Photo Credit: Brandon Jean
Charlie Monk, SiriusXM host and ‘Mayor of Music Row,’ has passed away at the age of 84.
Longtime SiriusXM host and Nashville’s renowned “Mayor of Music Row,” Charlie Monk, has passed away at age 84, his family reports. Charlie joined Sirius Satellite Radio in 2004 after an illustrious career in radio and music publishing as a well-loved member of Nashville’s music community.
Charlie Monk hosted a morning program on Willie’s Roadhouse for many years and a weekend interview show on Prime Country. A native of Alabama, Charlie was inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Country Radio Hall of Fame in 2019. He received the Joe Talbot Award from the Country Music Association in 2021 for his “exceptional leadership and dedication to the preservation and promotion of Country Music’s values and traditions.”
His broadcasting career began when he was still in high school at WGEA in his hometown of Geneva, Alabama. He worked at WTBF while attending Troy University and hosted shifts on WKRG and WUNI in Mobile, Alabama.
Charlie moved to Nashville in 1968, holding various positions with music publishing companies, including ASCAP and CBS Songs, and formed Monk Family Music Group in 1983. He co-founded the Country Radio Seminar (CRS) in 1969 and hosted its annual New Faces show for 40 years.
Monk served as an officer for various organizations and sat on numerous boards, through which he developed an extensive network of contacts and earned the nickname “The Mayor of Music Row.”
Charlie was an accomplished songwriter, with songs covered by Jimmy Dean, Charley Pride, Jerry Reed, Eddy Arnold, and many more. He recorded several versions of his own compositions, including “My Wife” and “Andy & Opie Christmas.” He also helped launch the careers of successful writers and artists, including Randy Travis and Kenny Chesney.
Memorial contributions may be made to MusiCares, Community Care Fellowship, Calvary United Methodist Church, Rochelle Center, or CreatiVets.