Charlie Daniels Band
b. Charles Edward Daniels, 28 October 1936, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. Daniels, who wrote "Carolina (I Love You)" about his youth, was the son of a lumberjack and was raised with a love of bluegrass music. He borrowed a guitar when he was 15 years old and immediately learned to play basic tunes. He then acquired skills on mandolin and fiddle, but had to modify his playing when he lost the tip of his ring finger in an accident in 1955. He formed a bluegrass band, the Misty Mountain Boys, but the group changed its name to the Jaguars following the single "Jaguar", which they recorded in 1959 (produced by Bob Johnston). Daniels says, "for nine years we played every honky-tonk dive and low-life joint between Raleigh and Texas". This enabled him to master a variety of musical styles, but his only national success came in 1964 when he wrote an Elvis Presley b-side "It Hurts Me", a tender ballad that remains one of his best compositions.
In 1967, Daniels followed Johnston's suggestion to accept regular session work in Nashville. He played electric bass on Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline and later appeared on his albums Self Portrait and New Morning. He also worked with Marty Robbins, Hank Williams Jnr. (on Family Tradition) and Ringo Starr (on Beaucoups Of Blues), and took Lester Flatt's place alongside Earl Scruggs. He produced albums by the Youngbloods and by Jerry Corbitt. The latter, in turn, produced one by Daniels, both of which were released in the USA by Capitol Records.
The Charlie Daniels Band was formed in 1970, with Daniels joined by Barry Barnes (guitar), Mark Fitzgerald (bass), Fred Edwards and Garry Allen (drums), and Joel "Taz" Di Gregorio (keyboards). They started recording southern rock-styled albums for the Kama Sutra Records label. Although a multi-instrumentalist, Daniels was a limited vocalist, but his voice was well suited to the talking-style "Uneasy Rider", which reached the US Top 10 in 1973. He followed it with his anthem for southern rock, "The South's Gonna Do It". In 1974, Daniels had members of the Marshall Tucker Band and the Allman Brothers Band join him onstage in Nashville. It was so successful that he decided to make his so-called Volunteer Jam an annual event. It led to some unlikely combinations of artists such as James Brown performing with Roy Acuff, and the stylistic mergers have included Crystal Gayle singing the blues with the Charlie Daniels Band.
The Charlie Daniels Band underwent some personnel changes on 1975's Nightrider, with Tom Crain, Charlie Hayward and Don Murray replacing Barnes, Fitzgerald and Allen respectively. When Daniels moved to Epic in 1976, there was a concerted effort to turn the band into a major concert attraction, despite the fact that at 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 20 stone Daniels was no teenage idol: he hid his face under an oversized cowboy hat. The albums sold well, and in 1979, when recording his Million Mile Reflections album, he recalled a 20s poem, "The Mountain Whipporwill", by Stephen Vincent Benet. The band developed this into "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", in which Johnny outplays the Devil to win a gold fiddle. Daniels overdubbed his fiddle seven times to create an atmospheric recording that topped the US country charts and reached number 3 in the US pop charts. It was also a UK Top 20 success and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance.
In 1980 the band recorded "In America" for the hostages in Iran, and then in 1982, "Still In Saigon', about Vietnam. The band was featured on the soundtrack for Urban Cowboy and also recorded the theme for the Burt Reynolds" movie Stroker Ace. The 13th Volunteer Jam was held in 1987, but financial and time constraints meant the event was put on temporary hiatus (it resumed four years later). In the late 80s Daniels appeared in the movie Lone Star Kid and published a book of short stories, but continued touring and playing his southern boogie to adoring audiences.
During the 90s Daniels updated "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" with Johnny Cash and continued in his politically incorrect way - in simple language, he advocates both lynching and red-baiting; not a man to stand next to at the bar. He signed a new recording contract with Liberty Records in 1993, but also targeted the white gospel market through a contract with Sparrow Records. The albums The Door (1994) and Steel Witness (1996) earned Daniels several awards from the Christian recording community.
In 1997 Daniels inaugurated his own Blue Hat Records label and also released his first children's album, By The Light Of The Moon: Campfire Songs & Cowboy Tunes, on the Sony Wonder label. Two years later he took his Volunteer Jam event on the road for the first time. In 2007, nailing his political views to the mast, he recorded a live album in front of US troops in war-torn Iraq. Later in the year he was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry.
