Posted on 04.29.2021

Turning 56: Out of My Comfort Zone - Soapbox Jr.

Through the years, dad would usually write a soapbox around his birthday and reflecting on his life, so as I try to keep his legacy alive, I started writing a similar piece for my birthday, but as it often happens, it turns out very differently than it began.

I don’t have anywhere near as many trips around the sun as dad did, and I don’t have 80+ years of wisdom to impart, so I thought I’d just talk about a few things that have been happening recently.

The past almost 10 months have been challenging, which is obvious. I’m still trying to figure out how to keep a company going long term without the focal point, but the Lord – for better or worse – endowed me with a considerable amount of stubbornness, so I’m still determined to forge ahead.

Part of that forging ahead is developing new ideas, and thinking outside the box. For example, dad’s daily words of wisdom book, “Let’s All Make The Day Count,” has been a success and is currently in its third printing. When the book deal was originally signed, there was an option for an audiobook, which would have been read by dad, as he did with his autobiography, “Never Look at the Empty Seats.” 

Originally his touring schedule kept recording the audiobook off the front burner, and – obviously - now that is an impossibility.

I understood that HarperCollins Christian Publishing was looking for someone to read the audiobook, but they couldn’t find anyone they really thought worked.

So, thinking outside the box, I remembered that dad had recorded the Bible a few years ago which unfortunately got shelved because of copyright issues.

Some things you have to learn the hard way.

We were using a 1984 NIV translation and knew very little about translation copyrights. This was a labor of love for dad, and something he really wanted to do.

Well, it turns out that the entity that owns the NIV copyright was no longer signing off on the 1984 translation because they were now onto a newer translation released in 2011.

So, in my “outside the box” thinking, I thought that maybe we could use some of the Scripture that dad had read would work for the daily scripture sections of each days reading. But unfortunately, that didn’t work because dad had only recorded the New Testament, and a lot of the scriptures are from Proverbs and Psalms, and in translations I’ve never even heard of before… What’s the MEV?

So, that didn’t work, but Chris Wormer, one of dad’s guitar players, and also engineered the audiobook recording of dad’s autobiography said something that would have knocked my hat off, if I had been wearing one.

He said, “You should do it.”

Once I picked up my jaw, Chris convinced me to give it a try.

Let me be clear, I am not much of a public speaker and I don’t think I’ve got a great voice, and I don’t sound like my dad, but we did a test with the first three readings. I felt I was rushing the story of dad’s barn burning down and about to hang it up, but when I got to the latter part of the story about finding a stud colt from our bloodline that we thought had been lost in the fire, it just seemed to click.

I could feel myself getting into a cadence and rhythm that dad would when I’ve heard him tell stories in the past. And to my surprise, it kinda worked.

So last week I recorded 50 daily readings and an introduction on Wednesday and the other 50 on Thursday. I don’t think I’ve ever been as tongue tied as I was those two days.

So, it’s not dad, but it’s not as horrible as I thought it might be. We will keep you informed as to when it will be available.

I’ve got some ideas on taking some of the more than one thousand remaining daily “Let’s all make the day count” tweets and combining them with daily prayers that dad also tweeted, combined with words from songs, other writings and supplemented by my own words to make a “Let’s All Make The Day Count” Volume II.

I’ve been working on that a bit here and there.

And I may possibly try to expand on some of my soapbox writings into something bigger.

Plus, I want to make a documentary about dad’s life and career along with many other dream projects, including a musical based on “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”

No shortage of ideas here.

And still trying to work out the finer points of marketing steaks and ham. More coming on that very soon. 

I also wanted to share something that happened recently at church on a Saturday night.

World Outreach Church in Murfreesboro has a Saturday night service as well as Sunday morning, and this evening, the worship band played “How Great Thou Art.”

Dad performed that song many times and based his arrangement on the one made famous by Elvis. I got back to the car and played dad’s version as I was leaving. I’ve listened to it plenty of times in the past, but it hit me hard this time.

It was his favorite Gospel song, we found the arrangement of it when he performed it at World Outreach one Easter, and it begins the livestream of his funeral.

He always sang it wrong. 

The actual lyric says “I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,” but he ALWAYS sang it, “I see the sun, I hear the rolling thunder.” I always meant to correct him, but never did. 

As I was listening in the car, all of the emotion I’ve been holding back trying to focus on the tasks at hand came flooding in, and the waterworks started flowing.

With trying to chart a new direction for our business, my prayers have started asking the Lord to bless our business to help honor my father, and to glorify my Heavenly Father.

I still hate the sound of my voice, but I’m getting used to it.

