Joe Charles was born in Timaru, his parents both from Central Otago pioneer families. Writing was in the blood – his grandfather founded the Dunstan Times in the 1860s.

He wrote his first ballad at the age of ten and submitted it to his Correspondence School teacher, who expressed
a wish that he put as much effort into his school work as into rhyming ramblings. Fortunately he took little notice of this initial discouragement and went on to be one of New Zealand’s best known ballad writers.

International folk singer William Clauson who made a recording of ‘Black Billy Tea’, recognised the importance of Joe’s work as a folklorist, telling him that he had a duty to continue to record the history of the nation in song.

Joe Charles’s, interest in New Zealand folk history spanned several decades and a variety of jobs in many different parts of the country, including stints in the Air Force, as a farmer and as a publican.

Joe passed away in 1991 but his legacy lives on in music recorded by such people as Phil Garland, in his first book Black Billy Tea and in subsequent use of his work by other authors.