"Discovered" by Jackson Browne and Pat MacDonald in June 2006 at Steel Bridge Songfest where he exploded onto the songwriter scene with his scathing workingman's sing along Palmer Johnson Yacht and equally joyful summer anthem She's Made For Sunshine, Cheney has gone on to have 5 more songs included on international compilation CDs since then, and released an acclaimed solo CD.
The reason for the accolades undoubtedly lies in his commitment to, and love of, compelling stories. His songs dance around one primary theme: conflict and the choices people make during times of stress. His band of chameleons add three part harmonies, banjo, guitar, and mandolin. Cheney wraps alternately haunting and bouncing melodies around images of bill collectors on caller ID, lawn chairs left out in the rain, bulging tattoos, strip malled rural towns, sand bagged houses in flood plain, and toupees filled with bar smoke... to paint lucid and intimate portraits of American life. 
Cheney is also the developer of Indie Band Manager software used by over 3000 musicians in 21 countries. He regularly gives seminars at music conferences and universities on songwriting, touring, business, and technology. Contact him for your event, panel, or seminar. You can hear the songs here and try the software over at indiebandmanager.com. As he's pretty much a poster child for D.I.Y. you can call or write to him anytime.
What others are saying...
Jackson Browne said "I love your stuff..." and asked to sing with him on stage.
Pat MacDonald said "I love your really sad songs and your really funny songs." and took him on tour.
The Capital Times called "[a] gritty troubadour."
Freedy Johnston simply wrote "Charlie Cheney = Great Music"
Paulie Ryan (Garbage) said "You're the best songwriter I know, your CD makes me laugh and cry."
Jonathan Spottiswoode wrote "I have now hereby patented the adjective 'charlie cheneyesque' to describe off-beat, dead honest, and beautifully eery songs."
Songs have been included on the SteelBridge Songfest compilation CD, the St. John Songfest compilation CD, and the 2008 February Album Writing Month compilation CD. A new song "Twirl" was released on the SB4CD last June and another song "Valentines Day" is slated for release on the FAWM 2009 compilation. All the songs were written and recorded during those festivals.
The current solo CD "Giant Chicken" is available on iTunes or by mail. He's planning a new CD for 2009 and is currently booking tours to the east and west.