Remembering Charlie Daniels
• Country music legend Charlie Daniels, best known for his hits like “The Devil Went Down To Georgia,” “The South’s Gonna Do It” and “Long Haired Country Boy,” and the architect of the Volunteer Jam music festival, died Monday, July 6 in Hermitage, TN from a hemorrhagic stroke at the age of 83.
“The Devil Went Down To Georgia” became a Country Music rarity, achieving Platinum certification and reaching No. 1 on the Country chart. It won CMA Single of the Year in 1979 and earned The Charlie Daniels Band a Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group. The song then crossed over, reaching No. 3 on the pop side and was prominently featured in the 1980 John Travolta film Urban Cowboy.
“There are few artists that touched so many different generations in our business than Charlie Daniels did,” said Sarah Trahern, CMA Chief Executive Officer. “Today, our community has lost an innovator and advocate of Country Music. Both Charlie and Hazel had become dear friends of mine over the last several years, and I was privileged to be able to celebrate Charlie’s induction into the Opry as well as tell him that he was going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. I will always remember the look of sudden shock and delight on his face as he realized he would be in the Hall of Fame Rotunda for the ages. Our deepest condolences go out to his family and friends at this sad time.”
Daniels joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2009 and posed for this photo at The 50th Annual CMA Awards in 2016, the same year he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Daniels is survived by his wife Hazel and son Charlie Jr. Funeral arrangements are pending. Variety‘s Chris Morris has a more comprehensive look at Daniels’ lengthy career. [CMA Photo Credit: Joseph Llanes]
