GYPSY MITCHELL

Charles Ray 'Gypsy' Mitchell was born in Dallas, Texas in 1952. At the age of 17, he formed an innovative gospel funk group, The Relatives, with two brothers, Reverend Gean West and Tommie West. He co-wrote, arranged and played guitar on their first two singles, "Speak to Me" / "Walking On" (Lewis Records) and "Don't Let Me Fall" / "Rap On" (Hosanna Records), re-released on the Don't Let Me Fall compilation by Heavy Light in 2009.

A self-taught musician, Gypsy has a unique guitar sound that can be attributed to open tuning, effects pedals and a singular synthesis of the styles of his greatest heroes: Wes Montgomery, Jimi Hendrix and Cal Valentine. He notably served as a sideman for Buddy Ace for several years in the mid-'80s, worked at venues like the historic Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas, and shared the stage with Joe Simon, Johnnie Taylor and Little Milton.

In 2021, after being visited in a dream by the late Reverend Gean West, he feels inspired to finally share his own compositions accumulated throughout his life. To bring this project to life, he approached Zach Ernst and Matthew Strmiska (founding members of Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears), an Austin-based production team with whom he had worked on The Relatives albums released after the reformation of the group in 2009. A new era begins.