DISCOGRAPHY: Charlie Daniels (Capitol 1970)***, Te John, Grease And Wolfman (Kama Sutra 1970)****, Honey In The Rock aka Uneasy Rider (Kama Sutra 1972)***, Way Down Yonder aka Whiskey (Kama Sutra 1974)***, Fire On The Mountain (Kama Sutra 1974)****, Nightrider (Kama Sutra 1975)***, Teach Yourself Rock Guitar, Volume 1 (Belmont 1976)***, Saddle Tramp (Epic 1976)***, High Lonesome (Epic 1976)****, Volunteer Jam (Epic 1976)***, Midnight Wind (Epic 1977)***, Volunteer Jam III & IV (Epic 1978)**, Million Mile Reflections (Epic 1979)****, Volunteer Jam VI (Epic 1980)***, Full Moon (Epic 1980)****, Volunteer Jam VII (Epic 1981)***, Windows (Epic 1982)***, Me And The Boys (Epic 1985)***, Powder Keg (Epic 1987)***, Homesick Heroes (Epic 1988)***, Simple Man (Epic 1989)***, Christmas Time Down South (Epic 1990)**, Renegade (Epic 1991)***, America, I Believe In You (Liberty 1993)***, The Door (Sparrow 1994)****, Same 'Ol Me (Capitol Nashville 1995)***, Steel Witness (Sparrow 1996)***, Blues Hat (Blue Hat 1997)***, By The Light Of The Moon: Campfire Songs & Cowboy Tunes (Sony Wonder 1997)****, Fiddle Fire: 25 Years Of The Charlie Daniels Band (Blue Hat 1998)****, Tailgate Party (Blue Hat 1999)***, Road Dogs (Blue Hat 2000)***, Live! (Blue Hat 2001)***, How Sweet The Sound: 25 Favorite Hymns And Gospel Greats (Sparrow 2001)**, Redneck Fiddlin' Man (Blue Hat/Audium 2002)***, A Merry Christmas To All (Blue Hat/Audium 2002)**, Freedom And Justice For All (Blue Hat/Audium 2003)***, A Carolina Christmas Carol (Blue Hat 2003)**, Songs From The Longleaf Pines: A Gospel Bluegrass Collection (Blue Hat/Koch 2005)**, Live From Iraq (Blue Hat/Koch 2007)***, Deuces (Blue Hat/Koch 2007)***.
Instant Live series: Scioto County Fair: Lucasville, OH 8/9/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, Rock Country 4-H-Fair: Janesville, WI 7/31/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, Adams County Fair: Mendon, IL 7/30/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, Harley Davidson Dealership: Toledo, OH 7/29/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, John Burns Park: Massapequa, NY 7/26/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***.
COMPILATIONS: The Essential Charlie Daniels (Kama Sutra 1976)***, A Decade Of Hits (Epic 1983)***, All-Time Greatest Hits (Epic 1993)****, Super Hits (Epic 1994)***, The Roots Remain 3-CD box set (Epic/Legacy 1996)***, Volunteer Jam: Classic Live Performances, Volume One (Blue Hat 1999)***, Volunteer Jam: Classic Live Performances, Volume Two (Blue Hat 1999)***, Essential Super Hits (Blue Hat 2004)***, 16 Biggest Hits (Epic/Legacy 2006)****, The Ultimate Collection (Sparrow 2007)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Homefolks And Highways (Cabin Fever 1990), Essential Super Hits (Blue Hat 2004), Volunteer Jam (Eagle Vision 2007), Live From Iraq (Blue Hat/Koch 2007).
FILMOGRAPHY: Urban Cowboy (1980), Heartworn Highways (1981), Our Country (2003).
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Copyright 2008 by Muze Inc.; all rights reserved.
In 1967, Daniels followed Johnston's suggestion to accept regular session work in Nashville. He played electric bass on Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline and later appeared on his albums Self Portrait and New Morning. He also worked with Marty Robbins, Hank Williams Jnr. (on Family Tradition) and Ringo Starr (on Beaucoups Of Blues), and took Lester Flatt's place alongside Earl Scruggs. He produced albums by the Youngbloods and by Jerry Corbitt. The latter, in turn, produced one by Daniels, both of which were released in the USA by Capitol Records.
The Charlie Daniels Band was formed in 1970, with Daniels joined by Barry Barnes (guitar), Mark Fitzgerald (bass), Fred Edwards and Garry Allen (drums), and Joel "Taz" Di Gregorio (keyboards). They started recording southern rock-styled albums for the Kama Sutra Records label. Although a multi-instrumentalist, Daniels was a limited vocalist, but his voice was well suited to the talking-style "Uneasy Rider", which reached the US Top 10 in 1973. He followed it with his anthem for southern rock, "The South's Gonna Do It". In 1974, Daniels had members of the Marshall Tucker Band and the Allman Brothers Band join him onstage in Nashville. It was so successful that he decided to make his so-called Volunteer Jam an annual event. It led to some unlikely combinations of artists such as James Brown performing with Roy Acuff, and the stylistic mergers have included Crystal Gayle singing the blues with the Charlie Daniels Band.
The Charlie Daniels Band underwent some personnel changes on 1975's Nightrider, with Tom Crain, Charlie Hayward and Don Murray replacing Barnes, Fitzgerald and Allen respectively. When Daniels moved to Epic in 1976, there was a concerted effort to turn the band into a major concert attraction, despite the fact that at 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighing 20 stone Daniels was no teenage idol: he hid his face under an oversized cowboy hat. The albums sold well, and in 1979, when recording his Million Mile Reflections album, he recalled a 20s poem, "The Mountain Whipporwill", by Stephen Vincent Benet. The band developed this into "The Devil Went Down To Georgia", in which Johnny outplays the Devil to win a gold fiddle. Daniels overdubbed his fiddle seven times to create an atmospheric recording that topped the US country charts and reached number 3 in the US pop charts. It was also a UK Top 20 success and won a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance.
