Putting the Band Back Together: The Legend of Charlie Daniels Part II - Soapbox Jr.
There are several scenes in the classic 1980 movie “The Blues Brothers” where Jake – played by John Belushi and his brother, Elwood – Dan Ackroyd - go to various places of employment of their former bandmates in order to convince them to help raise money for the taxes on the orphanage Jake and Elwood grew up in.
Several of the group were working in a lackluster nightclub lounge, two were working at a diner run by Aretha Franklin and the band’s trumpet player was now the maître d’ at a swanky Chicago restaurant.
The pitch was simple and memorable, but not overwhelmingly well-received by all,
“We’re putting the band back together.”
That was the crux of the iconic movie based on the Saturday Night Live characters.
That line has been stuck in my head for a couple of months now, but I couldn’t say anything just yet.
But I can now safely say, “We’re putting the band back together.”
Not entirely, but mostly.
The Legend of Charlie Daniels show at Ft. Campbell is not going to be – as one person VERY wrongly assumed – “a hologram or tribute band experience.”
No sir, we’re bringing the goods, the real deal, no tribute band, thank you very much.
We will have four members of The Charlie Daniels Band taking the stage with Aaron Tippin, Eric Lee Beddingfield and The Frontmen along with the state-of-the-art hologram image.
These members are Chris Wormer on guitar, Jack Gavin on drums, Shannon Wickline on keyboards, and the longest tenured member of the CDB, going all the way back to 1975’s ‘Nightrider’ album Charlie Hayward on bass.
Charlie is the longest tenured member of the CDB, and not an “original” member, but there is only one living original member that I know of, and that’s Freddie Edwards who played drums from 1972-1986.
But the important thing is that while some members came and went - and sadly Taz DiGregorio and Tommy Crain both left us in 2011, Tommy had retired from the band in 1988, but both of them passed away in the same year – Dad always surrounded himself with great musicians.
The last thing I wanted was for this to be a cheap “tribute band” - and nothing against any tribute bands out there. I know some very talented people who do tribute bands, and I’ve enjoyed seeing them in the past, but when it came to this show, I desperately wanted as many members on stage as we could manage.
Going back in time to 2020, had Dad went home in a normal year, then we could have probably organized a CDB “farewell tour” a touring celebration of Dad’s life, using video screens or guest vocalists (or a combination of both) to give fans the goodbye that they never got.
But 2020 was anything but normal, and it even bled over into 2021, so much so that when the much-delayed Volunteer Jam Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels finally took the stage in August of 2021, lots had changed, so the CDB that took the stage was a handful of members and a lot of non-members.
I still wanted to do this tour, but Chris Wormer has been playing at World Outreach Church on the weekends to scratch his musical itch as he got a real job to spend more time with his lovely wife, so no more weeks and months on the road for him.
After the Jam in 2021, Bruce Brown decided he was retired, although we were thrilled to have him be a part of the tribute album that we are recording.
Shannon Wickline – who took over keyboard duties after Taz passed away – disappeared. I had tried to reach him several times, but to no avail.
Ron Gannaway who started playing drums for the CDB is still around, although he’s probably touring with someone now, because he’s a great drummer.
Charlie Hayward reconnected with former CDB drummer, Jack Gavin, and were working on a CDB tribute show of their own.
I won’t get into all the ins and outs, but suffice it to say, we got Chris, Bruce and former drummer Pat McDonald in for recording of the tribute album earlier this year.
But I thought our potential pickers were going to be kind of slim, but Chris – despite having a “respectable” job now was all in.
That was promising.
I finally got in touch with Shannon Wickline and he was interested. Okay, I was starting to get excited.
Then Jack and Charlie signed on, and all of a sudden, the words of John Belushi started bouncing around in my noggin, “We’re putting the band back together.”
Obviously, there were holes that need to be filled, Bruce Brown declined to be involved, and there’s no hard feelings, and maybe not this time, but maybe down the road he will change his mind.
So, we enlisted a guitar picker that Jack and Charlie had worked with, Kevin Ray, as well as a fiddle player, Andy Varner, for the non-hologram fiddle tunes in the set.
But of the six gentlemen who will be taking the stage on July 4th, four of them stood on stage with Dad countless times and made musical magic.
I’m thrilled that Charlie, Jack, Shannon and Chris are back, at least for one more hurrah… maybe more… who knows…?
There’s also the fact that there will be a Charlie Daniels on stage - me - so it will technically be The Charlie Daniels Band, even if it’s not the one everyone wants.
It’s going to be nothing short of spectacular, and if you’re thinking that this is just a watered down “hologram or tribute band experience” you would be sorely mistaken, and missing out on something special.
If this works the way we expect it to, there may be more military bases in the future as we develop more of the holographic technology and build a repertoire, and maybe we can take it back on the road again.
Dad’s music, his passion, his love of America and our military, and his love of Jesus are all things this country desperately needs, and he may be gone, but we can bring what he embodied back to the stage, and hopefully bring a few smiles back to the fans and we may even get the attention of some who were too young and maybe not that familiar with the CDB.
His music still brings people to their feet six years after he played his last show. I aim to keep that going for sixteen or even sixty more, if at all possible.
Come check out the inaugural Legend of Charlie Daniels show at Ft. Campbell on the 4th, it’s open to the public, and – to quote Dad – “It’s gonna be a dallywhacker!”
Indeed, it is, Dad.
What do you think?
Let’s all make the day count!
