Charlie Daniels

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Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels was born October 28, 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina. He grew up listening to gospel, bluegrass, country and blues music. By his teenage years Charlie was playing the fiddle, guitar, mandolin, banjo, singing and writing songs. After high school he formed a rock n roll band and went on the road. While playing guitar for the traveling band called the Jaguars he met a young lady Hazel at the Fondalite Club on 11th and Denver Avenue in Tulsa. They married on September 20, 1964 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, her hometown. Several years later he moved to Nashville and became a session musician. Charlie had a unique gritty style with a bluesy sound and he played loud. Producer Bob Johnston hired him to play electric bass on three Bob Dylan albums. Charlie played with stars: Flatt and Scruggs, Marty Robbins, Leonard Cohen, Ringo Starr and many more.

It was not long before Charlie had his own band The Charlie Daniels Band. They had their own sound Southern rock and many hit songs including “Uneasy Rider”, “Long Haired Country Boy”, “The South’s Gonna Do It Again”, “The Legend of Wooley Swamp”, “Simple Man” and “In America” to name a few. Their most famous song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” was a #1 hit on both the country and pop charts. In 1979 it received Best Country Performance by a Group. The song appeared on the “Million Mile Reflections” album and became a multi-platinum success. The Charlie Daniels Band had several rock crossover successes.

In 1974 Charlie organized the first Volunteer Jam. They have continued annually to this day and are based in or around Nashville, Tennessee. Guest artists from all genres of music are featured. In 1980 The Charlie Daniels Band performed in the movie “Urban Cowboy”. The band has received countless awards for their gospel, bluegrass, country and southern rock music. Charlie was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 24, 2008.

Charlie and his wife Hazel live on a ranch just outside of Nashville, Tennessee. They have one son, Charlie Daniels, Jr. Since their son started college in 1983, Hazel has been on the road with Charlie and his band. In 2014 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in Oklahoma.

Charlie Daniels will be inducted into the National Fiddler Hall of Fame in 2015.