Charles Bryant Frederick "Charlie" Weeks was born June 15, 1937 in Chicago and played jazz in the Northwestern University High School Band and the Northwestern University Band. Weeks attended Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut where he studied jazz drums with Joe Porcaro and graduated with an English degree in 1959.
After graduating, Weeks began a career as a banker at National Boulevard Bank of Chicago, performing music in his spare time. He joined the Chicago Federation of Musicians in 1961. Weeks played in Chicago clubs such as the London House, Basin Street, the Plugged Nickel, and the Hideaway, as well as performing with groups such as the Tom Herrick Orchestra, the Riverboat Ramblers, and the 85th Division Reserve Band.
As one of the founding members of the Chicago Jazz Festival in 1979, Weeks helped obtain initial funding from the City Arts Program and the Music Performance Trust Fund of the American Federation of Musicians. Weeks was president of the Jazz Institute of Chicago from 1980-1982 and 1999-2004. After retiring from banking, Weeks led a band, the Weeks Hornblowers, in private engagements.
Weeks died November 2, 2004.
From the guide to the Weeks, Charles Bryant Frederick. Papers, 1922-2004, (Special Collections Research Center University of Chicago Library 1100 East 57th Street Chicago, Illinois 60637 U.S.A.)
