10189 - VARIOUS ARTISTS - VOLUNTEER JAM VI HOSTED BY THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND WITH SPECIAL GUESTS AND FRIENDS (1980) (REPOST)

VARIOUS ARTISTS
''VOLUNTEER JAM VI HOSTED BY THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND WITH SPECIAL GUESTS AND FRIENDS''
RECORDED A THE NASHVILLE MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM ON THE 12TH OF JANUARY 1980
1980
68:00

1 The Winter Brothers Band - Rich Kids (D. Winters, D. Winters) 3:13
2 Louisiana's LeRoux - New Orleans Ladies (H. Garrick, L. Medica) 4:48
3 Dobie Gray - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down (J. R. Robertson) 6:53
4 Crystal Gayle - Same Old Story (Same Old Song) (J. Sample, W. Jennings) 3:40
5 Charlie Daniels Band - Funky Junky (C. Daniels) 6:24
6 Charlie Daniels Band - Amazing Grace (Traditional) 4:45
7 Bobby Jones and the New Life Gospel Singers - Will The Circle Be Unbroken (A. P. Carter) 2:57
8 Wet Willie - Keep On Smilin' (J. Hall, J. Hall, J. D. Anthony, L. M. Ross, R. Hirsch) 6:55
9 Henry Paul Band - So Long (Henry Paul) 5:28
10 Papa John Creach - Down Home Blues (P. J. Creach, R. Spotts) 5:30
11 Ted Nugent - Carol (C. Berry) 5:20
12 Rufus Thomas - Do The Funky Chicken (R. Thomas) 6:26
13 Grinderswitch - Lady Luck (D. Lombar) 5:10

Chris Anderson /Guitar
Derek Bailey /Drums
Larry Berwald /Guitar
Carolyn Brand /Vocals
Spady Brannan /Bass
Tom Brooks /Vocals
Rick Burnett /Drums
Bobby Campo /Congas, Vocals
Richie Cannata /Saxophone
Billy Crain /Guitar
Tom Crain /Guitar, Vocals
Papa John Creach /Fiddle, Vocals
Pebble Daniel /Vocals (Background)
Charlie Daniels /Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals
Wally Dentz /Bass
Joel "Taz" DiGregorio /Keyboards, Vocals
Mike Duke /Keyboards
Fred Edwards /Drums
Jim Fish /Guitar
Bill Frazier /Horn
Crystal Gayle /Vocals
Dobie Gray /Vocals
Jack Hall /Bass
Jimmy Hall /Harmonica, Saxophone, Vocals
Vicki Hampton /Vocals
Tony Haselden /Guitar
Charlie Hayward /Bass
Bill Hoffman /Drums
Jennifer Kimball /Vocals (Background)
Al Kooper /Organ
Patti Leatherwood /Vocals
Chris Leuzinger /Guitar
Theophilus K. Lively /Drums
Dru Lombar /Guitar, Vocals
James Marshall /Drums, Percussion
Donna McElroy /Vocals
Leon Medica /Bass
Mark Miller /Guitar
Stephen Miller /Keyboards
Don Murray /Drums
Jamie Nichol /Congas
Ted Nugent /Guitar, Vocals
Henry Paul /Guitar, Vocals
David Peters /Drums
Colleen Peterson /Vocals
Joe Dan Petty /Bass
Jeff Pollard /Vocals
Barry Rapp /Keyboards
Doug Rinaldo /Horn
Rod Roddy /Piano, Vocals
Marcia Routh /Vocals (Background)
Marshall Smith /Guitar
Patti Smith /Vocals
Rufus Thomas /Vocals
Gene Watson /Bass
Jamie Whiting /Organ
Bob Wilson /Piano
Dennis Winters /Guitar
Donnie Winters, Jr. /Guitar
Monte Yoho /Drums

Among the songs covered are the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", performed by soul legend Dobie Gray (The In Crowd), credited solely to Dobie Gray. The Charlie Daniels Band doesn't play throughout the album. The line-up for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is Dobie Gray - lead vocal, Bill Bowman - drums, Edward Setser - guitar, Deford Bailey Jnr - drums, Jerry King - bass, Mark Miller- guitar, Jamie Whiting - organ, Patty Leatherwood, Tom Brooks, Donna McElroy and Vicki Hampton - vocals.

