Pioneering rock 'n' roll guitarist Charlie Gracie dies aged 86

Charlie Gracie
(Image credit: Charles Paul Harris/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

Charlie Gracie, rock ‘n’ roll pioneer and collaborator with the likes of Jerry Lee Lewis, Chuck Berry and The Everly Brothers, has died aged 86.

News of the guitarist’s passing has been confirmed by his family via ABKCO Records – owner of Cameo Records, the Philadelphia label through which Gracie recorded and released some of his biggest hits.

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Sam Roche

Sam was Staff Writer at GuitarWorld.com from 2019 to 2023, and also created content for Total Guitar, Guitarist and Guitar Player. He has well over 15 years of guitar playing under his belt, as well as a degree in Music Technology (Mixing and Mastering). He's a metalhead through and through, but has a thorough appreciation for all genres of music. In his spare time, Sam creates point-of-view guitar lesson videos on YouTube under the name Sightline Guitar.