Charles Flores was born in Cuba in 1970. He became a bassist when he was 10 years old, but Cuban laws prohibited an in depth study of jazz and other American genres of music. Flores eventually immigrated to the United States as a refugee and settled in Hartford, Connecticut, where his wife, Miriam Flores, had relatives. He joined the group Afro-Cuba, led by , during his senior year in high school and later toured with the group in 1992 and 1993. He then joined the and appeared on some of their albums.