TO THE TOP

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7533 - THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND - Fiddle Fire: 25 Years Of The Charlie Daniels Band (1998)

THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
''FIDDLE FIRE: 25 YEARS OF THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND''
AUGUST 18 1998
48:49

1 Texas
Charlie Daniels 3:04
2 The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Tom Crain / Charlie Daniels / Taz DeGregorio /
Fred Edwards / Charlie Hayward / James Marshal 3:45
3 High Lonesome
Tom Crain / Charlie Daniels / Joel "Taz"
DiGregorio / Fred Edwards / Charlie Hayward /
Don Murray 5:29
4 Fais Do Do
Charlie Daniels / Chuck Jones 3:05
5 Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues
Tom Crain / Charlie Daniels / Joel "Taz"
DiGregorio / Jack Gavin / Charlie Hayward 3:22
6 The South's Gonna' Do It
Charlie Daniels 3:56
7 Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye
Charlie Daniels 3:41
8 Fiddle Fire
Chris Wormer 5:12
9 The Fiddle Player's Got the Blues
Charlie Daniels 5:49
10 Layla
Eric Clapton / Jim Gordon 3:03
11 Orange Blossom Special
Ervin T. Rouse 5:26
12 Talk to Me Fiddle
Bruce Ray Brown / Charlie Daniels / Joel "Taz" DiGregorio / Jack Gavin / Charlie Hayward 3:36

Ray Benson /Vocals
Bruce Brown /Guitar
Max Carl /Vocals (Background)
Carolyn Corlew /Vocals (Background)
Charlie Daniels /Fiddle, Vocals
Joel "Taz" DiGregorio /Keyboards
BeBe Evans /roduction Coordination
Jack Gavin /Drums, Percussion
Charlie Hayward /Bass
Carl Marsh /Effects, Keyboards, Vocals (Background)

REVIEW
by Michael B. Smith
Charlie Daniels displays his exceptional fiddle playing in this compilation of his best fiddle songs. From the obvious inclusions like "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "The South's Gonna Do It Again," to lesser-known romps like "Texas" and "Talk to Me Fiddle," there isn't a bad track on the disc. Daniels delivers perhaps the definitive version of the country-bluegrass "Orange Blossom Special," and downright rocks the log cabin with "Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye." An excellent collection of Tennessee mountain-inspired fiddle-sawing.

BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine A talented and showy fiddler, Charlie Daniels and his band fuse hardcore country with a hard-edged Southern rock, boogie, and blues. The group -- which has had a rotating cast of musicians over the years -- has always been known for its instrumental dexterity, but Daniels and company were also notorious for their down-home, good-old-boy attitude; in the early '80s, they became a virtual symbol of conservative country values. Daniels and his band experienced the height of their popularity at the end of the '70s and early '80s, but they remained a popular concert attraction well into the '90s.

Daniels was born and raised in North Carolina, playing fiddle and guitar in several bands during his teenage years. At the age of 21, he decided become a professional musician, assembling an instrumental rock & roll combo called the Jaguars. The group landed a recording session for Epic Records in 1959 with Bob Johnson, who would later become Columbia Records' leading folk and country producer. The record didn't receive much attention, but the band continued to play and Daniels continued to write songs. One of his originals, "It Hurts Me," was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1963. By the late '60s, it had become clear that the Jaguars weren't going to hit the big time, so Johnson recommended to Daniels that he move to Nashville to become a session musician. Daniels followed the advice and became one of the most popular fiddlers in Nashville. He played on several Bob Dylan albums -- Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait, New Morning, and Dylan -- as well as Ringo Starr's 1970 record Beaucoups of Blues. He also became part of Leonard Cohen's touring band in the late '60s and produced the Youngbloods' Elephant Mountain album around the same time.

