’t believe it. I was more hurt than anything . For the last 10 years maybe 12 years I really been praying, just giving God thanks and praise and all of this. And it seems like here come the Devil and just blindsides me, like he just won’t leave me alone, is this him again? This evilness, the dark side or something, just keep on toying with me. That’s the only thing I could think of.

NBM: What was the treatment like? That kinds of things did you have to go through for the treatment.

Uncle Charlie: I went through radiation seed planting. What they do is they go to the prostate with these radiation seeds and they attack the cancer right there at the spot, unlike chemotherapy and things like that.

NBM: How did you get involved with the Prostate Cancer Foundation?

Uncle Charlie: Well Karen Lee and Juanita Stephens (publicists), thought it would be a great opportunity for me to team up with a foundation to help spread the word to African Americans. When I started doing research and found out all these statistics, it was crazy. 1-in-3 African-Americans will develop prostate cancer, that we were dying every 18 minutes—the numbers are staggering, the number of men we lost the last year and the year before, it was just staggering. I couldn’t believe the numbers and I was like “I have to start talking.” I do a lot of performing so I need to start informing brothers about this disease. And people were like “Charlie Wilson, why you telling all your business?” And I’m like, “this is really not about me, it’s about you, I’ve done something about me.” (laughter)


NBM: You mentioned the spirituality that you gained the past few years, do you feel as though God had a plan for you?

Uncle Charlie: Yeah—that’s the only thing I could think of. Me doing everything myself and me calling all the shots, I lead myself to nowhere. Drugs and alcohol were a factor in my day and God gave me a second chance at life and another chance at the music business, which I prayed and asked him for. I know I can sing, if I can just do this one more time. For ten years, after I got sober, looked for a record deal and everybody turned me down. All the majors, they were closing the door so fast, like dude, c’mon.


NBM: How does it feel to get the love you get from some of the younger cats, like the Snoops and R. Kellys of the world?

Uncle Charlie: It a great feeling. First it was Snoop who embraced me the first time and Snoop made sure in the hip-hop community, that I was branded with him. Then it was R. Kelly, who was like “let me do you—let me produce you”. That “Charlie Last Name, Wilson” went through the roof with them youngsters. Kelly said “we need to reintroduce you to the world” and what better way to do it. I knew I could sing and knew all I needed was a record. It’s great to see so many generations of kids just flock to the music, knowing who I am from my voice and my songs. It’s a great opportunity to be one of the only ones who was able to connect the dots.


NBM: How is it different from those early days with The Gap Band?

Uncle Charlie: One, I’m sober. I wake and know where exactly I am all the time. And I can count my own money (laughter). And enjoying living and not existing. And then to be able to change people places and things. That is just wonderful.


Mark Anthony Neal is Professor of Black Popular Culture in the Department of African & African American Studies at Duke University, the author of four books and producer of the blog NewBlackMan, from which this essay is taken.

Read and search articles on SeeingBlack.com's Health/Spirit Channel and Archive.

Click here to post a comment on this article or your own article.

Do you shop at Amazon? Please shop through our link and support SeeingBlack.com!

© Copyright 2006 SeeingBlack.com

Top of Page