Pray for our troops, our police, the Peace of Jerusalem and our nation.
God Bless America!
#SonyReleaseHonkyTonkAve
#BenghaziAintGoingAway #End22
- Charlie Daniels, Jr.
Several of the group were working in a lackluster nightclub lounge, two were working at a diner run by Aretha Franklin and the band’s trumpet player was now the maître d’ at a swanky Chicago restaurant.
The pitch was simple and memorable, but not overwhelmingly well-received by all,
“We’re putting the band back together.”
That was the crux of the iconic movie based on the Saturday Night Live characters.
That line has been stuck in my head for a couple of months now, but I couldn’t say anything just yet.
But I can now safely say, “We’re putting the band back together.”
Not entirely, but mostly.
The Legend of Charlie Daniels show at Ft. Campbell is not going to be – as one person VERY wrongly assumed – “a hologram or tribute band experience.”
No sir, we’re bringing the goods, the real deal, no tribute band, thank you very much.
We will have four members of The Charlie Daniels Band taking the stage with Aaron Tippin, Eric Lee Beddingfield and The Frontmen along with the state-of-the-art hologram image.
These members are Chris Wormer on guitar, Jack Gavin on drums, Shannon Wickline on keyboards, and the longest tenured member of the CDB, going all the way back to 1975’s ‘Nightrider’ album Charlie Hayward on bass.
Charlie is the longest tenured member of the CDB, and not an “original” member, but there is only one living original member that I know of, and that’s Freddie Edwards who played drums from 1972-1986.
But the important thing is that while some members came and went - and sadly Taz DiGregorio and Tommy Crain both left us in 2011, Tommy had retired from the band in 1988, but both of them passed away in the same year – Dad always surrounded himself with great musicians.
The last thing I wanted was for this to be a cheap “tribute band” - and nothing against any tribute bands out there. I know some very talented people who do tribute bands, and I’ve enjoyed seeing them in the past, but when it came to this show, I desperately wanted as many members on stage as we could manage.
Going back in time to 2020, had Dad went home in a normal year, then we could have probably organized a CDB “farewell tour” a touring celebration of Dad’s life, using video screens or guest vocalists (or a combination of both) to give fans the goodbye that they never got.
But 2020 was anything but normal, and it even bled over into 2021, so much so that when the much-delayed Volunteer Jam Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels finally took the stage in August of 2021, lots had changed, so the CDB that took the stage was a handful of members and a lot of non-members.
I still wanted to do this tour, but Chris Wormer has been playing at World Outreach Church on the weekends to scratch his musical itch as he got a real job to spend more time with his lovely wife, so no more weeks and months on the road for him.
After the Jam in 2021, Bruce Brown decided he was retired, although we were thrilled to have him be a part of the tribute album that we are recording.
Shannon Wickline – who took over keyboard duties after Taz passed away – disappeared. I had tried to reach him several times, but to no avail.
Ron Gannaway who started playing drums for the CDB is still around, although he’s probably touring with someone now, because he’s a great drummer.
Charlie Hayward reconnected with former CDB drummer, Jack Gavin, and were working on a CDB tribute show of their own.
I won’t get into all the ins and outs, but suffice it to say, we got Chris, Bruce and former drummer Pat McDonald in for recording of the tribute album earlier this year.
But I thought our potential pickers were going to be kind of slim, but Chris – despite having a “respectable” job now was all in.
That was promising.
I finally got in touch with Shannon Wickline and he was interested. Okay, I was starting to get excited.
Then Jack and Charlie signed on, and all of a sudden, the words of John Belushi started bouncing around in my noggin, “We’re putting the band back together.”
Obviously, there were holes that need to be filled, Bruce Brown declined to be involved, and there’s no hard feelings, and maybe not this time, but maybe down the road he will change his mind.
So, we enlisted a guitar picker that Jack and Charlie had worked with, Kevin Ray, as well as a fiddle player, Andy Varner, for the non-hologram fiddle tunes in the set.
But of the six gentlemen who will be taking the stage on July 4th, four of them stood on stage with Dad countless times and made musical magic.
I’m thrilled that Charlie, Jack, Shannon and Chris are back, at least for one more hurrah… maybe more… who knows…?
There’s also the fact that there will be a Charlie Daniels on stage - me - so it will technically be The Charlie Daniels Band, even if it’s not the one everyone wants.
It’s going to be nothing short of spectacular, and if you’re thinking that this is just a watered down “hologram or tribute band experience” you would be sorely mistaken, and missing out on something special.
If this works the way we expect it to, there may be more military bases in the future as we develop more of the holographic technology and build a repertoire, and maybe we can take it back on the road again.
Dad’s music, his passion, his love of America and our military, and his love of Jesus are all things this country desperately needs, and he may be gone, but we can bring what he embodied back to the stage, and hopefully bring a few smiles back to the fans and we may even get the attention of some who were too young and maybe not that familiar with the CDB.
His music still brings people to their feet six years after he played his last show. I aim to keep that going for sixteen or even sixty more, if at all possible.
Come check out the inaugural Legend of Charlie Daniels show at Ft. Campbell on the 4th, it’s open to the public, and – to quote Dad – “It’s gonna be a dallywhacker!”
Indeed, it is, Dad.
What do you think?
Let’s all make the day count!
Pray for our troops, our police, the Peace of Jerusalem and our nation.
God Bless America!
#SonyReleaseHonkyTonkAve
#BenghaziAintGoingAway #End22
- Charlie Daniels, Jr.
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