Daniels cut an album for Capitol Records in the early '70s that was ignored. In 1972, he formed the Charlie Daniels Band, using the Southern rock of the Allman Brothers as a blueprint. The band was comprised of Daniels (lead guitar, vocals, fiddle), lead guitarist Don Murray, bassist Charlie Hayward, drummer James W. Marshall, and keyboardist Joe DiGregorio. The formula worked, and in 1973 they had a minor hit with "Uneasy Rider," which was released on Kama Sutra Records. In 1974, they released Fire on the Mountain, which became a gold record within months of its release; the album would eventually go platinum. Its successor, 1975's Nightrider, did even better, thanks to the Top 40 country hit "Texas." Saddle Tramp, released in 1976, became his first country Top Ten album, going gold.

Throughout the mid-'70s, the Charlie Daniels Band pursued a Southern rock direction. They were moderately successful, but they never had a breakthrough hit either on the pop or country charts. By the late '70s, Daniels sensed that the audience for Southern rock was evaporating, so he refashioned the band as a more straightforward country band. The change paid off in 1979 when the single "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" became a number one hit, crossing over into the pop charts, where it hit number three. The song was named the Country Music Association's Single of the Year and helped its accompanying album, Million Mile Reflections, become a multi-platinum success.

Daniels wasn't able to follow "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with another blockbuster single on the country charts but, ironically, he had several rock crossover successes in the years following the success of Million Mile Reflections: Full Moon (1980) went platinum and Windows (1982) went gold. Although he continued to sell respectably throughout the '80s, he didn't have a big hit until 1989's Simple Man, which went gold. In the '90s, his records failed to chart well, although he remained a popular concert draw, a trend that continued through into the 21st century.

During the first decade of the new millennium, Daniels quietly transitioned from major labels to independents, releasing records on Blue Hat and Audium, garnering some headlines in 2003 with his pro-Iraq War anthem “This Ain’t No Rag, It’s a Flag,” a song popular enough to launch a spinoff book Ain’t No Rag. Two years later, Daniels established a long-running relationship with Koch in 2005 with Songs from the Longleaf Pines. Daniels’ albums for Koch ran the gamut from bluegrass to bluesy country-rock, punctuated with holiday collections and live records, or thematic compilations like 2010’s patriotic The Land That I Love. Daniels was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2007.

OFFICIAL SITE

6781 - THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND - Off The Grid: Doin' It Dylan (2014)

THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
''OFF THE GRID: DOIN' IT DYLAN''
APRIL 1 2014
40:26

01 - Tangled up in Blue/4:13
02 - Times They Are a Changin'/3:21
03 - I'll Be Your Baby Tonight/3:23
04 - Gotta Serve Somebody/5:29
05 - I Shall Be Released/4:30
06 - Country Pie/2:18
07 - Mr. Tambourine Man/4:29
08 - Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall/4:17
09 - Just Like a Woman/4:23
10 - Quinn the Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)/3:43

REVIEW
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Back when Charlie Daniels was a working musician and not a star, he played on three albums by Bob Dylan -- he played guitar and bass on the sessions that became Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait, and New Morning (which means he also shows up on the acclaimed 2013 archival release, Another Self Portrait (1969-1971)) -- so his decision to cut an album devoted to Dylan is not out of the blue. What is surprising is that Off the Grid: Doin' It Dylan isn't one of Daniels' tossed-off latter-day albums, but rather a record where Charlie really digs in, savoring the interplay of his band as well as how the words feel in his mouth. Daniels does indeed choose a few of Bob's densely written songs -- "Mr. Tambourine Man," "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall," and "Just Like a Woman" are here, none of them seeming like easy fits on paper, but each carried with conviction by Charlie -- along with country-rockers that are sure bets: the rollicking ditty "Country Pie," "I'll Be Your Baby Tonight," and "Tangled Up in Blue," whose narrative gets trimmed down and sped up without losing its power. That impassioned reworking of "Tangled Up in Blue" -- which finds a counterpart in a nicely raucous back porch rendition of "Quinn the Eskimo" -- goes a long way toward explaining what's so joyous about Off the Grid. Daniels enjoys not the words of Dylan so much as the melodies and music, using these songs not as ruminative reflection but full-bore celebration. Even the ballads -- and there are a few here -- are played for keeps and if that music-first emphasis is a relative rarity among Dylan tributes, it's also true that it's been a long time since Daniels has sounded as engaged on a record as he is here.

