CHARLIE DANIELS
50+ Years of Making Music
Charles E. Daniels born October 28, 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina
Circa 1953: Charlie performs in a bluegrass band, the Misty Mountain Boys, with childhood friend, Russell Palmer, and writes his first song.
1956: Charlie plays in Jacksonville, NC with the Rockets
1958: In 1958, he begins his professional music career performing with The Rockets.
1959: At the age of 23, as a professional musician, with the instrumental rock & roll combo, the Jaguars, the group landed a recording session for Epic Records with Bob Johnston, who would later become Columbia Records' leading folk and country producer.The longest stretch with the Jaguars was (1959-1967) and they record an instrumental single in Ft. Worth, Texas, called “Jaguar.” The band’s name changed when the record was released to, The Jaguars.
1963: Back to country and rock. Daniels co-writes “It Hurts Me,” and it’s recorded by Elvis Presley and put on the flip side of “Kissin Cousins”.
1967: Daniels is invited by producer Bob Johnston, who’s joined CBS Records in Nashville, to try Music City. He agrees. “I was playing a lot of clubs, and I wanted to get off the road.”
He joins Johnston on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline. “Dylan liked what I did, and I was very much into what he was doing.”
Charlie and his guitar go on to other sessions, among them Ringo Starr and Marty Robbins.
1969: Charlie went on tour with Leonard Cohen then tried his hand as a producer with the Youngbloods. He produced Elephant Mountain and Ride the Wind, the latter recorded live at a rock festival in Louisiana and at the Fillmores East and West.
1970: Charlie plays guitar and records Ringo Starr’s Beaucoups of Blues in Nashville, TN.
Daniels cuts his first solo album, Charlie Daniels (Capitol Records),
1972: The Charlie Daniels Band is formed and enters the first wave of Southern rock bands.
The CDB joins Kama Sutra Records and records Te John, Grease and Wolfman, named after the band members’ nicknames. “Grease” was keyboard player Joel DiGregorio,. “Te John” was the bass player Earl Grigsby and “Wolfman” and the drummer was Jeffrey Myer.
1973: Their next album, Honey in the Rock, includes “Uneasy Rider,” a talking bluegrass number which becomes a hit the following year, reaching #9 in Billboard, Aug. 1973.
1974: The CDB issues Way Down Yonder, which is reissued in 1977 by Epic as Whiskey.
Recording Fire on the Mountain, including “The South’s Gonna Do It Again,” which hit the Top 30, and “Long Haired Country Boy,” which peaked at #56, Daniels decided to record two songs ‘live’ in concert and chose an auditorium in Nashville. In a nod to the Volunteer State, the CDB called the concert Volunteer Jam and invited friends from the Marshall Tucker Band, and Dickey Betts (Allman Brothers Band), among others to join them. “We had such a good time, we decided we should do this once in a while.” “Once in a while” became almost every year. Before its first run ended in 1986, the jams were broadcast nationally and internationally (Voice of America). Guests ranged the world of music including Willie Nelson, Ted Nugent, , Roy Acuff, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Crystal Gayle, James Brown, Emmylou Harris, Amy Grant, George Thorogood, Kris Kristofferson, Little Richard, Tammy Wynette, Boxcar Willie, Alabama, Oak Ridge Boys, and a reunion of the Allman Bros. (1986)
1975: CDB issues the Night Rider album.
A second Volunteer Jam in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, resulting in an album, Volunteer Jam.
1976: With the album, Saddle Tramp, the CDB joins Epic Records.
Daniels aligns himself with presidential candidate Jimmy Carter and when Carter is elected President of the United States, the CDB are among performers at his inaugural.
1977: The CDB issues two albums, High Lonesome and Midnight Wind.
1978: More Volunteer Jams result in a two-record set, Volunteer Jam III and IV.
1979: Million Mile Reflections yields “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” which reaches #1 and wins the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group.
1980: The CDB appears in the film, Urban Cowboy, and is included on the motion picture soundtrack. CDB’s Full Moon release includes “In America,” which is Daniels’ response to the Iran hostage crisis and the renewed patriotism it ignites. The record reaches #11 in Billboard.
The CDB hits the charts with The Legend of Wooley Swamp.
1982: In the Windows album, the CDB’s version of Dan Daley’s “Still in Saigon” reaches #22.
