Fall 2000

Page 6

His family and his relationship with the Lord are the foundations upon which Charlie builds his life. In addition to selling over 13 million albums, Charlie and his wife, Hazel, have been happily married for over 30 years.

Lyrically, the music of Charlie Daniels reveals the heart of a man who has walked on both sides of the spiritual tracks and is not afraid to convey the emotional highs and lows to others.

"I've been a believer all my life," he states. "There has never been a time when I was not. I've never had any doubts about God. I was raised in a Christian home. I made a commitment back in my teens. And, of course, I got away from it."

"I don't know when everything started kind of falling back in place for me," he says, "it's just been kind of a learning sort of thing. There were a lot of things in my life - and still are a lot of things in my life - that I try to get straightened out and things that I did that I don't do anymore. It's an ongoing process."

"God said that Heaven and earth may pass away, but that his word would never pass away," he writes on Charlie’s Soapbox. "The biggest army, the most powerful bomb, no amount of public opinion nor the strongest leader can change the word of God as much as a trillionth of a centimeter."

Charlie Daniels has a proven recipe for success. "Believe in what you do. Believe in what you say. The Good Lord will do the rest." That philosophy has served him well, both personally and professionally.

"We put on a show that the whole family can come and enjoy, from grandma to the grandkids," Charlie says. "It's purely American music with something for everyone," he said. Charlie Daniels is an artist whose name has become synonymous with creativity, honesty and integrity.

A fan club submitted questions to Charlie February 20^th. "His answers to some of these questions show his professionalism, sense of humor, work ethic and strong faith in Jesus Christ. It's a great insight to a man who is a legend in the music industry," the fan wrote.

One question reads, "Anyone who's followed the CDB over the years has noticed a big change in the lyrics of your songs from say Midnight Wind until now. Can you explain what events in your life led you to produce such radical (convicting) gospel songs?"

Charlie answered, "I never wanted my songs to have a negative effect on anyone and in my earlier days I did some lyrics which some could be contrued to be promoting things that I don’t wish to promote. My relationship with God and Jesus brought about the changes."

When asked, what do you want to leave everyone with? Charlie replied, "I just hope that people will give Jesus a chance. It’s the only way."

Charlie is as comfortable singing at The White House as he is singing at a county fair. Charlie has always been an artist with the ability to strike a universal chord with audiences of every economic and geographical background.

The Charlie Daniels Band transcends musical barriers with its unique country rock style, fueled by lyrics that cut to the heart of any situation.

Hits such as "The South's Gonna Do It Again" and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" have made Charlie Daniels a household name among both country and rock music fans.

The same qualities that have served Charlie well and earned him legendary status in the country and southern rock formats provided him with a special platform for Christian projects, like Steel Witness and The Door, both on Sparrow Records.

About Steel Witness, Charlie said, "I had a mission with this album. To speak about the horrible things to come…and to draw attention to the salvation of Jesus."

Charlie’s directness and boldness found on The Door do not come as a surprise to his fans. It's was the first time, however, that he released a project that so directly addresses an audience that he knows needs the message.

"We're pointing to the door," Charlie said. "If people could only hear one song, I would want it to be 'Jesus Died For You.' That's the crux of the album. That's what it's all about."

"What I want to do is basically talk to the old boy who comes in at five o'clock Sunday morning hung over and turns the TV on to a church program," Charlie says. "Everything just looks so 'holy' to him. He says, ‘I can't ever be a part of that. I don't understand that.’"

"I want to talk to him because Jesus died for him too," Charlie said. "In fact, the song on the album 'Jesus Died for You' says, 'You think that you can't cope/You may be drunk or hooked on dope/But believe me brother you've still got hope, 'cause Jesus died for you.' That's the theme of this album. I want to talk to people that nobody talks to."

See: www.charliedaniels.com, www.CDBfan.com & www.jamsline.com