Charlie Daniels
(Q)- Do you see any slowing down for Charlie Daniels?
(CD)- No. I’m still writing music, playing shows and loving every minute of it. As long as people want to see us and it’s the Good Lord’s will for people to come out and see us, then I don’t have that word (retire) in my vocabulary.
(Q)- Why did you open up the museum recently and what item or two items are you most proud of having on exhibit?
Charlie Daniels (CD)- I had no idea until a guy approached my people and our fan club President, who is a lady named Ginger, she’s a real go-getter, she came to me and asked me. So she came out and asked me and I said, “OK, let’s do it!’ I’ll tell you we’ve got memorabilia from me that I have totally forgotten about. I’ve got pictures of presidents, guitar pickers, old friends, all kinds of people as well as some special guitars. I’ve got a guitar that Ronnie Van Zandt (late lead vocalist/songwriter for Lynyrd Skynyrd) gave me and a guitar that was one Of Toy Caldwell’s (Marshall Tucker Band) old guitars. I’ve got a guitar that was stolen from me that I finally got back after some thirty years. Have a Les Paul guitar with a number two as the serial number on it. Les Paul himself has the one with serial number one on it. (The first Les Paul guitar ever made.) He (Les) has the first one, I’ve got the second one. There’s a racing uniform, I drove in a celebrity race years ago. Man, I wish I could get back into that thing. (he laughs) The things that are most valuable to me are probably my Awards, I value those more then anything else.
(Q)- Are there any newcomers who have come up to you and say, “You’re the reason I’m here in Nashville making music?
(CD)- I’m not really around the younger acts. As far as a real straight ahead country (tour) package, I’m not involved in many of those. But yeah, I’ve had a lot of younger guys complement me.
(Q)- A whole lot of innovative musicians and recording artists who happen to be great younger talent are getting overlooked in Nashville these days.
(CD)- Yes they are. And, I think it’s a shame that is happening.
(Q)- Why?
(CD)- You know, I mean this in all seriousness, there very well could have been the next Garth Brooks or maybe the country music version of the Beatles could have come to Nashville and then they’d have been discouraged and turned back because they didn’t fit the cookie cutter mold that the music industry want to fit bands into these days. And, I say that with no animosity or hard feelings but it’s like, (he shouts.)’The hell with how somebody looks, what about how do they sound?’ Bob Dylan wasn’t pretty. I mean he turned music completely around. So, you never know. And I think there’s been some kids who have had a lot more to say because they weren’t allowed to because of the fact that they didn’t fit the mold. I will make you a promise, I will spend the rest of my career doing what I want to do and what I feel like I do best.
(Q)-That’s your talent and you’ve earned that privilege.
(CD)-(He speaks loudly.) It’s my honesty, it’s where I’m at. I’ve never been a sex symbol. I’m a musician.
(Q)- You tend to motivate the crowd, what does the crowd do for you whenever you’re live on-stage?
(CD)- We tend to motivate each other. You know, my sole purpose for being here is to entertain, that’s my only reason for being on-stage. The time that I’m on is devoted one hundred per cent to those people out there (In the audience.) I do everything I can do to make them have fun, after all, they came here to have fun, that’s my motivation. You know when you’ve got thirty albums out, you can’t possibly do one song off of each album. So you have to pick certain songs the songs people are used to hearing. I hate to go see a band play and do a medley of their hits and then do all of their new songs from their new albums. That’s not the way I’ll do it.
(Q)- Do you get to go back to your hometown often and see your relatives?
(CD)- The part of North Carolina I’m from is so far out of the way that, unless you’re actually going there, then you won’t find it. Wilmington, North Carolina and the area which is near there where I’m from, is in the middle of the country. (Rural location.)
(Q)- Willie Nelson is headlining a show his summer, over the former members of the Grateful Dead on one show this summer. In rock, the hippie jam bands are back stronger then ever. Yet, you have always jammed in concert with your band and that has become a trademark of your live performances. Do you see a segment of the retro-hippie, jam-band, as well as the pop/rock element now coming out to your shows? And, would that possibly affect the audience demographic for the country music genre as well?
(CD)- I think people are really into music that musicians are putting a lot into. Regardless of who they are. In my band, we always have been jamming and we get tremendous reaction to our live show whenever we jam on-stage, as a tight musical unit. Now, do I think the time has come for the great musicians who are in the country music community to be appreciated by fans outside of country music? Yes. The fans are into the music and that’s what we’ve always been about. The music and giving the people who pay their hard-earned dollar a good show. So yes, I think it’s time again for the (country) musicians to take control and I really look forward to times changing And more people (country fans) listening to the music and looking for players on-stage once again.
(Q)- Any more Gospel recordings for you to be released in the near future?
(CD)- Yes. We’ve just put the finishing touches on a new upcoming album called, “How Sweet The Sound’, it’ll be out in January. It’s twenty-two of my all time favorite Gospel songs inspired by my faith.
(Q)- Do you have a favorite Gospel song?
(CD)- My favorite Gospel song is, “How Great Thou Art”.