1983: The CDB issues a compilation, The Charlie Daniels Band-A Decade of Hits.
1985: Me and the Boys album is released.
1987: The CDB releases its Powder Keg album. Charlie appears as Stoney Carmichael in Angela Lansbury’s hit tv series, Murder She Wrote.
1988: Homesick Heroes is issued out of CBS/Nashville and results in a Top 10 record on the country charts: “Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues.” Charlie makes another tv acting appearance on Lonestar Kid, a good family film produced by "Happy Days" alumni Ron Howard and Anson Williams.
1990: Simple Man is issued and rises to #2 on the country charts.
1991: Renegade is released and Volunteer Jam returns to Nashville in May.
1992: Charlie Daniels signs a new record deal with Liberty Records.
1993: Liberty Records releases their first Charlie Daniels album in April, America, I Believe In You, and commences on a tour with tour sponsor Dickies workwear.
1994: Charlie releases his first Christian album on Sparrow Records, titled, The Door. “Sunday Morning,” the first single release to Christian Country radio takes the #1 slot on the Positive Country chart. A video is released for the single “Two Out Of Three”, and is voted Video of the Year for the Christian Country Music Association. The album won a Dove award from the Gospel Music Association for best Country album of the year.
1995: Charlie Daniels is named Cashbox Magazine’s Best Positive Christian Country Performance by a Secular Artist for 1994. He receives a Dove Award and a Grammy nomination for his Christian album, The Door, and inks another contract to host the nationwide talent search television show, Charlie Daniels’ Talent Roundup, on TNN: The Nashville Network. A tour is set with Charlie, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Travis Tritt.
1996: Charlie’s second gospel album Steel Witness is released.
Charlie celebrates his 60th birthday with Volunteer Jam XVI - the first-ever Acoustic Jam - at The Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, TN.
Charlie Daniels: The Roots Remain box set is released. The three-CD set features some of Daniel’s classics hits including “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” “Long Haired Country Boy” and “Uneasy Rider.”
Charlie Daniels delivers the University of North Carolina at Wilmington commencement address and was presented the honorary degree of doctor of letters.
1997: Daniels and manager, David Corlew start independent record label, Blue Hat Records and releases Blues Hat, the bands first album on the new label.
Sony Wonder releases Charlie’s first children’s album, By The Light Of The Moon: Campfire Songs and Cowboy Tunes and Charlie wins another Dove award, the Song of the Year for Somebody Was Prayin’ For Me,.
1998: Charlie was presented The Pioneer Award by the Academy of Country Music. Garth Brooks along with congratulatory messages from two American Presidents, Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford and music by Travis Tritt and Marty Stuart made it a big surprise for Daniels.
The CDB releases Fiddle Fire / 25 Years of The Charlie Daniels Band on Blue Hat Records.
1999: The CDB releases Tailgate Party, on Blue Hat Records, a collection of songs that have inspired the band over the years.
Charlie takes his historical Volunteer Jam on the road for the first time for Volunteer Jam Tour ‘99 with Molly Hatchet, The Marshall Tucker Band and for several dates, Hank Williams, Jr. A charity partnership is developed between Charlie and Habitat for Humanity and several houses were built while on tour.
Charlie receives the Living Legend Award atThe Music City News/TNN Awards show.
2000: The CDB releases Road Dogs on Blue Hat Records, a collection of all new material.
The Volunteer Jam goes on the road (2nd year) with Hank Williams Jr., Little Feat & Edgar Winter.
2001: The CDB rocks amphitheatres on the Volunteer Jam Tour 2001 with 38 Special, The Dickey Betts Band and newcomer Trent Summar and the New Row Mob, Sponsored by Diamond Cut Jeans.
Charlie Daniels opens museum in downtown Nashville. The museum is filled with memorabilia and photo’s chronicling Charlie’s career including photos with presidents, celebrities from the sports, music, film, television and famous cowboy worlds, prestigious Grammy, CMA, ACM, Playboy among other awards.
Blue Hat/Audium releases the Charlie Daniels Band’s first live album, titled, LIVE.
Charlie Daniels is inducted into his hometown of Wilmington, North Carolina’s prestigious Walk of Fame.
October 28, 2001, Charlie turns 65 and celebrates with the success of his single, “This Ain’t No Rag, It’s A Flag”. The song was recorded after the September 11th tragedy . The demand for the single virtually shut down Daniels’ website.
