Charles Wilson Darden III

1973 - 2016

HAMPTON - Charles Wilson Darden, III passed away on October 23, 2016. Charles, or "Chucky" as he was known to family and childhood friends, was born in Newport News on March 27, 1973. The youngest child of Charlie Wilson Darden, Jr. and Carol Gwaltney Darden, both of whom predeceased him, he was the only son among the couple's eight children. Charles grew up in Hampton, graduating from Bethel High School in 1991. While at Bethel, he was a member of the school's marching and jazz bands, activities that sparked his life-long love of music. After graduation from high school, Charles attended Thomas Nelson Community College while working at Leggett's Department Store. His passion for music, however, soon led him to the stage, first at open mic nights in downtown Hampton, then to restaurants, theatres, and other Hampton Roads venues. Charles very quickly focused his interest on jazz, and with the help of area musicians who shared his love of jazz standards, such as Joe Dee Daniels, Skip Hancock, Bob Ransome, Terry Burrell, Junie McDonald, Elias Bailey, Justin Kauflin, and many, many others, his career as a vocal jazz musician flourished. Performing with and learning from these fellow lovers of jazz, Charles not only honed his craft as a singer and a saxophone player, but also developed a deep appreciation and knowledge of the music that formed the focus of his professional life. Over the past nearly twenty years, Charles performed in public and private events all over the Commonwealth of Virginia, from the 22nd Street Stage at the oceanfront in Virginia Beach, to stages in The American Theatre in Phoebus and the Kimball Theatre in Williamsburg, and to events in Richmond and Northern Virginia. In 2001, Charles, with Skip Hancock on piano, Junie McDonald on drums, and Newport News native Elias Bailey on bass, performed at the Ronald Reagan Center in Washington DC at one of George W. Bush's inaugural balls, an event described by Charles at the time as "the highest-profile gig he had ever done." When asked by a reporter shortly before the event whether he had been a Bush supporter on Election Day, Charles, with his usual smile, answered, "No, but I am now." Recently, Charles performed on WAVY-TV's The Hampton Roads Show and on WCTV-Chesapeake's Thinking Out Loud show, videos of which remain to remind his legion of fans of his mastery of his craft. His last concert performance was in August at Victorian Station in Phoebus. Charles' performances attracted large crowds of jazz lovers and live music fans wherever he played. He always enjoyed spending time with those that came to listen to him and his friends play the music they loved, and truly appreciated the love and support his fans offered him over the years. Charles is survived by his daughter, Olivera Cora Darden, the one thing in his life that he loved more than music and the inspiration that drove him forward day by day, especially over the past few years. "Chucky" also is survived by seven sisters, Lucy Sherman (Greg), Lillian "Dede" Neal (Lane), Susan Buckwalter (Dave), Dana Ramirez, Stephanie Darden, Amy Argabright (Noah), and Ann Edgar (Frank), who loved their brother very much. His nieces and nephews, Katie, Justin, Kara, Megan, Tess, Tory, William, Rachael, Nicholas, Stephen, Sarah, Jordan, Ian and Hannah Gray, and great nieces Caroline, Nevaeh and Mia, all will miss their "Uncle Chucky." The members of Charles' family extend their heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Jarman for their unwavering support, compassion, love and spiritual guidance of Charles over the years. Charles was proud to be your "Godson!" Charles' life will be celebrated on Sunday, October 30, 2016, at R. Hayden Smith Funeral Home in Hampton, with visitation starting at 1:00 p.m. and a memorial service at 2:00 p.m.