BIOGRAPHY
By Stephen Thomas Erlewine
A talented and showy fiddler, Charlie Daniels and his band fuse hardcore country with a hard-edged Southern rock, boogie, and blues. The group -- which has had a rotating cast of musicians over the years -- has always been known for its instrumental dexterity, but Daniels and company were also notorious for their down-home, good-old-boy attitude; in the early '80s, they became a virtual symbol of conservative country values. Daniels and his band experienced the height of their popularity at the end of the '70s and early '80s, but they remained a popular concert attraction well into the '90s.

Daniels was born and raised in North Carolina, playing fiddle and guitar in several bands during his teenage years. At the age of 21, he decided become a professional musician, assembling an instrumental rock & roll combo called the Jaguars. The group landed a recording session for Epic Records in 1959 with Bob Johnson, who would later become Columbia Records' leading folk and country producer. The record didn't receive much attention, but the band continued to play and Daniels continued to write songs. One of his originals, "It Hurts Me," was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1963. By the late '60s, it had become clear that the Jaguars weren't going to hit the big time, so Johnson recommended to Daniels that he move to Nashville to become a session musician. Daniels followed the advice and became one of the most popular fiddlers in Nashville. He played on several Bob Dylan albums -- Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait, New Morning, and Dylan -- as well as Ringo Starr's 1970 record Beaucoups of Blues. He also became part of Leonard Cohen's touring band in the late '60s and produced the Youngbloods' Elephant Mountain album around the same time.

Daniels cut an album for Capitol Records in the early '70s that was ignored. In 1972, he formed the Charlie Daniels Band, using the Southern rock of the Allman Brothers as a blueprint. The band was comprised of Daniels (lead guitar, vocals, fiddle), lead guitarist Don Murray, bassist Charlie Hayward, drummer James W. Marshall, and keyboardist Joe DiGregorio. The formula worked, and in 1973 they had a minor hit with "Uneasy Rider," which was released on Kama Sutra Records. In 1974, they released Fire on the Mountain, which became a gold record within months of its release; the album would eventually go platinum. Its successor, 1975's Nightrider, did even better, thanks to the Top 40 country hit "Texas." Saddle Tramp, released in 1976, became his first country Top Ten album, going gold.

Throughout the mid-'70s, the Charlie Daniels Band pursued a Southern rock direction. They were moderately successful, but they never had a breakthrough hit either on the pop or country charts. By the late '70s, Daniels sensed that the audience for Southern rock was evaporating, so he refashioned the band as a more straightforward country band. The change paid off in 1979 when the single "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" became a number one hit, crossing over into the pop charts, where it hit number three. The song was named the Country Music Association's Single of the Year and helped its accompanying album, Million Mile Reflections, become a multi-platinum success.

Daniels wasn't able to follow "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with another blockbuster single on the country charts but, ironically, he had several rock crossover successes in the years following the success of Million Mile Reflections: Full Moon (1980) went platinum and Windows (1982) went gold. Although he continued to sell respectably throughout the '80s, he didn't have a big hit until 1989's Simple Man, which went gold. In the '90s, his records failed to chart well, although he remained a popular concert draw, a trend that continued through into the 21st century.

During the first decade of the new millennium, Daniels quietly transitioned from major labels to independents, releasing records on Blue Hat and Audium, garnering some headlines in 2003 with his pro-Iraq War anthem “This Ain’t No Rag, It’s a Flag,” a song popular enough to launch a spinoff book Ain’t No Rag. Two years later, Daniels established a long-running relationship with Koch in 2005 with Songs from the Longleaf Pines. Daniels’ albums for Koch ran the gamut from bluegrass to bluesy country-rock, punctuated with holiday collections and live records, or thematic compilations like 2010’s patriotic The Land That I Love. Daniels was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2007.

