On this day (July 6) in 2020, Charlie Daniels died of a hemorrhagic stroke in Hermitage, Tennessee, at the age of 83. Today, many remember him for “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” However, there was much more to his career. He was a producer and session musician who worked with artists like Bob Dylan and Ringo Starr. Additionally, his 1970 self-titled debut album is regarded as one of the first Southern rock releases.
Daniels learned to play fiddle and guitar as a teen. Before long, he was writing songs and playing in bands. He started his career in the 1950s as a member of the Misty Mountain Boys, a bluegrass group. In the 1960s, Daniels formed the Rockets, a rock band that found some success with an instrumental recording titled “Jaguar.” The song’s success led them to change their name to the Jaguars. Later, they began injecting jazz into their blend of country and rock.
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According to the Country Music Hall of Fame, Daniels was only 18 when Elvis Presley recorded “It Hurts Me,” a song he wrote with Bob Johnston. Already skilled on guitar, fiddle, and mandolin, Johnston convinced him to relocate to Nashville to work as a session musician.
Charlie Daniels Goes to Nashville
Charlie Daniels was 31 years old when he moved to Nashville in 1967. It didn’t take long for him to begin sharing the studio with legendary artists. He famously appears on Bob Dylan’s classic album Nashville Skyline. Additionally, he played on Self Portrait and New Morning. He also played on Rigo Starr’s 1970 country album Beacoups of Blues and Leonard Cohen’s 1971 LP, Songs of Love and Hate. Daniels also toured with Cohen in the early 1970s.
During his time as a session musician, Daniels worked with a wide range of artists. Flatt & Scruggs, Al Kooper, Marty Robbins, and Pete Seeger are among those with whom he recorded.
In 1970, he inked a deal with Kama Sutra Records. Later that year, he released his self-titled debut album. It combined all of his influences–gospel, country, bluegrass, rock, and R&B–into a sound that didn’t quite fit with any of them. The blend was nearly seamless. However, the songs were country music at their core.
“We were country but not what was accepted by the country music establishment at the time–certainly not what Nashville was putting out at the time,” Daniels said. “Every other music was changing and moving and cooking, and it was time for country to do that, too.”
Daniels Shows His Country Roots
The Charlie Daniels Band formed in 1972. The next year, they scored a Hot 100 top 10 with “Uneasy Rider.” Way Down Yonder, the first album credited to the band instead of just Daniels, was released in 1974 via Kama Sutra. Later that year, they released Fire on the Mountain, which featured fan favorites “The South’s Gonna Do It” and “Long Haired Country Boy.”
In 1976, the band signed with Epic Records and released Saddle Tramp. Three years and as many albums later, they released Million Mile Reflections, which became their sole No. 1 album. It also contained the best-known song and sole No. 1 single, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
In 1980, Daniels appeared in Urban Cowboy performing “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The film and, more specifically, its soundtrack led to a boom in popularity for country music. His connection to this cultural shift via his appearance in the film and the success of the single led the band to pull away from rock music and focus on country.
When Charlie Daniels died on this day in 2020, he was a member of the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame, the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Musicians Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry.
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