RollingStone.com has a video available
to watch online of the CDB song Road Dogs from the 2000 album of the same
name. I was kind of surprised to see that the information they had about
the band ended right about there, and wondered why a band who has contributed
so much to Rock music would only have a mention and one video.
Charlie Daniels and his band have been around since 1973, with a couple
of the same members since then. In many cases, bands like this would have
folded long ago and the music they play would be golden oldies, but the
CDB has been able to maintain fresh music and tour constantly since then.
There are few bands that can boast this kind of longevity.
One of the reasons I think the CDB gets overlooked by big name magazines
like Rolling Stone is that the kind of music they represent is what is
very popular right this second. Their focus is on the Blink 182s and N'
Syncs of the day. But that can't be all. Sales must have something to
do with it. The Eagles have been in and out of popularity with the baby
boomer crowd since the 70s, and Aerosmith has been playing raunch n' roll
for as long. But beyond that, the CDB has one other thing the rest of
those bands don't have - and I'm not referring to just musicianship. It
is nearly impossible to pigeon hole the Charlie Daniels Band and the type
of music they play.
The most appropriate name for it is probably Southern Rock, but that
has connotations of a music style that ended with the 70s. The CDB started
then, but has continued for almost 30 years now, and in that time has
played almost every style of music you can imagine.
Rap? Got it covered before Run DMC made it cool. Check out "Every Time
I See Him."
Jazz? How about "Saddle Tramp."
Country? "Simple Man," or "Uneasy Rider."
Western? Have you ever heard "Wyoming on my Mind?" That's a great tribute
to western music and the cowboy lifestyle.
Rock? The entire Tailgate Party album is a collection of classics. "The
Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a rock song with a fiddle as the lead instrument.
Innovation at it's best.
Bluegrass? He started there, so check out his addition to Big Mon, which
is Ricky Skaggs tribute to Bill Monroe.
Gospel? Plenty of that, with two albums dedicated to it.
Folk? Charlie played lead guitar for Bob Dylan before starting the CDB,
so that qualifies.
Blues? Oh yeah, he's covered that. Blues Hat is whole album full of blues.
Also check out the song on Simple Man called "It's My Life," which rivals
BB King for some sweet blues licks.
The CDB even has even recorded some new age music if you listen to "Rainbow
Ride" or "Universal Hand."
Talk about a band that has some diverse music in their line up. That
alone could explain why they're overlooked by Rolling Stone and the media.
This is a band that has done it all, and Charlie has been the driving
force behind the band since it started, writing most of the music and
fronting the band with vocals, guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and banjo since
it started.
Another reason they could be overlooked is the heavy Southern and Western
influence the music they make always has had. The problem is it's not
limited to just those styles. He wears a cowboy hat and boots on stage
but the music you will hear at a CDB show is not going to be strictly
country.
It may be a long time before Charlie gets inducted into the Rock and
Roll Hall of Fame, but if any man deserves it, it's Charlie Daniels. Maybe
then Rolling Stone would expand their coverage of one of the greatest
American bands to ever make music.
See also:
Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame inductees.