5615 - THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND - Hits Of The South (1981)(2013)

THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
''HITS OF THE SOUTH''
2013
RECORDING DATE: JANUARY 17 1981
55:30

1 /Signed Sealed I'm Yours feat. Bonnie Bramlett
Lee Garrett / Lula Mae Hardaway / Stevie Wonder / Syreeta Wright/4:05
2 /Long Haired Country Boy feat. Brooks & Dunn
Charlie Daniels/4:19
3 /Southern Boy feat: Travis Tritt
Charlie Daniels / Travis Tritt/2:57
4 /The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down feat: Vince Gill
Robbie Robertson/4:00
5 /Statesboro Blues feat: Bonnie Bramlett
Blind Willie McTell/4:22
6 /The South's Gonna Do It (Again) feat: Vince Gill
Charlie Daniels/3:56
7 /Sharp Dressed Man feat: Brooks & Dunn
Frank Beard / Billy Gibbons / Dusty Hill/4:46
8 /The Devil Went Down To Georgia feat: Travis Tritt
Tommy Crain / Charlie Daniels / Fred Edwards / Taz Di Gregorio / Charlie Hayward / Jim Marshall/3:43
9 /In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Richard Betts/5:14
10 /Freebird
Allen Collins / Ronnie Van Zant/7:09
11 /Birmingham Blues
Charlie Daniels/4:57
12 /Can't You See
Toy Caldwell/6:02

Bonnie Bramlett
Brooks & Dunn
Bruce Brown /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals
Carolyn Corlew /Vocals (Background)
Tommy Crain /Guitar (Electric)
Charlie Daniels /Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals
Taz Di Gregorio /Electric Keyboard, Hammond B3, Piano, Vocals
Fred Edwards /Drums, Percussion
Jack Gavin /Drums, Percussion
Vince Gill
Charlie Hayward /Bass (Electric)
Jim Marshall /Drums, Percussion
Mark Matejka /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric)
Pat McDonald /Drums, Percussion
Travis Tritt
Chris Wormer /Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Vocals

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4263 - Volunteer Jam VI Hosted By THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND With Special Guests And Friends (1980)

THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
''VOLUNTEER JAM VI HOSTED BY THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND WITH SPECIAL GUESTS AND FRIENDS''
RECORDED A THE NASHVILLE MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM ON THE 12TH OF JANUARY 1980
1980
68:00

1 - The Winter Brothers Band - Rich Kids/3:13
2 - Louisiana's LeRoux - New Orleans Ladies/4:48
3 - Dobie Gray - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down/6:53
4 - Crystal Gayle - Same Old Story (Same Old Song)/3:40
5 - Charlie Daniels Band - Funky Junky/6:24
6 - Charlie Daniels Band - Amazing Grace/4:45
7 - Bobby Jones and the New Life Gospel Singers - Will The Circle Be Unbroken/2:57
8 - Wet Willie - Keep On Smilin'/6:55
9 - Henry Paul Band - So Long/5:28
10 - Papa John Creach - Down Home Blues/5:30
11 - Ted Nugent - Carol/5:20
12 - Rufus Thomas - Do The Funky Chicken/6:26
13 - Grinderswitch - Lady Luck/5:10

Chris Anderson /Guitar
Derek Bailey /Drums
Larry Berwald /Guitar
Carolyn Brand /Vocals
Spady Brannan /Bass
Tom Brooks /Vocals
Rick Burnett /Drums
Bobby Campo /Congas, Vocals
Richie Cannata /Saxophone
Billy Crain /Guitar
Tom Crain /Guitar, Vocals
Papa John Creach /Fiddle, Vocals
Pebble Daniel /Vocals (Background)
Charlie Daniels /Fiddle, Guitar, Vocals
Wally Dentz /Bass
Joel "Taz" DiGregorio /Keyboards, Vocals
Mike Duke /Keyboards
Fred Edwards /Drums
Jim Fish /Guitar
Bill Frazier /Horn
Crystal Gayle /Vocals
Dobie Gray /Vocals
Jack Hall /Bass
Jimmy Hall /Harmonica, Saxophone, Vocals
Vicki Hampton /Vocals
Tony Haselden /Guitar
Charlie Hayward /Bass
Bill Hoffman /Drums
Jennifer Kimball /Vocals (Background)
Al Kooper /Organ
Patti Leatherwood /Vocals
Chris Leuzinger /Guitar
Theophilus K. Lively /Drums
Dru Lombar /Guitar, Vocals
James Marshall /Drums, Percussion
Donna McElroy /Vocals
Leon Medica /Bass
Mark Miller /Guitar
Stephen Miller /Keyboards
Don Murray /Drums
Jamie Nichol /Congas
Ted Nugent /Guitar, Vocals
Henry Paul /Guitar, Vocals
David Peters /Drums
Colleen Peterson /Vocals
Joe Dan Petty /Bass
Jeff Pollard /Vocals
Barry Rapp /Keyboards
Doug Rinaldo /Horn
Rod Roddy /Piano, Vocals
Marcia Routh /Vocals (Background)
Marshall Smith /Guitar
Patti Smith /Vocals
Rufus Thomas /Vocals
Gene Watson /Bass
Jamie Whiting /Organ
Bob Wilson /Piano
Dennis Winters /Guitar
Donnie Winters, Jr. /Guitar
Monte Yoho /Drums

