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Born in Wilmington, North Carolina on October 28, 1936, the music legend died on July 6, 2020 of a hemorrhagic stroke in Nashville, Tennessee. As a young man, Charlie enthusiastically followed local gospel music and bluegrass groups, and blues music he heard on the radio. In his music, he sought to keep the hillbilly, redneck spirit, yet “rock like a mother”. Daniels was most loved by the baby boomer generation, and he rubbed shoulders with the best in the music business from 1964 when he moved to Nashville to become a session musician.
As such, he played with the likes of Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Ringo Starr. He produced an album for the Youngbloods in 1969 and played fiddle on numerous Marshall Tucker band albums. He excelled in the early 1970’s with his own Charlie Daniel’s Band putting out some of his most loved hits such as “The South is Gonna Do It Again” and “Long Haired Country Boy”. “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” entered the scene in 1979, and was featured in the movie “Urban Cowboy” and the video game “Guitar Hero”. Rolling Stone described the song as an early example of country rap.
Daniels was honored with a Grammy Award for the song As the Best Country Vocal Performance. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and immediately gave all the credit to his wife, Hazel. He was also honored by being inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame in 2002, the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
Charlie Daniels credited his legendary career to the more than 50 year marriage to wife Hazel. He considered his long marriage to Hazel as his greatest achievement. The two met in Tulsa’s Fondalite Club where he was performing. “I’ve been blessed with finding the girl of my dreams, and here I am 50 years after, without a regret in the world about marrying my darlin’ from Tulsa,” mused Daniels in an interview with The Oklahoman in 2014.
When Charlie and Hazel were married in Tulsa in a simple Justice of the Peace ceremony, Daniels had no time for a honeymoon. He had a gig to play the next day! Charlie had to travel for his music career, and after their son Charlie Daniels, Jr. was born, Hazel stayed at home and did the bulk of the parenting. After Charlie Jr. went off to college, Hazel joined Charlie full time on the road.
Charlie was quoted in The Oklahoman interview that “…we always faced everything together, whether it was repossessed cars, mountainous debt, too many bills and not enough money or whatever else came at us.” He also wrote that “She has always been my tether to reality, my safe harbor in a storm, my rock, and above all, my best friend.” Together the couple took up golf, rode motorcycles and horseback, snowmobiled, and traveled the globe.
Charlie loved the United States of America and gave back generously in his later years. He co-founded in 2014 the Journey Home Project, a non-profit veterans’ organization, and the Charlie and Hazel Daniels Veterans and Military Family Center at Middle Tennessee University in 2015.
Charlie Daniels was an exceptional American brought to the pinnacle of success by his own inspiration, talent, hard work, and grit. He is missed on the music scene and in American life, and he joins the legends that will be missed as history demands.
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