On this day (November 13) in 1947, Toy Caldwell was born in Spartanburg, South Carolina. He is best remembered as the guitarist, co-founder, and primary songwriter of the Marshall Tucker Band. After serving in the Marine Corps and earning a Purple Heart during the Vietnam War, Caldwell and his fellow South Carolina natives took the music world by storm. His unique guitar style influenced generations of players and helped shape the sound of Southern rock and roots music for decades to come.
Caldwell’s father was a professional guitarist who didn’t use a pick. So, when he began learning to play in his teens, he played with his thumb. His early music education included traditional folk songs, Hank Williams, Travis picking, and big-band swing acts like Glen Miller. A couple of years into his musical journey, he began adding influences like B.B. King, the Beatles, and various R&B acts to his growing style.
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While he took music seriously, it wasn’t Caldwell’s only interest as a teenager. Like most of his friends and peers, he played basketball and football throughout high school. They also regularly played music together. Eventually, he formed the Toy Factory with his brother Tommy (Bass), Doug Gray (Vocals), Jerry Eubanks (saxophone, flute), and George McCorkle (guitar, banjo), according to Vintage Guitar.
Then, in 1966, he joined the United States Marine Corps. He was wounded during his service in Vietnam and earned a Purple Heart. He was discharged in 1969 and began jamming with his hometown friends again.
Toy Caldwell Returns to Spartanburg
After returning to his hometown, Toy Caldwell put his old band back together. Eventually, that group became the Marshall Tucker Band. The original MTB lineup included the Caldwell brothers, Gray, Eubanks, McCorkle, and Paul Riddle on drums. Soon after forming, they landed a gig at Grant’s Lounge in Macon, Georgia. Producer Paul Hornsby was in the audience that night.
The Marshall Tucker Band
Before long, Hornsby helped the band record a few demos, which resulted in a deal with Capricorn Records. The band released their self-titled debut album in 1973. It represented a melting pot of musical influences, including jazz, blues, R&B, rock, country, and psychedelia. This eclectic blend of influences and their use of horns and flutes helped set them apart from other Southern rock acts. Moreover, Caldwell’s jazz-infused fingerpicking caught the ears of countless future guitarists.
Their first album included a pair of Toy Caldwell-penned classics–“Can’t You See” and “Take the Highway.” Their second album, A New Life, saw the beginning of a long collaborative relationship with Charlie Daniels. He appeared on several of the band’s songs, including the Grammy-nominated title track from their 1976 album Long Hard Ride.
After completing their tenth studio album, aptly titled Tenth, in early 1980, Tommy Caldwell died after suffering extensive head injuries in a car accident. It was a major blow to the band. Within the next four years, most of the band’s original lineup left. Doug Gray and Jerry Eubanks were the only remaining original members.
While the band is still active, they’ve never been able to recapture the magic they made in the 1970s.
Toy Caldwell Goes Solo
Toy Caldwell formed a band and released his self-titled debut solo album in 1992. The LP includes guest appearances from Charlie Daniels, Gregg Allman, and Willie Nelson. Moreover, it captured a rejuvenated Caldwell, playing and singing with a passion that had been lacking in his latter years with the Marshall Tucker Band.
Unfortunately, it was his only solo release. He died in his sleep in 1993. According to AllMusic, Charlie Daniels and David Corlew at Blue Hat Records remastered and rereleased the album under the title Son of the South. The updated version includes a live cut of “Can’t You See” with Caldwell backed by the Charlie Daniels Band.
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