A new PBS documentary will air this week detailing the life and career of Charlie Albertson. At age 92, Albertson's made a name for himself as a country musician from Beulaville and a Democratic state senator representing rural Duplin County.
Some 150 people filled the auditorium last week at East Duplin High School for an advanced screening of “The Singing Senator,” A 30-minute documentary on Charlie Albertson's decades long music and political career. Albertson, before and after the show, was shaking hands and hugging guests, most of whom he's known for years.
“It probably look like I was running for office again,” he said.
After the show, he and the producer Denver Hollingsworth fielded questions from the crowd. The pair stopped by the PRE studio the day after.
“What did you think about seeing yourself on the screen?” Hollingsworth asked.
“I didn't like it. I felt very uncomfortable out of place, quite frankly,” Albertson responded.
“Yeah, it's more personal in some ways, right,” Hollingsworth said. It's uncomfortable cause everyone's focused on you and it's not that they're focused on like a cause that you're talking about or a piece of a bill.”
The documentary began two years ago, but Hollingsworth and Albertson have known each other since 2017, after working on a music video together. The two meet over lunch at least once a month – more frequently if there’s a project they’re working on. Hollingsworth said he got the idea for the show at one of those meetings.
“As I sat there listening to those stories, I thought ‘Well, other people than me should hear this. We should share these experiences with other folks,’” he said.
Packing Albertson's 92 years into 1/2-hour program is no small feat. Albertson was born during the Great Depression and looked to his father, who only had a fourth-grade education, as a role model. He pursued a career in country music, performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and met country legends like Charlie Pride, Dolly Parton and Reba McEntire. But he gave that up to stay with his wife and family in Beulaville, and in the 1980s, he began his long-running political career as a Democrat representing rural Duplin County.
“I wonder sometimes how it all happened, really because I can look back and see just a few times when I had gone to a certain place and met someone and through that person or through that experience I had, it seemed to have opened the door for me,” Albertson said.
Seeing his life up on screen stirred a bit of reflection. I asked Albertson if he spends much time looking back.
“No, I don't do that a lot. I think that's that's the first time I've ever done that,” Albertson said, referencing the advanced screening. “And you probably could tell I was very uncomfortable in a lot of ways.”
“You can be reflective sometimes and a little bit introspective,” Hollingsworth responded. “The unique thing about Charlie is that a lot of people have this stereotype of folks as they get older, they become more set in their ways and Charlie is not like that at all. He's always open to changing his mind, which is huge.”
The two have become close friends despite the 60-year age gap. Their go to spot for lunch is Carolina Girls in Wilmington, where they order the same thing every time – chicken salad sandwiches, fries, and sweet tea.
They talk about anything and everything during these meetings, though it's mostly the latest headlines that lead the conversation. While Hollingsworth does not appear in the film, his production of Albertson’s life reflects their close-knit bond.
“The Singing Senator” will premiere on PBS NC Thursday, July 25. Viewers nationwide can stream the film online at video.pbsnc.org or on the PBS App.
