A native of Awendaw, SC, Charlton Singleton began his musical studies at the age of three on the piano.

He would then go on to study the organ, violin, cello, and the trumpet throughout elementary, middle,

and high school. In 1994, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Music Performance degree from South

Carolina State University. Since that time, he has taught music at the elementary, middle, and high

school levels, as well as being an adjunct faculty member at the College of Charleston. In 2008 he co-

founded and became the Artistic Director and Conductor of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra; an 18-piece

jazz ensemble of some of the finest professional musicians in the Southeast and the resident big band in

Charleston, SC. Mr. Singleton is also the organist and choir director at St. Patrick Catholic Church in

Charleston, SC. In November of 2016 he was named the inaugural Artist in Residence at the recently

renovated Gaillard Center in downtown Charleston. He remained in this position until July 2019; at that

point he was named Artist in Residence Emeritus. In this position he continues to lead the Summer

Youth Jazz Orchestra Camp as well as lead the “Jazz Through the Ages” assembly, which attracts a

capacity crowd of students at the Gaillard Center.

As a performer, Charlton leads his own ensembles that vary in size and style. He has performed in

France, Great Britain, Scotland, Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Norway, Canada, The

Netherlands, as well as many great cities throughout the United States. He is a founding member of an

ensemble called Ranky Tanky. The group is a quintet that interprets the sounds of Gullah from the

Southeast Coast of the United States. In 2017 Ranky Tanky reached the top of the Billboard, iTunes, and

Amazon Contemporary Jazz charts with their self-titled debut recording. In 2019 they accomplished the

same feat with the release of their sophomore effort, “Good Time”, which won the 2019 Grammy

Award for “Best Regional Roots Album”. In 2022 the band’s live recorded set at the prestigious New

Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was nominated for and won the Grammy Award in the same category.

In 2021 he was the recipient of the SC Governor’s Award, which honors arts organizations, patrons,

artists, members of the business community, and government entities who maximize their roles as

innovators, supporters, and advocates for the arts. It is the highest honor for the arts in the state of

South Carolina. In March of 2023 Charlton was appointed by the Mayor and City Council of the City of

Charleston as the Artistic Director of the MOJA Arts Festival – a multi-disciplinary festival produced

annually and directed by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs.

In addition to performing, he is in demand as a speaker, clinician, composer, and arranger. He has also

shared the stage with and/or worked with some of the most talented entertainers in the world,

including Lisa Fischer, Bobby McFerrin, Ruby Dee, Jimmy Heath, Slide Hampton, Houston Person, Darius

Rucker, Fred Wesley, and Cyrus Chestnut to name a few. Outside of music and entertainment, he, and

his wife, MaryJo, are the proud parents of Shalamar and D’Marcus and new grandparents to Sophia

Rose. They are also parents to their FOUR pets...Jango, MoJo, Dakota, and Ginger.