I’m even toying around with the idea of a podcast.

Not sure where any of this will lead, but as long as I try to keep my focus on dad and Jesus, I trust that we will find what works.

And one last thing. Harper Collins is currently trying to reconstruct dad’s reading of the Book of Mark from the four Gospels that he read, painstakingly tweaking things here and there, so that may be available before too long as well. I’ll keep you posted.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops, our police, the peace of Jerusalem and our nation.

God Bless America!

#BenghaziAintGoingAway #End22

Let's all make the day count.

—  Charlie Daniels, Jr.

 

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Check out "Geechi Geechi Ya Ya Blues" from Beau Weevils - 'Songs in the Key of E'

 

 

Comments

Keep On Keep'n On
Amen, Amen & Amen Charlie Jr, your just keep hammering away at all these things and most of them will come to fruition. Do not take it the wrong way but I had to chuckle on you NIV story. My pastor always has called it the HIV version because of so many things mis-translated and many just left totally out. Just another reason why I'm a King James Only redneck, cause there ain't no copyright to it, and they word of God should be free......John 8:31-32 King James Version 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free......I believe that to many people try to capitalize on God's word with all these translations and commentaries. I stay away from NIV aka HIV....MTV aka Mucus TV..... Commie La Harris aka OBidens Ho in Toe..... and all the RINO's that do not the intestinal fortitude to call the election fraud of 2020 exactly what it is a stolen election......nuff said God Bless Plowboy
Posted by Plowboy
I kind of like the podcast idea as well as a you tube channel. You would be able to share with all kind is stuff. Hosting a show would really keep the memories of Charlie Daniels alive. Maybe even answer selected emailed questions from fans?
Posted by Ken
Aging with grace
First off, Happy Birthday, Jr. I turn 62 in this merry, merry month of May and know where you're coming from. Sounds like you have a lot of good ideas and having Chris close by definitely helps. He's quite the person that can help dreams turn into realities. I speak for probably many fans when I say that we definitely applaud your efforts in keeping the legacy alive. What I miss most is the Fan Club .... listening to the impromptu music, talking with the band members, and enjoying the comraderie of other fan club members at MT Juliet's "Charlie Daniels Park". Have you ever thought of a scaled down fan club where we get together and honor Charlie's memory and music? Maybe have a guest come and play along with the band some of Charlie's songs? I purchased the CD Volunteer Jam XX a few weeks ago from the store and loved hearing other artists doing some of Charlie's songs ... Very well I might add. Well like your Dad said (and a phrase my Dad used quite often also), " Hang in there, son!" Mark in Shelbyville
Posted by Mark
Comment to Charlie on his Soapbox Jr
Charlie, you are no longer Charlie Jr. God only made ONE Charles Edward Daniels. He blessed this man and his wife Hazel with you and saddled those two with the responsibility of raising you in the faith. Your alleged short comings, insecurity, self doubt, questioning of yourself is natural, especially given the terrific life you lived alongside both your parents. It's become nearly a year now, it's time to embrace your self doubts and any insecurity (we ALL have them) that you've express so candidly. Don't you have even the slightest concept that perhaps your dad and your mom had similar thoughts and experiences both during and throughout their lives??? I know they both did. You are never going to be your father, he is a legacy that will never be matched, both you and your mom will carry this legacy on. Your dad (and mom) showed you an example of living life, giving, fearing the one True GOD, et al. Embrace that, and embrace your self doubts as you express them herein. Self doubt, self criticism is normal, it's human, it's me and it's you; accept that and chart your own unique path forward. Self criticism is the wrong way to go. Take the teachings of your mom and dad, and the talents that God gave you, and use them wisely to the glory and memory of you dad, and to the Glory of the one True God. Prayers to you Charlie.
Posted by barry
Let It Roll
Happy birthday. It all sounds very interesting and you have no shortage of ideas. I bet Charlie would be plenty happy about thinking outside the box. Believe it or not, a lot of people can't function that way. But I have found that when you get rolling with a good rhythm, you can accomplish things you hadn't realized were in you. And when God is involved in that process, it tends to flow. As I am sure you discovered in writing. The mind has a lot to offer on its own. All it requires is opening the door and God fills in the blanks. I know they always say necessity is the mother of invention, like the coffee cans stool, but inspiration is good fuel. You are further down the path than you probably realize. Though I always wondered how some people seem so enamored by their own voice? (BTW: NIV does have a decent flow but sometimes inadequate. Many today are going w/ Contemporary English Vesion - not me. New King Jimmy still works) ~ NIMOC
Posted by Jeff