2002: The CDB releases How Sweet The Sound-25 Favorite Hymns and Gospel Greats, marking Daniels’ third release on Sparrow Records and his first since his successful prostate cancer surgery in November (2001).
The CDB releases Redneck Fiddlin’ Man on Blue Hat/Audium Records. Charlie raises his patriotic voice again with 12 songs including “The Last Fallen Hero”.
The CDB releases A Merry Christmas To All , Christmas classics and originals that Daniels wrote.
2003: Freedom and Justice for All is the new release for the CDB. Regnery Publishers releases Charlie Daniels’ hardback book, Ain’t No Rag (Freedom, Family and the Flag).
2004: With the help of the Tennessee National Guard, The CDB performs for soldiers in Germany and Kosovo, and is heard in 56 countries including Iraq and Afghanistan on a live broadcast provided by the Armed Forces Network.
2005: Superbowl XXXIX -CDB, Gretchen Wilson, Black Eyed Peas, Earth, Wind & Fire
The CDB, Gretchen Wilson, Black Eyed Peas, Earth, Wind and Fire perform for the Super Bowl XXXIX “Bridging Generations” pre game show where the NFL paired young icons and timeless legends from a variety of music genres and was aired on Fox, Sunday, February 6, 2005 from Jacksonville, FL.
Charlie Daniels appeares as a guest on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Super Bowl Saturday Night Special live on CMT from Jacksonville Veteran’s Memorial Arena the night before the Super Bowl.
Charlie Daniels first bluegrass album, Songs From The Longleaf Pines, is released and features bluegrass legends Earl Scruggs and Mac Wiseman and receives great reviews from USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Barnes & Noble, All Music Guide, CCM, Christianitytoday.com and the Nashville City Paper.
Through the combined efforts of the Tennessee National Guard, United States Army-Europe, Central Command in Southwest Asia, and the nonprofit organization “Stars for Stripes”, The Charlie Daniels Band takes their spirit to Kyrgystan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Kuwait and, Iraq, where they perform 9 shows for more than 15,000 soldiers. The band travels more than 16,000 miles & performs up to 3 shows per day for American troops deployed in the war.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. releases an exclusive Charlie Daniels Band cd, Country Stars N’ Stripes, a collection of the band’s patriotic favorites.
CDB releases their first Live concert dvd shot from the July 4, 2005 concert on the Riverfront in Nashville, TN before thousands of American music fans.
Charlie Daniels is honored as a BMI Icon during ceremonies at the 53rd Annual BMI Country Awards. Del Bryant, President & CEO of the performing rights organization, presented Daniels with an engraved silver champagne vessel with the inscription: “In recognition of your unique and indelible influence on generations of music makers.”
The CDB launches Operation Heartstrings, a plea to corporate America to help the
dedicated men and women serving in the Armed Forces overseas combat the loneliness and isolation of service in the War on Terror by providing instruments, albums, dvds, cd and dvd players.
2006: Charlie Daniels plays fiddle on the new version of Hank, Jr.’s Are You Ready For Some Football and is featured in the weekly ESPN openings. Charlie and Hank are joined onstage by Little Richard and Joe Perry of Aerosmith plus other musical greats.
CDB again travels abroad to perform for US Troops as part of the Stars for Stripes tour. This is the 2nd visit for The CDB to Iraq & Kuwait. The shows are recorded for Live From Iraq.
SIRIUS Satellite Radio names Charlie Daniels as the voice of Road Dog Trucking channel 147, a 24 hour channel geared toward professional drivers and is devoted entirely to trucking culture. “Road Dogs”, Charlie Daniels song is the official theme song of the channel.
Gravely (lawnmowers) names Charlie Daniels as the spokesperson for their 90th Anniversary (2006), and is The CDB’s tour sponsor for 2007.
Charlie celebrates his 70th birthday (Oct. 28th) in China with family & friends. For the first time he visits the Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and met with the Ambassador to China at the Embassy. His trip starts in Japan at the Country Gold Festival and continues to Korea where he performs at 5 United States Army bases.
2007: Charlie Daniels performs the National Anthem at the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL on New Year’s Day. The college football bowl game matched the University of Tennessee Volunteers against Penn State University Nittany Lions in front of a sellout crowd in Raymond James Stadium.