It was such an honor getting to meet Val McCallum this summer in Vermont. He wrote this beautiful song about Charles Bronson called “Charlie’s Coal” that he included on his 2019 album Chateauguay. It’s a moving tribute to his dad. I still can’t believe that I had the good fortune to be able hear him perform this live at the Skunk Hollow Tavern. His cousin Lindsay told me later that he wasn’t going to sing that night but decided to when he met me and my wife and found out we were visiting the area there to pay tribute to Bronson. What a great guy!
I thought I would share it with you today! I hope you enjoy!
Charlie’s Coal
Follow the highway, follow the heart, to the green hills of ScoopTown, where my daddy grew up. Working down in the darkness, hauling out the coal. Stays on your skin, never leaves your soul.
Digging coal, black coal, from down in that hole. Digging coal, black coal, makes the engines roll.
He dreamed of a woman, so blonde and so fair. So, he had to go find her, climbing up out of there. Together they handled, any twist in the road.It strengthens your life, when you share the load.
When daddy wasn’t well, she knew just what to do.Held him in her arms, ‘til the night turned blue.Made a fire in the fireplace from some of his coal. Power from so long ago.
I live by the ocean, California dream.He lives under the earth now, what he left isn’t seen. He gave me my first guitar. I still remember that day.I still see him smile, every time I play.It gets into your heart, never goes away.
Digging coal, black coal, down in that hole. Digging coal, pure gold, makes the engines roll. Daddy’s coal, pure gold. May the cameras roll.
I’ve shared several episodes of the “This Week in Charles Bronson” podcast with our readers over the last year. I just love visiting with my Buchinsky Buddy Eric Todd about all things related to Charles Bronson. In our latest episode, Eric pays tribute to actress Antoinette Bower, who passed away on April 30th, 2026, at the age of 93. The first Bronson film he ever saw was THE EVIL THAT MEN DO (1984), where Bower plays Claire Molloch, the sister and the love of the life of political torturer Clement Molloch (Joseph Maher). In Bower’s three-decade career she starred in just about every classic TV series you can think of, including Have Gun, Will Travel, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Star Trek, and with Bronson and Kurt Russell in The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters. It’s a lot of fun revisiting much of her film work, and finding out a lot of other interesting things about her life after she retired from show business in the early 90’s.
After that, I get to tell you all about my trip to Vermont! My wife and I were able to visit Charles Bronson’s gravesite at the Brownsville Cemetery in West Windsor, as well as the property that was once his and Jill Ireland’s horse farm on Bronson Road. We were able to eat at places where he liked to eat and even go shopping at places where he liked to shop! And to top it all off, we had the good fortune to meet his son, Valentine McCallum, who still has property in the area and just happened to be visiting when we were there. Val’s an incredible professional musician and singer, and we were able to catch him performing at the Skunk Hollow Tavern on our last night in the area. I share a couple of his songs on the podcast. What I love the most is that these are very personal songs that Val performed that night. I think you’ll enjoy them. I know we sure did!
So, if any of that sounds like fun to you, take some time to give us a listen. I’m sharing the YouTube and Spotify links below, but you can find us on Apple Podcasts as well!
For most of my life, I’ve wanted to visit the state of Vermont. It started because I loved the 80’s sitcom NEWHART when I was a kid. In the show, Bob Newhart and his wife were innkeepers in rural Vermont so I just knew it had to be beautiful. And then, as Charles Bronson’s biggest fan, I learned that his favorite place on earth was his horse farm in Vermont, which was named Zuleika Farm after his daughter with Jill Ireland. This became the place that he would escape to as his filming schedule allowed. He is even buried there at the Brownsville Cemetery at the foot of Mount Ascutney. Visiting that area of Vermont that sits close to the New Hampshire border became the ultimate Charles Bronson “bucket list” item for me. In 2026, at the ripe old age of 52, I was able to mark this off my list, as my wife and I spent a few days in West Windsor, VT.
But first, if we were going to drive all the way to Vermont, I decided we should stop off in Philadelphia and see Eric Todd, the host of the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON podcast. Eric’s vision to create a podcast dedicated to keeping Bronson’s memory alive has been so special to me. Thanks to Eric, who has allowed me to be his co-host on multiple occasions, I have met several actors who worked with Charles Bronson, and even some of his own family. Although we talk and text almost every day, this was our first time to meet in person. We had the best time over dinner, and we enjoyed meeting Eric’s wife Tina and his son Noah as well. Eric has truly become one of my very best friends!
Brad and Eric in our Bronson shirts, and a sweet puppy who just wants to be loved!
Once we arrived in Vermont the next day, our first stop was at “Bronson Road” in West Windsor, VT. This road went right through Bronson’s farm property. It’s a private road now so we couldn’t drive down it, but we did get a couple of pictures from the corner of Morrison and Bronson!
Zuleika Farm is no longer there, but it’s memory lives on!My beautiful travel companion took a pose at the entrance of the property Charles Bronson once loved!
After that, we made our way to the Brownsville Cemetery and paid our respects to the film icon and legendary action star. It’s hard to put into words exactly how I felt that day. I wasn’t there as just a fan. I was there as a person who has spent the majority of his life with a healthy obsession for the man and his work. I’ll just say it was a beautiful experience. On an interesting note, a man from Alabama stopped by to pay his respects while we were there as well. It makes me happy that Charles Bronson is still beloved over 20 years after his death.
Charles Bronson’s gravesite in the Brownsville Cemetery. The view from Bronson’s gravesite is beautiful Mount Ascutney!
One of the perks of being a co-host of the THIS WEEK IN CHARLES BRONSON podcast, is the fact that I’ve been able to meet Charles Bronson’s niece, Lindsay Ireland. She used to spend summers in Vermont with the Bronson’s when she was a teenager. She told me about some of Bronson’s favorite places to eat. We were able to eat at The Woodstock Inn, which was kind of fancy for Bronson’s personal tastes, but the food was great.
The beautiful entrance to The Woodstock Inn. The restaurant there is called “The Red Rooster.”
The place he really loved to eat was the Skunk Hollow Tavern, which is about 5 miles from the farm. I made us a reservation for “open mic” night at the Skunk Hollow Tavern on Wednesday, June 17th. Little did I know that Bronson’s stepson, Val McCallum, would be sitting in with the band that night. An incredible professional guitar player on his own, Val has been Jackson Browne’s lead guitarist going back to the early 2000’s. He also helped compose the film scores for the Bronson films MURPHY’S LAW, DEATH WISH 4, and ASSASSINATION back in the late 80’s. We got to meet him, and he even played a couple of songs for us, including “Charlie’s Coal,” an amazing song of love and respect for his “daddy.” It was a lucky and unexpected meeting I’ll never forget!
Val McCallum sitting in with the band on Open Mic night at the Skunk Hollow Tavern!Val McCallum, son of David McCallum and stepson of Charles Bronson, graciously taking a picture with yours truly!
Our trip to Vermont was truly incredible, exceeding every expectation I had. I can’t wait to see where my next “movie trip” takes us. I just know it will be hard to top this one!
Through the Shattered Lens 