About

Charlie Hunter is a guitarist, producer and composer celebrated for his innovative approach to the guitar. He gained widespread recognition for his unique style of playing an eight-string guitar, which he custom-designed, allowing him to simultaneously play bass lines, melodies, and chords. Hunter currently plays 6 and 7 string guitars made by Hybrid Guitars Co. Hybrid Guitars was founded in 2015 when he teamed up with luthiers Clay Conner and Wes Lambe to produce fanned-fret instruments to his specifications.

Hunter's eclectic style seamlessly blends elements of jazz, funk, blues, and rock, creating a sound that is distinctly his own. His mastery of the guitar and his ability to navigate complex rhythms have earned him acclaim from both critics and fellow musicians alike.

Over the course of his career, Hunter has released numerous solo albums and collaborated with a diverse array of artists, lending his singular guitar style to some of the most acclaimed voices in modern music. He performed on three songs from D'Angelo's landmark album Voodoo, including "The Root," in a session he has described as one of the most challenging of his career. He has also recorded with John Mayer, Norah Jones, Frank Ocean, and Silvana Estrada, moving fluidly between genres while bringing his own harmonic and rhythmic sensibility to each collaboration. He is known for his improvisational prowess, often captivating audiences with his spontaneous compositions and improvisations.

During the 2020 pandemic, Hunter turned his attention towards music production and long-distance collaborations. This led to the creation of Wheelhouse Beats, a groundbreaking metronome app featuring some of today's most notable drummers. Furthermore, Hunter founded SideHustle Records, his personal record label and artist development house. As a staunch advocate for artist rights, he gained control of his master recordings, which he subsequently remastered and reissued. SideHustle Records' artist development house is committed to nurturing emerging talent. Occasionally teaming up with The Little Village Foundation, a non-profit organization known for its dedication to promoting and preserving diverse cultural expressions, Hunter works to amplify new voices and talents and build a more inclusive music community. His various collaborations are instrumental in escalating the careers of many budding artists, further establishing his reputation as a producer, collaborator and mentor.

As a defining force in contemporary jazz, funk, and blues, his work with SuperBlue, alongside vocalist Kurt Elling, has received critical praise for its electrifying fusion of jazz, funk, and groove-driven improvisation, earning the project three GRAMMY nominations. Adding to his growing list of accolades, Hunter was a contributor to Nate Smith's GRAMMY-winning project LIVE ACTION. In recent years, Hunter has been touring extensively, with notable appearances at major international festivals, venues and performing arts centers.

From 2021 to 2025, he continued to work with artists including Victoria Victoria, Butcher Brown, Jubu Smith & Calvin Napper, Sam Fribush, Corey Fonville, and Maritzaida, among others. Hunter appeared on Tiny Desk alongside Kiefer, Carrtoons, and Nate Smith, further showcasing his ability to fuse genres and push musical boundaries. This period also saw the critically acclaimed release of Different Strokes for Different Folks with Ella Feingold.

2026 started with Space Bomb, a fresh collaborative album with Butcher Brown's Corey Fonville, DJ Harrison, and Andy Randazzo, followed by Only a Drop with singer-songwriter Lo Steele, and a new album, AM Clock Radio, in his familiar trio format with Marcus Finnie and Nate Clark. He toured with SuperBlue, Nicholas Payton, as well as with The Charlie Hunter Trio and Ella Feingold, bringing his genre-blending style to audiences worldwide. This winter, he and Ella Feingold will release Raw & Reel, a project recorded live to 4-track cassette.

Producer credits →Electronic press kit ↗Wikipedia ↗Hybrid Guitars ↗