Acclaimed singer-songwriter Charlie Daniels died this morning at a hospital in Hermitage, Tennessee. Daniels’ publicist confirmed the Country Music Hall Of Famer passed away in the wake of stroke he suffered. Charlie Daniels was best known for his eponymous band’s 1979 smash hit “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” and the all-star Volunteer Jam concerts he hosted.
The Wilmington, North Carolina native started his career as a session musician. Nashville-based producer Bob Johnston often called upon Daniels to contribute to sessions thanks in part to Charlie’s skilfull playing on multiple instruments including fiddle, banjo, mandolin and guitar. He played on Bob Dylan’s Nashville Skyline as well as on recordings by Leonard Cohen, Ringo Starr, the Marshall Tucker Band and others.
In 1970, Charlie Daniels released his self-titled debut solo album for Capitol Records. He went on to form the Charlie Daniels Band and issued “The Devil Went Down To Georgia” on the group’s 1979 LP, Million Mile Reflections. The song hit No. 3 on the Billboard Top 100 and was atop the Hot Country Singles chart for 14 weeks. The Charlie Daniels Band took home the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1979 and earned themselves the Country Music Association’s Single Of The Year nod that same year.
Charlie Daniels organized the first Volunteer Jam concert in 1974. The concert was held every year through the late-1980s and returned on a semi-regular basis with this year’s installment originally scheduled for September 15. The 2020 Volunteer Jam was postponed to February 22, 2021 due to the coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.
Charlie Daniels was 83-years-old at the time of his death.
