Charlie Daniels was born 86 years ago today.
Daniels was a musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He was best known for his #1 country hit, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," and many other songs he wrote and performed.
Daniels was a singer, guitarist and fiddler, who began writing and performing in the 1950s. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 24, 2008 and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
In 1964, Daniels co-wrote, "It Hurts Me," a song which Elvis Presley recorded with Joy Byers. He worked as a Nashville session musician, often for producer Bob Johnston, including playing electric bass on three Bob Dylan albums during 1969 and 1970, and on recordings by Leonard Cohen.
Daniels recorded his first solo album, Charlie Daniels, in 1971. He produced the 1969 album by The Youngbloods, Elephant Mountain and played the violin on "Darkness, Darkness."
During the 1970s, Daniels played fiddle on many of The Marshall Tucker Band's early albums: "A New Life." "Where We All Belong," "Searchin' For a Rainbow," "Long Hard Ride" and "Carolina Dreams,"
In 1975, he had a Top 30 hit as leader of the Charlie Daniels Band with the Southern rock self-identification anthem, "The South's Gonna Do It Again." "Long Haired Country Boy" was a minor hit in that year.
Daniels played fiddle on Hank Williams, Jr.'s 1975 album, Hank Williams, Jr. and Friends.
Daniels performed in 1979 film, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," which reached #3 on the Hot 100 in September, 1979. The following year, "Devil" became a major crossover success on rock radio stations after its inclusion on the soundtrack for the hit movie, Urban Cowboy.
The song was by far Daniels' greatest success, still receiving regular airplay on U.S. classic rock and country stations, and is well-known even among audiences who eschew country music in general.
Daniels died on July 6, 2020, at the age of 83 of a hemorrhagic stroke at Summit Medical Center in Nashville.