Among the songs covered are the Band's "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down", performed by soul legend Dobie Gray (The In Crowd), credited solely to Dobie Gray. The Charlie Daniels Band doesn't play throughout the album. The line-up for "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" is Dobie Gray - lead vocal, Bill Bowman - drums, Edward Setser - guitar, Deford Bailey Jnr - drums, Jerry King - bass, Mark Miller- guitar, Jamie Whiting - organ, Patty Leatherwood, Tom Brooks, Donna McElroy and Vicki Hampton - vocals.

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4259 - Volunteer Jam VII Hosted By THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND Live (1997)

CHARLIE DANIELS BAND
''VOLUNTEER JAM VII HOSTED BY THE CHARLIE DANIELS BAND LIVE''
MAY 6 2007
42:10

1. Sweet Home Alabama/Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant/The Charlie Daniels Band/5:08
2. Shakey Ground/Jeffrey Bowen/Charlie Daniels & Delbert McClinton/3:38
3. Falling In Love For The Night/Charlie Daniels/The Charlie Daniels Band & Crystal Gayle/3:31
4. Marie LaVaux/Shel Silverstein, Baxter Taylor/Charlie Daniels & Bobby Bare/4:33
5. (Your Love Has Lifted Me) Higher And Higher/Gary Jackson/Charlie Daniels & Jimmy Hall/5:41
6. Mississippi Queen/Corky Laing, Felix Pappalardi, David Rea, Leslie West/Charlie Daniels & Molly Hatchet with Ted Nugent/3:15
7. Around And Around/Chuck Berry/Charlie Daniels & Ted Nugent/5:10
8. A Change Is Gonna Come/Sam Cooke/Charlie Daniels & Dobie Gray/4:47
9. Can't You See/Toy Caldwell/The Charlie Daniels Band/6:36

Bobby Bare/Guitar, Vocals
Larry Berwald/Guitar
Carolyn Brand/Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Richie Cannata/Saxophone
Tom Crain/Guitar, Vocals
Bruce Crump/Drums
Charlie Daniels/Guitar, Vocals
Joel "Taz" DiGregorio/Keyboards, Vocals
Ernie Durawa/Drums
Fred Edwards/Drums
Jimmy Farrar/Vocals
Bill Frazier/Horn
Crystal Gayle/Vocals
Dobie Gray/Vocals
Jack Hall/Guitar (Bass)
Jimmy Hall/Harmonica, Saxophone, Vocals
Tom Hamilton/Guitar (Steel)
David Hargis/Guitar
Robert Harwell/Saxophone
Charlie Hayward/Bass
Dave Hlubek/Guitar
Steve Holland/Guitar
Larry Lange/Guitar (Bass)
Jim Marshall/Drums, Percussion
Delbert McClinton/Harp, Vocals
Jim Morris/Keyboards
Jamie Nichol/Congas
Ted Nugent/Guitar, Vocals
Jay Patten/Saxophone
James Pennebaker/Guitar
Colleen Peterson/Vocals (Background)
Doug Rinaldo/Horn
Duane Roland/Guitar
Ken Smith/Guitar, Vocals
Patti Smith/Vocals (Background)
Robbie Smith/Horn
Lewis Stephens/Keyboards
Banner Thomas/Bass
Tommy Wells/Drums
Bob Wilson/Piano
Pauline Wilson/Piano
Reese Wynans/Keyboards