In 1980 the band recorded "In America" for the hostages in Iran, and then in 1982, "Still In Saigon', about Vietnam. The band was featured on the soundtrack for Urban Cowboy and also recorded the theme for the Burt Reynolds" movie Stroker Ace. The 13th Volunteer Jam was held in 1987, but financial and time constraints meant the event was put on temporary hiatus (it resumed four years later). In the late 80s Daniels appeared in the movie Lone Star Kid and published a book of short stories, but continued touring and playing his southern boogie to adoring audiences.
During the 90s Daniels updated "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" with Johnny Cash and continued in his politically incorrect way - in simple language, he advocates both lynching and red-baiting; not a man to stand next to at the bar. He signed a new recording contract with Liberty Records in 1993, but also targeted the white gospel market through a contract with Sparrow Records. The albums The Door (1994) and Steel Witness (1996) earned Daniels several awards from the Christian recording community.
In 1997 Daniels inaugurated his own Blue Hat Records label and also released his first children's album, By The Light Of The Moon: Campfire Songs & Cowboy Tunes, on the Sony Wonder label. Two years later he took his Volunteer Jam event on the road for the first time. In 2007, nailing his political views to the mast, he recorded a live album in front of US troops in war-torn Iraq. Later in the year he was invited to join the Grand Ole Opry.
DISCOGRAPHY: Charlie Daniels (Capitol 1970)***, Te John, Grease And Wolfman (Kama Sutra 1970)****, Honey In The Rock aka Uneasy Rider (Kama Sutra 1972)***, Way Down Yonder aka Whiskey (Kama Sutra 1974)***, Fire On The Mountain (Kama Sutra 1974)****, Nightrider (Kama Sutra 1975)***, Teach Yourself Rock Guitar, Volume 1 (Belmont 1976)***, Saddle Tramp (Epic 1976)***, High Lonesome (Epic 1976)****, Volunteer Jam (Epic 1976)***, Midnight Wind (Epic 1977)***, Volunteer Jam III & IV (Epic 1978)**, Million Mile Reflections (Epic 1979)****, Volunteer Jam VI (Epic 1980)***, Full Moon (Epic 1980)****, Volunteer Jam VII (Epic 1981)***, Windows (Epic 1982)***, Me And The Boys (Epic 1985)***, Powder Keg (Epic 1987)***, Homesick Heroes (Epic 1988)***, Simple Man (Epic 1989)***, Christmas Time Down South (Epic 1990)**, Renegade (Epic 1991)***, America, I Believe In You (Liberty 1993)***, The Door (Sparrow 1994)****, Same 'Ol Me (Capitol Nashville 1995)***, Steel Witness (Sparrow 1996)***, Blues Hat (Blue Hat 1997)***, By The Light Of The Moon: Campfire Songs & Cowboy Tunes (Sony Wonder 1997)****, Fiddle Fire: 25 Years Of The Charlie Daniels Band (Blue Hat 1998)****, Tailgate Party (Blue Hat 1999)***, Road Dogs (Blue Hat 2000)***, Live! (Blue Hat 2001)***, How Sweet The Sound: 25 Favorite Hymns And Gospel Greats (Sparrow 2001)**, Redneck Fiddlin' Man (Blue Hat/Audium 2002)***, A Merry Christmas To All (Blue Hat/Audium 2002)**, Freedom And Justice For All (Blue Hat/Audium 2003)***, A Carolina Christmas Carol (Blue Hat 2003)**, Songs From The Longleaf Pines: A Gospel Bluegrass Collection (Blue Hat/Koch 2005)**, Live From Iraq (Blue Hat/Koch 2007)***, Deuces (Blue Hat/Koch 2007)***.
Instant Live series: Scioto County Fair: Lucasville, OH 8/9/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, Rock Country 4-H-Fair: Janesville, WI 7/31/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, Adams County Fair: Mendon, IL 7/30/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, Harley Davidson Dealership: Toledo, OH 7/29/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***, John Burns Park: Massapequa, NY 7/26/05 (Blue Hat 2005)***.
COMPILATIONS: The Essential Charlie Daniels (Kama Sutra 1976)***, A Decade Of Hits (Epic 1983)***, All-Time Greatest Hits (Epic 1993)****, Super Hits (Epic 1994)***, The Roots Remain 3-CD box set (Epic/Legacy 1996)***, Volunteer Jam: Classic Live Performances, Volume One (Blue Hat 1999)***, Volunteer Jam: Classic Live Performances, Volume Two (Blue Hat 1999)***, Essential Super Hits (Blue Hat 2004)***, 16 Biggest Hits (Epic/Legacy 2006)****, The Ultimate Collection (Sparrow 2007)****.
VIDEOGRAPHY: Homefolks And Highways (Cabin Fever 1990), Essential Super Hits (Blue Hat 2004), Volunteer Jam (Eagle Vision 2007), Live From Iraq (Blue Hat/Koch 2007).
FILMOGRAPHY: Urban Cowboy (1980), Heartworn Highways (1981), Our Country (2003).
Encyclopedia of Popular Music
Copyright 2008 by Muze Inc.; all rights reserved.
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