Charlie Daniels
Charlie Daniels
Charles Edward "Charlie" Danielsis an American multi-instrumentalist, lyricist, and singer, known for his contributions to country, bluegrass, and Southern rock music. He is perhaps best known for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has written and performed. Daniels has been active as a singer and musician since the 1950s. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 24, 2008 and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in...
ProfessionCountry Singer
Date of Birth28 October 1936
CityWilmington, NC
I didn't really fit well with what was going on in Nashville at the time. I was too loud, I was too bluesy, I was too "a lot of things.
Every award I've ever received has been very gratifying. The Living Legend Award was extremely gratifying; it was voted on by the fans. It's just great to be remembered after all these years, to still be a viable part of the music business. So, I'm very deeply honored by all the awards.
I just thank God I can make a living doing something I enjoy as much as I do playing music.
I do more writing by myself than with anybody else. My best thing is sitting...around somewhere with a guitar, and having an idea. You never know where it'd come from. Songwriting is a God-given talent.
Any accolades that anybody puts toward this band really makes me feel good, because I have devoted such a big part of my life to this band, making it what I want it to be.
The funny thing is, the music that I'm writing now is probably some of the most cutting edge we've ever done. The music that I'm thinking about putting on our next album.
I should be the one to say what I do. It's just not done that way anymore in Nashville, and I can't do it the other way. That's how our record label came about.
Country music has changed tremendously, so what now is considered country was not considered country at that time. We were doing stuff that probably could have been called country music today, but would certainly have not have fit in at that time.
I played on three of Bob Dylan's albums. I have very pleasant memories, especially the Nashville Skyline album was a real fun album to do. He was in a great mood. He was glad to be in Nashville, where the musicians were very laid back and very creative. We had a lot of fun doing that album.
We played everything from "White Sports Coat" to Bill Haley and the Comets - whatever happened to be the "in music" at the time.
We never envisioned this much stuff. I'm overwhelmed by the support out there for the troops, ... only one company that will remain nameless turned us down.
I believe you might want to say something. I've never seen you at a loss for words.
I don't have any real "process." Some people in Nashville go in like an assembly line. They're able to go and write. My son runs a publishing company. He has writers that come down. They get together in a room with the people that actually make appointments, and write - which is great. I can't do that very well.
We will miss Ransom's presence and are indebted to him for his many years of service,