On this day (October 28) in 1936, Charles Edward Daniels was born in Wilmington, North Carolina. Starting his career as a Nashville session musician before forming the Charlie Daniels Band in the early 1970s, most listeners instantly associate him with the monumentally successful 1979 single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. Daniels co-wrote the song, ushering in a new sound that mingled mainstream country music with clear folk, bluegrass, gospel, and rock influences.
With a career spanning 30 studio albums and multiple generations, Daniels wrote songs recorded by Elvis Presley and collaborated with the likes of Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, and Leonard Cohen.
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On July 6, 2020, the Country Music Hall of Famer died at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee, after suffering a stroke. He was 83 years old. In honor of what would have been Charlie Daniels’ 90th birthday, we’re revisiting his remarkable life and career.
Charlie Daniels Got His Start as a Session Musician
Raised between Georgia and North Carolina, Charlie Daniels grew up inspired by Pentecostal gospel music, local bluegrass groups, and rhythm and blues artists he heard on the radio, as well as Western films. He would later build a career from melding all of those influences.
Mastering the guitar, fiddle, banjo and mandolin, Daniels started his career as a member of the bluegrass band Misty Mountain Boys in 1953.
In the early 1960s, he formed a band called the Rockets, which later changed their name to the Jaguars. Scoring an instrumental hit with “Jaguar”, the band dabbled in jazz, rock and country.
During this time, Daniels also wrote songs for other artists. Elvis Presley recorded his composition “Hurt Me” in 1964. His co-writer, producer Bob Johnston, encouraged him to seek session work in Nashville. So in 1967, Daniels headed to Music City.
He Played With This Legendary Singer-Songwriter
Charlie Daniels soon became an in-demand session musician, lending his multiple talents to Leonard Cohen, Flatt & Scruggs, Marty Robbins, and Ringo Starr.
Most notably, he played guitar and bass on Nashville Skyline, Bob Dylan’s 1969 foray into country music.
“I felt I had a lot in common with Charlie,” wrote Dylan in his 2004 memoir “Chronicles.” “When Charlie was around, something good would usually come out of the sessions.”
Building a New Sound
Releasing his eponymous solo debut in 1970, he formed the Charlie Daniels Band two years later.
Scoring a top 10 pop hit with the talking bluegrass single “Uneasy Rider” in 1973, the band’s debut album, Fire on the Mountain, went Gold.
Its follow-up albums —1975’s Nightrider and 1976’s Saddle Tramp —built on that success. But Daniels’ defining moment came in 1979 with the triple-Platinum Million Mile Reflections.
Reaching No. 5 on the pop albums chart, it also spawned the generation-defining single “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. A spin on the classic “deal with the devil trope”, the song sold more than a million copies, reaching No. 1 and No. 3 on the country and pop charts, respectively.
Additionally, it snagged a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.
After receiving back-to-back Instrumental Group of the Year honors from the Country Music Association, the Charlie Daniels Band made their onscreen debut in the 1980 blockbuster Urban Cowboy.
Leaving a Legacy
“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” placed The Charlie Daniels Band squarely on the map, and they logged 29 charting singles from 1979 to 2011. Daniels joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2008.
In 1974, he began hosting the Volunteer Jam in Nashville, which spotlighted artists like John Prine, Lynyrd Skynyrd, James Brown, Carl Perkins, Emmylou Harris and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
[RELATED: 3 Must-Hear Charlie Daniels Songs That Aren’t “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”]
Known for his outspoken conservative views later in life, Daniels became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016. He remained active in the music industry until his death in 2020.
Featured image by Scott Legato/WireImage
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LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – Pianist Floyd Cramer performs on stage at the Country Music Festival held at Wembley Arena, London in April 1979. (Photo by David Redfern/Redferns) -
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 25: Dallas Frazier performs at "Songs That Tell a Story," the final Marty Stuart Artist-in-Residence Show at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on September 25, 2019 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum) -
Singer Mahalia Jackson singing at reception in hotel. (Photo by Don Cravens/Getty Images)
