As our experience with COVID-19 continues, and perhaps is now escalating with some of the restrictions relaxed a bit (but now seeming to intensify once again), this Fourth of July, like many of the holidays this year, was rather subdued, with many (but not all) public fireworks displays canceled (with the notable except of the annual Macy's displays in New York City, and locally, Lake Hopatcong's, which were held on July 2. And perhaps, tragically, a musician who, as much as anyone else embodies the spirit of patriotism in this county, lost his life this week. Notable rock and country musician Charlie Daniels, died this week from a stroke, in Nashville. He was 83.
Daniels had a great and worthy career and whos work spanned many decades, although his prime popularity came within a ten-year stretch from 1973 to 1982. He was also ahead of his time in sponsoring annual music festivals, long before Farm-Aid, H.O.R.D.E and Grand Point North were even a gleam in anyone's eye.
He had an influence in much of the Southern Rock genre, and while bands like the Allman Brothers started it, Daniels made sure it would last way longer....and he was successful in doing so. He also gave a rock credibility to country music, a genre that, in the 70's often turned its back on country-inspired rock, Southern-rock or anything that wasn't pure Nashville; after a while, his endeavors started paying off in country radio, and even garnering a #1 song there, and eventually was invited to the Grand Ole Opry and the Country Hall of Fame.
Daniels was born in North Carolina in 1936, and was raised by country, gospel, R&B, and bluegrass. He wrote his first song in 1964, and paid his dues in Nashville, and playing on several Bob Dylan albums. His first, self-titled release came in 1970, and while it, nor his second album, 1972's Te John, Grease & Wolfman charted, he started making a name for himself. But his ten years of success would soon start.
In the summer of 1973, Daniels scored his first big hit with "Uneasy Rider". A sort-of talkin' blues song in the style of Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" four years earlier, it got airplay on local top 40 WABC, and hit #9 on Billboard's Hot 100. While the song had a country flavor, it only mid-charted on the country chart. The narrative was about a hippie traveling the country, and stopping at a redneck bar and being hassled by the local, conservative folk, but somehow turning the tables on one patron and getting out before the others were aware of what was happening.
While, as I had said earlier, Daniels was instrumental in getting southern rock its exposure. In particular, he played fiddle on early Marshall Tucker Band albums, and also performed with Barefoot Jerry, a band which fused rock and country and based in Nashville.
His next top 40 hit came in 1975. Billed from this point on as The Charlie Daniels Band, he paid homage to many southern rock and country-rock bands out there, in "The South's Gonna Do It". He salutes the above mentioned Barefoot Jerry and Marshall Tucker, plus Dickie Betts from the Allman Brothers; Lynyrd Skynyrd; Elvin Bishop, Wet Willie and ZZ Top. The catchy song reached #29 on Billboard, and landed in my own Top 100 of 1975 list at #56. A follow-up from his Fire on the Mountain album, "Long Haired Country Boy", also charted on the Hot 100. By the middle part of the decade, he also started charting regularly on the country chart, with "Texas", "Wichita Jail", and "Billy the Kid".
But Daniels would reach his pinnacle in 1979. Amidst a year filled with disco, new wave and new albums by now-classic rock acts like Eagles, Styx, Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, The CDB made their breakthrough. "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" became a signature song of sorts for Daniels, as it landed at #3 on the Hot 100, as well as the top spot on the Country chart. The album it came from, Million Mile Reflections was named as a result of Daniels and his band constantly on the road; it racked up that many miles going from gig to gig in that decade.
1980 was a big year for both Daniels and country music in general. Urban Cowboy, which seems to be country's answer to Saturday Night Fever, in that it also started John Travolta and which soundtrack album spanned country music, was a big hit, and although Daniels claimed he wasn't part of the "urban cowboy" movement, the CDB nonetheless appeared in the film, performing "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". And while hits from that album by Mickey Gilley, Johnny Lee, Anne Murray, Joe Walsh, Kenny Rogers, and Boz Scaggs, invaded the pop and/or country charts (and two of Daniel's songs, including "Devil" were on the soundtrack), Charlie had more success that summer with "In America", which reached #11. A patriotic song which was released at a time of turmoil in the country (sound familiar?), as it came during the time American hostages were held in Iran, plus double-digit inflation and unemployment. In the song, he mentioned that although we are different, we can all come together and defend our country against those such as the Russians (remember this was still during the Cold War). The song placed #65 on my year-end top 100 songs of 1980.
The follow-up to "In America" was the mysterious "The Legend of Wooley Swamp", another top 40 hit. Wooley Swamp, apparently was a real place that Daniels would go, growing up, which at night would take on a whole, macabre personality. Strange things would indeed happen there. The song, while not on that year's top songs list, is a regular on my Halloween songs mix; which I play during that season, including hosting neighborhood trick-or-treaters.
Daniels would stick with social commentary on his final top 40 hit in 1982. "Still in Saigon" was about a veteran from the Vietnam War who was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, which was common from those service men and women who fought that unpopular war, and did not receive any honor upon returning. With that war having ended seven years earlier, the topic of those veterans suffering through PTSD while a younger brother, a war protestor, calls him a "killer". The song hit #22 and was the first of many subsequent songs on the subject, notably Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA", Billy Joel's "Goodnight Saigon", Paul Hardcastle's "19", and others which all were released within three years of Daniels' song. "Still in Saigon" ranked #103 on my year-end 1982 list.
