Charlie Daniels
ON JULY 6, the music world lost one of its true greats with the passing of Charlie Daniels who died unexpectedly from a hemorrhagic stroke. Perhaps most famous for the Grammy awarded hit single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” Daniels was renowned for more than just his musical ability. A supremely talented multi-instrumentalist, equally adept on guitar, fiddle, mandolin and banjo in such diverse genres as rock, bluegrass, gospel, jazz and of course country for which he was inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2016, Daniels was also known for his philanthropic work benefitting military veterans, cancer patients, those afflicted with Muscular Dystrophy, and other charitable endeavors.
Born October 28, 1936 in Wilmington, North Carolina, his first big break was playing guitar on Bob Dylan’s 1969 landmark Nashville Skyline album which led to more studio work with the likes of Ringo Starr, The Marshall Tucker Band and Leonard Cohen. Following his breakthrough 1973 solo hit single, “Uneasy Rider,” Daniels formed the first incarnation of The Charlie Daniels Band. Six years later, the band hit paydirt with the multi-million selling Million Miles Reflections album. While extremely politically conservative, his sentiments were echoed in such songs as “In America,” “Simple Man,” “It Ain’t No Rag, It’s A Flag” and “(What The World Needs Is) a Few More Rednecks,” Daniels was equally embraced by rock fans, touring with Eric Clapton and The Rolling Stones.
As someone who interviewed Daniels more than 10 times, from our very first conversation, it felt like
