Chuck
Weber grew up in Huntsville, Alabama, in the 1950s and early
60s, and earned a degree in English Literature from what is
now Rhodes College in Memphis. After four years as an Air
Force officer, he earned a degree in Forestry from the University
of Florida. Between 1974 and 1985 he served as county forester
with Florida's and Alabama's state forestry agencies, and
from 1985 through 2005 he was Huntsville's City Forester.
Music
and woodworking have always been part of Chuck's life. He
rebuilt a wrecked sailboat during his high-school years, and
later built a house, garages, and most recently a studio-workshop.
He now works with Habitat for Humanity's construction and
renovation teams.
During
his early years, Chuck was steeped in various kinds of music.
He studied piano and violin as a child, played banjo in a
college folk-music group, and eventually returned to the fiddle.
He and his wife Katrina now play fiddle and piano, respectively,
on their own and with other musicians. Their music centers
around songs and dance tunes from many traditions - American
"old-time," French Canadian, Celtic, English, Latin,
rags and blues, more recent music in traditional styles from
various regions of the U.S., and occasionally classical. They
have played for contradances, weddings, and celebrations across
the Southeast, and as far away as Costa Rica.
He
says of his favorite recreation: "Music is probably the
most rewarding of all the things I've ever done. While it
demands patience and determination, it teaches cooperation
with others, and provides opportunities to share happiness
and inspiration with others. The older I get, the better I
understand what Shakespeare meant when, in The Merchant of
Venice, Lorenzo tells Jessica, 'The man that hath no music
in himself, Nor is not mov'd with concord of sweet sounds,
Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils.' "
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