Charlie Daniels

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Charlie Daniels

Background information
Birth name Charles Edward Daniels
Also known as Charlie Daniels
Born October 28, 1936 (1936-10-28) (age 71)
Origin Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
Genre(s) Country
Southern rock
Outlaw country
Country rock
Occupation(s) Musician, Singer-songwriter
Years active 1950s-present
Label(s) Various
Website www.charliedaniels.com
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For the U.S. politican of the same name, see Charlie Daniels (politician).

Charlie Daniels (born October 28, 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina) is an American musician famous for his contributions to country and southern rock music. Known primarily for his Number One country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", Daniels has been active as a singer since the early 1950s.

Contents

[edit] Career

Daniels is a singer, guitarist, and fiddler, who began writing and performing in the 1950s. In 1964, Daniels co-wrote "It Hurts Me", a song which Elvis Presley recorded. He worked as a Nashville session musician, often for producer Bob Johnston, including playing on three Bob Dylan albums during 1969 and 1970, and recordings by Johnny Cash and Leonard Cohen. Daniels recorded his first solo album, Charlie Daniels, in 1971 (see 1971 in country music). His first hit, the novelty song "Uneasy Rider", was from his 1973 second album, Honey in the Rock, and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1974, Daniels organized the first in a series of Volunteer Jam concerts based in or around Nashville, Tennessee. Except for a three-year gap in the late 1980s, these jams have continued ever since.

In 1975, he had a top 30 hit as leader of the Charlie Daniels Band with the Southern Rock self-identification anthem "The South's Gonna Do It Again". "Long Haired Country Boy" was also a minor hit in that year.

Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1979 for "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", which reached #3 on the charts. The following year, "Devil" became a major crossover success on rock radio stations, after its inclusion on the soundtrack for the hit movie Urban Cowboy. The song is by far Daniels' greatest success, still receiving regular airplay on U.S. classic rock and country stations, and is well-known even among audiences who eschew country music in general. A hard rock/heavy metal cover version of the song was also included in the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock as the final guitar battle against the last boss (the devil). Daniels has openly stated his opposition to the metal cover and the devil winning occasionally in the game. [1]

Subsequent Daniels pop hits included "In America" (#11 in 1980), "The Legend of Wooley Swamp" (#31 in 1980), and "Still in Saigon" (#22 in 1982). In 1980, Daniels participated in the country music concept album, The Legend of Jesse James.

In the late 1980s and 1990s, several of Daniels' albums and singles were hits on the Country charts and the music continues to receive airplay on country stations today. Daniels also released several Gospel and Christian records.

In 2005, he has made a cameo appearance along with Larry the Cable Guy, Kid Rock, and Hank Williams, Jr. in Gretchen Wilson's music video for the song "All Jacked Up". In 2006, he appeared with Little Richard, Bootsy Collins, and other musicians as the backup band for Williams' opening sequence to Monday Night Football.

In November 2007, Daniels was invited by Martina McBride to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. [2] He was inducted by Marty Stuart and Connie Smith during the January 19, 2008 edition of the Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. [3]

Daniels now resides in Mount Juliet, TN, where the city has named a park after him. Daniels continues to tour regularly.

Daniels describes himself as a born again Christian.

[edit] Political statements

Charlie Daniels performing at U.S. Naval Station Great Lakes, September 2003
Charlie Daniels performing at U.S. Naval Station Great Lakes, September 2003

Daniels has never shied away from politics. "The South's Gonna Do It" had a mild message of Southern cultural identity within the Southern rock movement. Daniels was an early supporter of Jimmy Carter's presidential bid and performed at his January 1977 inauguration.

"In America" was a reaction to the 1979-1981 Iran Hostage Crisis; it described a patriotic, united America where "we'll all stick together and you can take that to the bank / That's the cowboys and the hippies and the rebels and the yanks." In contrast, "Still in Saigon" (written by Dan Daley) was an effective portrayal of the plight of the American Vietnam veteran ten years after the war; it was part of an early 1980s wave of attention to the subject, presaging treatments such as Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the U.S.A." and "Shut Out the Light", Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon", and somewhat later Steve Earle's "Copperhead Road".

In 1990, Daniels' country hit "Simple Man" seemingly advocated a pseudo-Biblical form of vigilantism; lines such as "Just take them [rapists, killers, child abusers] out in the swamp / Put 'em on their knees and tie 'em to a stump / Let the rattlers and the bugs and the alligators do the rest," got Daniels considerable media attention and talk show visits.