BIOGRAPHY
by Stephen Thomas Erlewine
A talented and showy fiddler, Charlie Daniels and his band fuse hardcore country with a hard-edged Southern rock, boogie, and blues. The group -- which has had a rotating cast of musicians over the years -- has always been known for its instrumental dexterity, but Daniels and company were also notorious for their down-home, good-old-boy attitude; in the early '80s, they became a virtual symbol of conservative country values. Daniels and his band experienced the height of their popularity at the end of the '70s and early '80s, but they remained a popular concert attraction well into the '90s.
Daniels was born and raised in North Carolina, playing fiddle and guitar in several bands during his teenage years. At the age of 21, he decided become a professional musician, assembling an instrumental rock & roll combo called the Jaguars. The group landed a recording session for Epic Records in 1959 with Bob Johnson, who would later become Columbia Records' leading folk and country producer. The record didn't receive much attention, but the band continued to play and Daniels continued to write songs. One of his originals, "It Hurts Me," was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1963. By the late '60s, it had become clear that the Jaguars weren't going to hit the big time, so Johnson recommended to Daniels that he move to Nashville to become a session musician. Daniels followed the advice and became one of the most popular fiddlers in Nashville. He played on several Bob Dylan albums -- Nashville Skyline, Self Portrait, New Morning, and Dylan -- as well as Ringo Starr's 1970 record Beaucoups of Blues. He also became part of Leonard Cohen's touring band in the late '60s and produced the Youngbloods' Elephant Mountain album around the same time.
Daniels cut an album for Capitol Records in the early '70s that was ignored. In 1972, he formed the Charlie Daniels Band, using the Southern rock of the Allman Brothers as a blueprint. The band was comprised of Daniels (lead guitar, vocals, fiddle), lead guitarist Don Murray, bassist Charlie Hayward, drummer James W. Marshall, and keyboardist Joe DiGregorio. The formula worked, and in 1973 they had a minor hit with "Uneasy Rider," which was released on Kama Sutra Records. In 1974, they released Fire on the Mountain, which became a gold record within months of its release; the album would eventually go platinum. Its successor, 1975's Nightrider, did even better, thanks to the Top 40 country hit "Texas." Saddle Tramp, released in 1976, became his first country Top Ten album, going gold.
Throughout the mid-'70s, the Charlie Daniels Band pursued a Southern rock direction. They were moderately successful, but they never had a breakthrough hit either on the pop or country charts. By the late '70s, Daniels sensed that the audience for Southern rock was evaporating, so he refashioned the band as a more straightforward country band. The change paid off in 1979 when the single "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" became a number one hit, crossing over into the pop charts, where it hit number three. The song was named the Country Music Association's Single of the Year and helped its accompanying album, Million Mile Reflections, become a multi-platinum success.
Daniels wasn't able to follow "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" with another blockbuster single on the country charts but, ironically, he had several rock crossover successes in the years following the success of Million Mile Reflections: Full Moon (1980) went platinum and Windows (1982) went gold. Although he continued to sell respectably throughout the '80s, he didn't have a big hit until 1989's Simple Man, which went gold. In the '90s, his records failed to chart well, although he remained a popular concert draw, a trend that continued through into the 21st century.
During the first decade of the new millennium, Daniels quietly transitioned from major labels to independents, releasing records on Blue Hat and Audium, garnering some headlines in 2003 with his pro-Iraq War anthem “This Ain’t No Rag, It’s a Flag,” a song popular enough to launch a spinoff book Ain’t No Rag. Two years later, Daniels established a long-running relationship with Koch in 2005 with Songs from the Longleaf Pines. Daniels’ albums for Koch ran the gamut from bluegrass to bluesy country-rock, punctuated with holiday collections and live records, or thematic compilations like 2010’s patriotic The Land That I Love. Daniels was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2007.

DoWnLoAd