Charlie Mosbrook
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Charlie Mosbrook is an award-winning songwriter, performer, and advocate for American folk music. Beginning his career in 1988 as a street musician, he quickly became a popular open mic host throughout Northeast Ohio. From these early roots he nurtured his songwriting, musicianship, and stagecraft and today performs for major festivals and concert series throughout the US. His recordings of original and traditional songs have earned him rotation on many popular folk radio programs around the world. As a folk music advocate Charlie continues to organize local open mics and serves as the president for Folknet and vice president to FARM (Folk Alliance Region Midwest)
In the summer of 2018 Charlie’s song “Remember Who We Are” earned him 2nd place in the Woody Guthrie Folk Festival Songwriting contest. The honor included an invitation to perform on the mainstage during the festival. The recognition highlighted a long history of helping to continue the legacy of Guthrie’s music including a performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum during its week long conference in 1996 titled Hard Travelin’: The Life and Legacy of Woody Guthrie. That performance received a credit in Robert Santelli’s book by the same name. Charlie has led Woody Guthrie workshops and performed his songs for schools, festivals, and libraries across the country. The Library of Congress American Folk Life Center has recorded Charlie performing Guthrie’s song “I Ain’t Got No Home”.
In addition to the WG songwriting contest Charlie’s original music has been featured on Folk Alley, No Depression, The Standing O Project, WFMT’s Midnight Special, Strings and Beyond, and other respected outlets for folk music. In 2011 He was listed as Cleveland’s Best Singer-Songwriter in a Scene Magazine readers poll.
Suffering an incomplete spinal cord injury in 2010, Charlie now spends much of his time using a wheelchair and cane for mobility. A two-time Ironman triathlete and 12-time marathon finisher, he drew on his experience in endurance sports to continue moving forward as a performer, touring annually and independently by train, bus, or air. Locally Charlie performs monthly for patients at Cleveland’s Metrohealth Spinal 
cord injury rehabilitation unit every month. He also serves the City Council of Cleveland Heights on a Transportation Advisory Board advocating for people with disabilities.
As an advocate for folk music, Charlie serves Northeast Ohio’s Folk and traditional music and dance society, Folknet as secretary 2014 and President 2015-current. He serves FARM (Folk Alliance Region Midwest) as Workshop Coordinator 2014 -current and Vice president 2017-current. As a music educator, Charlie is currently the Children’s Music Coordinator for Fairmount Presbyterian Church and teaches with Roots of American Music. His service as an open mic host began in 1989 at the Coventry Arabica and continues today at the Phoenix Coffeeshop on the same street 30 years later, supporting his goal of providing every voice an opportunity to singout and be heard.
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