35 Facts About Charlie Daniels

Charles Edward Daniels was an American singer, musician, and songwriter.

Charlie Daniels's music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock.

Charlie Daniels was best known for his number-one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia".

Charlie Daniels was active as a singer and musician from the 1950s until his death.

Charlie Daniels was inducted into the Cheyenne Frontier Days Hall of Fame in 2002, the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2009, and the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.

Charles Edward Charlie Daniels was born October 28,1936, in Wilmington, North Carolina to teenage parents William and LaRue Daniel.

The "s" in Charlie Daniels' name was added by mistake when his birth certificate was filled out.

Two weeks after Charlie Daniels had begun to attend elementary school, his family moved to Valdosta, Georgia, commuting between Valdosta and Elizabethtown, North Carolina, before moving back to Wilmington.

Already skilled on guitar, fiddle, banjo, and mandolin, Charlie Daniels began his music career as a member of the bluegrass band Misty Mountain Boys in the 1950s.

Charlie Daniels formed his own band, the Rockets, who later changed their name to the Jaguars after scoring a hit single with the instrumental recording "Jaguar".

Johnston encouraged Charlie Daniels to move to Nashville in order to get work as a session player, which led to Charlie Daniels recording with Bob Dylan on his 1969 album Nashville Skyline, Ringo Starr on his 1970 album Beaucoups of Blues and Leonard Cohen on his 1971 album Songs of Love and Hate, as well as further sessions with Dylan and Cohen's 1971 tour.

Dylan and Daniels found each other creatively invigorating during their recordings together, with Dylan saying that "when Charlie was around, something good would usually come out of the sessions", and Daniels describing the recording sessions with Dylan as "loose, free and, most of all, fun".

Charlie Daniels produced albums for the Youngbloods, including their 1969 album Elephant Mountain.

Charlie Daniels released his self-titled debut album in 1970, which helped lay the foundations for Southern rock.

Charlie Daniels scored a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Pop charts with "Uneasy Rider", a talking bluegrass song, in 1973.

In 1977, the Charlie Daniels Band released their most commercially successful album, Million Mile Reflections, which reached number five and was certified triple-platinum.

In 1980, Charlie Daniels played himself in the film Urban Cowboy, starring John Travolta, and as a result became closely identified with the revival of country music generated by the film's success.

In 1995, Charlie Daniels released the first of three Christian albums for Sparrow Records, The Door.

In 1999, Charlie Daniels was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame.

The 21st century saw Charlie Daniels, who had previously recorded for major labels, predominantly recording for independent record labels.

In 2003, Charlie Daniels received considerable headlines for his pro-Iraq War anthem "This Ain't No Rag, It's a Flag", which Charlie Daniels followed with a book entitled Ain't No Rag.

On October 18,2005, Charlie Daniels was honored as a BMI Icon at the 53rd annual BMI Country Awards.

In November 2007, Charlie Daniels was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Charlie Daniels was inducted during the January 19,2008, edition of the Opry.

In 2009, Charlie Daniels was featured playing fiddle in a commercial for GEICO.

In 2016, Charlie Daniels released Night Hawks, an album of Western swing music.

The New York Times said that Charlie Daniels' music incorporated elements of country, blues, bluegrass, rock and Western swing.

Charlie Daniels did not endorse any political candidates, and refused to express political views in his concerts.

However, in 1976, Charlie Daniels performed at campaign fundraisers for Jimmy Carter's presidential bid, and at his inauguration in January the following year; Charlie Daniels initially supported the legalization of marijuana.

An avid University of Tennessee sports fan, Charlie Daniels enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and other outdoor activities.

Charlie Daniels was a member of the National Rifle Association and performed on their videos.

Charlie Daniels suffered a major arm injury on January 30,1980, while digging fence post holes on his farm near Mount Juliet.

Charlie Daniels suffered three complete breaks in his right arm and two broken fingers when his shirtsleeve caught on a spinning power auger.

On January 15,2010, Charlie Daniels was rushed to the hospital after suffering a stroke while snowmobiling in Colorado.

Charlie Daniels died on July 6,2020, at the age of 83 of a hemorrhagic stroke at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee.