CINCINNATI, Ohio
Charles Edward “Chuck” Morpurgo, 58, died Thursday, Nov. 4 th after a battle with cancer. Chuck was born in Palatine, IL on Nov. 25 th , 1962, the son of George and Barbara Roberts Morpurgo. He grew up in Wyckoff, NJ and graduated from Ramapo HS. Some of his best childhood memories were sailing up the East Coast on his father’s boat, Insteada.
Chuck began playing guitar in his early teens and was considered a virtuoso. He spent time playing in bands around NYC in the eighties before moving to Bloomington, Indiana. Soon, he was traveling throughout the Midwest with bands like “Hothouse” and “Brothers by Choice”. In September of 1998, he met Krista Hill of Columbus, IN, with whom in 2000 he had his only child, George Ross Morpurgo.
Chuck joined the Dallas Moore Band of Cincinnati in 1999, thanks to the support and encouragement of his son’s mother. With Chuck’s phenomenal guitar work as a driving force, the band became an award-winning Americana act, opening for the likes of Merle Haggard and sharing the stage at Cincinnati’s Cammy Awards with honorees like Pure Prairie League and Peter Frampton. Chuck won Best Country Instrumentalist three times. He was also recognized for his work at the Ameripolitan Music Awards in Austin, TX, sharing honors with people like Billy Jo Shaver, Jerry Lee Lewis, Junior Brown, and Asleep at the Wheel. He collaborated with late Willie Nelson guitarist Jody Payne. Though he played country music for a living, Chuck’s heroes were Hendrix, Page, Bert Jansch, and Rory Gallagher. His fingerstyle talent was breathtaking.
Chuck was humble about his accomplishments, in the last 20 years focusing more on his role of being George’s father. He was proud of his son’s advanced education and honors. When George was in kindergarten, after a long weekend of gigs, Chuck would get up early on Monday mornings and drive ninety minutes from Cincinnati to Columbus, IN, just to be able to walk his son into school one day a week. Chuck never forgot his NJ roots and yearned for tours to the area just to get Taylor ham. He had an infectious, booming laugh and a soft heart. Friends remember him for his cool head and sage advice. Chuck leaves behind an incomparable catalogue of guitar work. He is survived and mourned deeply by his son, George Ross, Krista Hill, his brother Richard, and thousands of fans. He was preceded in death by his parents.
