Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter.[1] His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". Much of his output, including all but one of his eight Billboard Hot 100 charting singles, was credited to the Charlie Daniels Band.
For other people named Charlie Daniels, see Charlie Daniels (disambiguation).
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward Daniels
October 28, 1936
Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.
July 6, 2020 (aged 83)
Hermitage, Tennessee, U.S.
- Musician
- singer-songwriter
1958–2020
- Misty Mountain Boys
- The Jaguars
- Charlie Daniels Band
- Beau Weevils
Daniels was active as a singer and musician from the 1950s until his death. He was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame in 2002,[2] the Grand Ole Opry in 2008,[3] the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009,[4] and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.[5]
Career[edit]
Sideman career and first rock band[edit]
Already skilled on guitar, fiddle, banjo, and mandolin, Daniels began his music career as a member of the bluegrass band Misty Mountain Boys in the 1950s.[6][8] In the 1960s, Daniels was performing rock and roll.[9] Daniels formed his own band, the Rockets, who later changed their name to the Jaguars after scoring a hit single with the instrumental recording "Jaguar".[6] After discovering jazz, the Jaguars began performing jazz music, before reverting to rock and country music by 1964.[10] During his career as a rock and roll sideman, Daniels also wrote songs for other performers. In July 1963, soul singer Jerry Jackson recorded Daniels' song "It Hurts Me"; the following year, on January 12, 1964, Elvis Presley recorded the better known recording of Daniels' song.[11] The songwriting credits list Charles E. Daniels and Joy Byers as the songwriters, although Byers' husband, songwriter and producer Bob Johnston, was the actual co-writer with Daniels.[11] Johnston encouraged Daniels to move to Nashville in order to get work as a session player, which led to Daniels recording with Bob Dylan on his 1969 album Nashville Skyline, Ringo Starr on his 1970 album Beaucoups of Blues and Leonard Cohen on his 1971 album Songs of Love and Hate, as well as further sessions with Dylan and Cohen's 1971 tour.[11][12] Dylan and Daniels found each other creatively invigorating during their recordings together, with Dylan saying that "when Charlie was around, something good would usually come out of the sessions", and Daniels describing the recording sessions with Dylan as "loose, free and, most of all, fun".[13] Daniels also produced albums for the Youngbloods, including their 1969 album Elephant Mountain.[13]
Solo career and formation of the Charlie Daniels Band[edit]
Daniels released his self-titled debut album in 1970, which helped lay the foundations for Southern rock.[14] Two years later, Daniels formed the Charlie Daniels Band.[15] Daniels scored a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Pop charts with "Uneasy Rider", a talking bluegrass song, in 1973.[13][16] The following year, Daniels organized the first Volunteer Jam concert.[15] The same year, the Charlie Daniels Band released the gold selling Fire on the Mountain, followed by the even more successful Nightrider, whose success was spurred by the Top 40 hit single "Texas".[15] Saddle Tramp was also a gold seller, and was the first release by the band to reach the top 10 of the Billboard Country charts.[15]
Personal life and death[edit]
Daniels married Hazel Juanita Alexander on September 20, 1964. They had one child, a son, Charles Edward Daniels Jr.[49] An avid University of Tennessee sports fan,[50] Daniels enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and other outdoor activities. He was a member of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) and performed on their videos.[51][52]
Daniels suffered a major arm injury on January 30, 1980, while digging fence post holes on his farm near Mount Juliet. He suffered three complete breaks in his right arm and two broken fingers when his shirtsleeve caught on a spinning power auger. The injury required surgery and sidelined him for four months.[53][54]
Daniels was successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2001.[54] On January 15, 2010, Daniels was rushed to the hospital after suffering a stroke while snowmobiling in Colorado. He was released two days later.[54] During a doctor visit on March 25, 2013, Daniels was diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia and admitted to a Nashville hospital for a series of routine tests. The tests revealed that a pacemaker was needed to regulate his heart rate. One was put in on March 28, and Daniels was released from the hospital within days.[55]
Daniels died on July 6, 2020, at the age of 83 of a hemorrhagic stroke at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee.[56]