Charlie Daniels was an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who was best known for his number-one country hit, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”. Having started his career as a singer since 1958, Daniels got his first hit with the release of the novelty song “Uneasy Rider” in 1973 that reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
In 1970, Daniels became part of the first wave of southern rock bands after he formed his own band named “Charlie Daniels Brand”. For his unmatched contributions to Southern rock, country, and bluegrass music, Daniels received several honors including getting inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009, and into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
However, on July 6, 2020, Daniels passed away due to a hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 83 at Summit Medical Center in Nashville.
What was Charlie Daniels Famous for?
- Famous for his number-one country hit, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”.
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Where was Charlie Daniels Born?
Charlie Daniels was born on October 28, 1936, in Wilmington, North Carolina, United States. His birth name was Charles Edward Daniels. His nationality was American. Daniels belonged to White ethnicity while was his zodiac sign.
Charlie was born as the only son of his Christian parents, William Carlton Daniels(father) and his wife LaRue Hammonds(mother). His father, William was a lumberjack while his mother was a homemaker.
He grew up practicing hard on various types of musical instruments like fiddle, violin, mandolin, guitar. Actually, he was raised on a musical diet that included Pentecostal gospel, local bluegrass bands, and the rhythm & blues and country music.
As a teenager, he moved to the small town of Gulf, Chatham County, North Carolina, and even formed a bluegrass band named “Misty Mountain Boys”. He graduated from Goldston high school in 1955, after which he moved to another state, and eventually, the formed band was dismissed.
When Did Charlie Daniels Die?
Charlie Daniels died on July 6, 2020, at the age of 83 at Summit Medical Center in Nashville, due to a hemorrhagic stroke. Daniels left the world with all of his good deeds in the form of music that will forever remain with us. He is survived by his wife and children.
Daniels even had suffered a stroke before as well while snowmobiling in Colorado on January 15, 2010, after which he was rushed to a hospital and was released two days later. Unfortunately, he couldn’t survive this time.
Besides, on January 30, 1980, Daniels suffered a major arm injury while digging fence post holes on his farm near Mount Juliet. He had 3 complete breaks in his right arm, and 2 broken fingers, which needed surgery, and then it took 4 months to recover. In 2001, he was successfully treated for prostate cancer.
Also, on March 25, 2013, during a doctor visit, Daniels was diagnosed with a mild case of pneumonia and admitted to a Nashville hospital for a series of routine tests.
Source: @nbcnews
Charlie Daniels’ Career Highlights
- Charlie Daniels began his career as a musician after forming a rock n roll band called “The Jaguars” in 1959. He wrote several songs but couldn’t found success.
- Daniels got his first recognition after he wrote “It Hurts Me” with Joy Byers, which was recorded by Elvis Presley in 1964.
- He also produced the 1969 album by the Youngbloods titled “Elephant Mountain”.
- In 1970, he formed the “Charlie Daniels band” and recorded his first solo self-titled album, “Charlie Daniels”, in 1971.
- His first hit was the novelty song “Uneasy Rider”, from his 1973 third album, “Honey in the Rock”. It reached No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
- His band released “Fire on the Mountain” in 1974 which went on to become the band’s first big success. They then released other songs including “Nightrider”(1975) and “Saddle Tramp”(1976).
- Daniels played fiddle on Hank Williams, Jr.’s 1975 album, “Hank Williams, Jr. and Friends”.
- In 1979, his band released the hit song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” from the album, “Million Mile Reflection”. The song was an instant hit that reached no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 for which he won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance.
- His platinum album “Full Moon”(1980) was also hit that produced two hit singles, “In America” and “The Legend of Wooley Swamp”.
- In 1980, Daniels participated in the country music concept album, “The Legend of Jesse James”.
- His distinctive speaking voice is used in Frank Wildhorn’s 1999 musical, “The Civil War”.
- In 2000, he composed and performed songs for the feature film, “Across the Line”.
- He made a cameo appearance in Gretchen Wilson’s music video for the song “All Jacked Up”(2005) along with Larry the Cable Guy, Kid Rock, and Hank Williams, Jr.
- In 2009, Daniels was featured playing the fiddle in a television commercial for GEICO auto insurance.
- In October 2016, Daniels officially became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
- Daniels’ memoir titled “Never Look at the Empty Seats”, was released on October 24, 2017.
- On October 26, 2018, Daniels released a new side album project for a new band called Beau Weevils.
- Besides, Daniels was also active in politics as he even published an Open Letter to the Hollywood Bunch in defense of President George W. Bush’s Iraq policy in 2003.
Honors
- Inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 1999.
- Inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame in 2002.
- Honored as a BMI Icon at the 53rd annual BMI Country Awards on October 18, 2005.
- Inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 19, 2008.
- Inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009.
- Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
- On his honor, a park named after him in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.
- Declared a Living Legend by the Nashville Network in 1999.
Awards
- Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance for “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” in 1979.
- Grammy Award for Best Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Gospel Album in 1996.
- Pioneer Award in 1998 from the Academy of Country Music Awards.
Source: @charliedaniels.com
Charlie Daniels’ Wife and Children
Charlie Daniels got married once throughout his entire life until his death at the age of 83. His first and the only wife is Hazel Juanita Alexander with whom he got married on September 20, 1964. Their wedding took place on Boulder Street in Tulsa which was attended by just 12 guests including his 4 bandmates.
Within their 50 year-long marriage, the couple had only a child named Charles Edward Daniels Jr. Besides, Daniels is an avid University of Tennessee sports fan. He also enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and other outdoor activities.
Source: @globintel
Charlie Daniels’ Net Worth
Charlie Daniels had quite good earnings from his professional career as a singer and songwriter. Having been in the field of music for over 60 years, Daniels had undoubtedly managed to amass a healthy fortune from his several songs, albums, and concerts.
His net worth at the time of his death was around $20 million with over $46 million as his combined earnings.
Charlie Daniels’ Height
Charlie Daniels was a good looking man in his early 80s at the time of his death. With his soothing voice and charismatic personality, Daniels had managed to win several hearts all around the world. He had a height of 6ft. 2inch. while his body weight was around 75kg.
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