His latest book Let’s All Make the Day Count: The Everyday Wisdom of Charlie Daniels was released in November of 2018. “That was great. It was my first foray into doing an extended autobiography. It was fun,” he admitted.
This past May, Rolling Stone Magazine honored Daniels’ seminal album Million Mile Reflections in its list of “10 Classic Country Albums Turning 40 in 2019.” “I was very surprised, to be honest. I thought that was pretty doggone neat,” he said.
On June 21, 2019, Daniels and his band performed at Fox & Friends‘ “Summer Concert Series.” “We’ve done that quite a few times,” he said. “It was fun, being right out in Manhattan playing music for people. It is quite a thrill. I like it.”
Most recently, his signature tune “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” celebrated the 40th anniversary of its release, and to this day, it is still one of the most impactful fiddle-centric tunes ever to be released. “Our minds are pre-conditioned on the number 40. That’s when you pass from youth and going old. I didn’t think much of all the other birthdays the song had, but 40 kinda hit me,” he said. “To this day, it is still our most requested song. We are pretty happy about that.”
In 2016, Daniels was bestowed the highest honor that country music has to offer, an induction into the coveted Country Music Hall of Fame. “I can’t even articulate that honor. It was such a surprise to start with. I didn’t think it would ever happen. You have no way of lobbying for it and it was a total surprise. Any good adjective you can think of would describe that feeling,” he said.
Equally important for Daniels was his invitation to become a member of the hallowed Grand Ole Opry family, where he was invited by Opry member Martina McBride. “That was another proud moment. The Grand Ole Opry is such a special thing since I was an Opry fan my whole life,” he said.
Daniels also opened up about The Journey Home Project, which he co-founded in 2014 with his manager, David Corlew. It is a charitable organization that assists veterans of the United States Armed Forces. “It is put together to help our veterans re-transition their life back to civilian life,” he said. “We do whatever we can to help them out.”
For more information on The Journey Home Project, check out its official homepage.
Digital transformation of the music industry
On the impact of streaming and technology on the music business, Daniels said, “I can’t keep up with all that. I am so out of touch with things. Every time, I learn something it changes. I just let it roll. I made my records and they market them however they like, whether it is downloads or hard copies.”
He hopes that the Music Modernization Act (MMA) will be comprehensive enough to make a difference in the royalties that songwriters and creators make for their musical work in this digital age.
Daniels was honored for The Alliance Collection at The Pentagon to happen this past April.
On May 9, 2020, Daniels and his band will be performing at the NYCB Theatre at Westbury on Long Island. “I am very grateful for the fans,” he concluded.
For Daniels, the word success comes in increments. He gets fulfilled by getting a paycheck doing what he loves, and that is being a working musician. “You never run out of ambitions in this business. It’s always a mountain climb,” he said.
To learn more about Charlie Daniels and his music, check out his official website.