Daniels, during the 1970's, founded the annual Volunteer Jam festival, which he hosted. The concept of a music festival hosted by one act, while featuring various acts was relatively new at the time, predating Blues Traveler's "H.O.R.D.E." by twenty years, and Grace Potter's 2010's-era "Grand Point North" fest by forty. With the first festival in October 1974 and featuring members from the Allman Brothers and Marshall Tucker bands, a tradition was born. With the exception of 1976, one was held every year through 1987, and featured acts as varied as Wet Willie, the Sanford-Townshend Band, Dobie Gray, Lynyrd Skynyrd (their '78 appearance the first since the plane crash the prior year), Ted Nugent, Molly Hatchet, Duane Eddy, George Thorogood, Little Richard, Quarterflash, Great White, The Judds, and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Volunteer Jam continued irregularly in the 1990's, with three shows, in 1991, '92 and '96, before being retired for eighteen years. However, in recent years, it was revived, with shows in 2015 (fortieth anniversary), 2016 (for Daniel's' 80th birthday), and 2018, with Daniels joined by acts such as Billy Ray Cyrus, Kid Rock, 3 Doors Down, Luke Bryan, and many others.
Pandemic permitting, the latest Volunteer Jam, the first without Daniels, and acting as a tribute to his life and career, is set for September 15, which would be the 21st edition.
Daniels would regularly release albums through the 80's, 90's 2000's and 2010's with his most recent work, Night Hawk, coming out in 2016.
Thank you for the music, Charlie Daniels. It will live on, as will your spirit.
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves 100 Playlist
July 5, 2020
This
Week
|
Last
Week
|
ARTIST-Title
|
Weeks on List
|
|
1
|
1
|
NUMBER ONE:
"Change"
Album: Local Motion
(3 weeks at #1)
|
11
|
|
2
|
2
|
8
|
|
|
3
|
8
|
12
|
|
|
4
|
3
|
10
|
|
|
5
|
4
|
12
|
|
|
6
|
7
|
12
|
|
|
7
|
5
|
11
|
|
|
8
|
9
|
9
|
|
|
9
|
10
|
9
|
|
|
10
|
6
|
13
|
|
|
11
|
12
|
8
|
|
|
12
|
15
|
7
|
|
|
13
|
25
|
TOP 20 IMPACT OF THE WEEK:
Album: The Main Thing
|
4
|
|
14
|
16
|
7
|
|
|
15
|
19
|
6
|
|
|
16
|
13
|
16
|
|
|
17
|
23
|
6
|
|
|
18
|
11
|
15
|
|
|
19
|
14
|
14
|
|
|
20
|
43
|
3
|
|
|
21
|
30
|
9
|
|
|
22
|
17
|
13
|
|
|
23
|
22
|
12
|
|
|
24
|
21
|
11
|
|
|
25
|
26
|
11
|
|
|
26
|
29
|
9
|
|
|
27
|
18
|
13
|
|
|
28
|
33
|
8
|
|
|
29
|
31
|
10
|
|
|
30
|
39
|
6
|
|
|
31
|
27
|
12
|
|
|
32
|
40
|
5
|
|
|
33
|
35
|
10
|
|
|
34
|
32
|
13
|
|
|
35
|
20
|
13
|
|
|
36
|
46
|
7
|
|
|
37
|
24
|
15
|
|
|
38
|
48
|
5
|
|
|
39
|
47
|
5
|
|
|
40
|
42
|
10
|
|
|
41
|
52
|
12
|
|
|
42
|
28
|
14
|
|
|
43
|
34
|
18
|
|
|
44
|
36
|
10
|
|
|
45
|
41
|
19
|
|
|
46
|
37
|
14
|
|
|
47
|
61
|
3
|
|
|
48
|
71
|
MOVER OF THE WEEK:
Album: Will You Be My Yellow?
|
2
|
|
49
|
54
|
5
|
|
|
50
|
38
|
14
|
|
|
51
|
51
|
13
|
|
|
52
|
57
|
6
|
|
|
53
|
58
|
6
|
|
|
54
|
45
|
15
|
|
|
55
|
44
|
14
|
|
|
56
|
50
|
19
|
|
|
57
|
79
|
2
|
|
|
58
|
49
|
11
|
|
|
59
|
63
|
6
|
|
|
60
|
55
|
7
|
|
|
61
|
64
|
8
|
|
|
62
|
56
|
23
|
|
|
63
|
70
|
4
|
|
|
64
|
85
|
3
|
|
|
65
|
69
|
4
|
|
|
66
|
53
|
15
|
|
|
67
|
65
|
7
|
|
|
68
|
75
|
3
|
|
|
69
|
59
|
9
|
|
|
70
|
76
|
5
|
|
|
71
|
82
|
2
|
|
|
72
|
72
|
5
|
|
|
73
|
78
|
3
|
|
|
74
|
74
|
12
|
|
|
75
|
62
|
16
|
|
|
76
|
86
|
2
|
|
|
77
|
---
|
TOP DEBUT:
Album: Christina Alessi (EP)
|
1
|
|
78
|
60
|
12
|
|
|
79
|
66
|
34
|
|
|
80
|
84
|
2
|
|
|
81
|
---
|
1
|
|
|
82
|
88
|
2
|
|
|
83
|
68
|
18
|
|
|
84
|
89
|
3
|
|
|
85
|
---
|
1
|
|
|
86
|
73
|
18
|
|
|
87
|
---
|
1
|
|
|
88
|
80
|
9
|
|
|
89
|
67
|
12
|
|
|
90
|
|
1
|
|
|
91
|
77
|
14
|
|
|
92
|
---
|
1
|
|
|
93
|
83
|
9
|
|
|
94
|
---
|
1
|
|
|
95
|
81
|
15
|
|
|
96
|
87
|
8
|
|
|
97
|
91
|
11
|
|
|
98
|
90
|
24
|
|
|
99
|
93
|
10
|
|
|
100
|
92
|
8
|
|
|
Songs with the greatest increase in
favorite points over the prior week. ●
Songs with
25 or more plays on iTunes/iPods ▲ Songs with 50 or more plays.
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