Legendary entertainer Charlie Daniels died Monday 7-6-20 at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee from a hemorrhagic stroke. He was 83. Daniels, known for his fiddle playing, had his biggest hit with the 1979 GRAMMY-winning tune “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” which actually went to number three on the “Billboard” Hot 100.
A multi-instrumentalist, Daniels did a lot of session work in his early career, performing on two Leonard Cohen albums, as well as on recordings by Marty Robbins, Pete Seeger, Flatts & Scruggs, and Claude King.In 1969 he was featured on Bob Dylan’s“Nashville Skyline,” and would go on to appear on three more Dylan albums, as well as Ringo Starr’s1970 record “Beaucoups of Blues.”
He released his self-titled debut solo album in 1970, and began recording under the moniker The Charlie Daniels Band in 1973. They released their most successful album, “Million Mile Reflections” in 1979, which featured “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” which became even more popular after it was featured in the movie “Urban Cowboy.” In addition to it earning the group a GRAMMY, the song was named CMA Single of the Year. Other well-known CDB songs include “In America,” “Drinkin’ My Baby Goodbye,” "That Ain't No Rag, It's A Flag," “The Legend of Wooley Swamp” and “Still in Saigon.”
- Daniels also has a long history of philanthropy. In 1974, he launched his Volunteer Jam. The 2020 festival was postponed until next year due to the coronavirus, with a lineup already announced, including CDB,Trace Adkins, Justin Moore, the Marshall Tucker Band, Chris Janson, Charley Pride,Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson,and more. He also holds an annual Christmas for Kids concert in Nashville, and co-founded the non-profit The Journey Home Project to help veterans in 2014.
- Daniels was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2009, and became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2008. He released his final album, “Beau Weevils – Songs in the Key of E,” in 2018.
Source:Rolling Stone