In 2003, Daniels published an Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch in defense of President George W. Bush's Iraq policy. His 2003 book Ain't No Rag: Freedom, Family, and the Flag contains this letter as well as many other personal statements. During the 2004 presidential campaign, Daniels said that having never served in the military himself, he did not have the right to criticize John Kerry's service record. [1] His band's official website contains a "soapbox" page [2], where Daniels has made statements such as the following: "the topic de jour among the self proclaimed wise and elite these days," regarding global warming, "In the future Darwinism will be looked upon as we now look upon the flat earth theory," and "I am more afraid of you and your ilk than I am of the terrorists," regarding U.S. Senator Harry Reid.

[edit] Discography

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Please improve this article if you can. (March 2008)

[edit] Albums

  • Charlie Daniels (1971)
  • TeJohn, Grease and Wolfman (1972)
  • Honey in the Rock (1973) aka Uneasy Rider
  • Way Down Yonder (1974) re-issued in 1977 as Whiskey
  • Fire on the Mountain (1974) (Certified Platinum by the RIAA)[4]
  • Nightrider (1975)
  • Volunteer Jam (1976)
  • Saddle Tramp (1976) (Certified Gold by the RIAA)[5]
  • Pickup Truck Tramp (1976)
  • High Lonesome (1976)
  • Whiskey (1977)
  • Midnight Wind (1977) (Certified Gold by the RIAA) [6]
  • Volunteer Jam III and IV (1978)
  • Million Mile Reflections (1979) (Certified Triple Platinum by the RIAA)[7]
  • Volunteer Jam VI (1980)
  • Full Moon (1980) (Certified Platinum by the RIAA)[8]
  • Volunteer Jam VII (1981)
  • Windows (1982) (Certified Gold by the RIAA)[9]
  • A Decade of Hits (1983) (Certified Quadruple Platinum by the RIAA)[10]
  • Me and The Boys (1985)
  • Powder Keg (1987)
  • Homesick Heroes (1988)
  • Simple Man (1989) (Certified Platinum by the RIAA)[11]
  • Christmas Time Down South (1990)
  • Renegade (1991)
  • The Devil Went Down to Georgia(1993)
  • America, I Believe In You (1993)
  • The Door (1994)
  • Super Hits (1994) (Certified Double Platinum by the RIAA)[12]
  • Same Ol' Me (1995)
  • Steel Witness (1996)
  • The Roots Remain (1996)
  • Blues Hat (1997)
  • By The Light Of The Moon (1997)
  • Fiddle Fire: 25 Years of the CDB (1998)
  • Tailgate Party (1999)
  • Volunteer Jam/Classic Live Performances: Volume One (1999)
  • Volunteer Jam/Classic Live Performances: Volume Two (1999)
  • Road Dogs (2000)
  • Live! (2001)
  • How Sweet The Sound: 25 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Greats (2001)
  • Redneck Fiddlin' Man (2002)
  • Ride the Reindeer(2002)
  • A Merry Christmas To All (2002)
  • Freedom and Justice for All (2003)
  • A Carolina Christmas Carol (2003)
  • Essential Super Hits (2004)
  • Songs From The Longleaf Pines (2005)
  • Minnesota Cuke and the Search for Samson's Hairbrush (2005) of a Minnesota Cuke Theme Song
  • 16 Biggest Hits (2006) Legacy Recordings
  • Live from Iraq (2007)
  • Deuces (2007)

[edit] Singles

  • Uneasy Rider (1973, #9)
  • The South's Gonna Do It (1975, #29)
  • The Devil Went Down To Georgia (1979, #1 US Country, #3 US Hot 100)
  • In America (1980, #11)
  • The Legend Of Wooley Swamp (1980, #31)
  • Still In Saigon (1982, #22)

[edit] References

  1. ^ Charlie Dnaiels - Soap Box - "Guitar Hero"
  2. ^ Charlie Daniels Invited to Become the Newest Member of the Grand Ole Opry
  3. ^ The Grand Ole Opry inducts Charlie Daniels as newest member.
  4. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  5. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  6. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  7. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  8. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  9. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  10. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  11. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp
  12. ^ http://www.riaa.com/gp/database/search_results.asp

[edit] External links

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