The Soundtrack - The Charlie Daniels Band

 In Knight of Hearts, Rachel is a big fan of Outlaw Country. Charlie Daniels is one of those outlaws.

The fiddle has always had a place in country music, but no one has brought it to forefront like Charlie Daniels. The band's biggest hit is the crossover song, The Devil Went Down To Georgia. It's a song I expect folks who don't even like country music know.



I have a friend in Seattle who sings Irish Folk music, and I asked him once what qualified music as "folk." His answer was that it told a story. By that definition, Charlie is as much a folk singer as he is country, so I included Midnight Train. There's a lot I love about this song. The way the music has that train rhythm, the way Charlie never misses a beat in the lyrics, the fiddle as train whistle. All of it comes together in a way that makes me smile when I hear it.



I could have included this in my post on Chris LeDoux, but there were so many great songs to choose from for that post. And really, it's Charlie's contribution to Caballo Diablo that makes me catch my breath. I actually think that if, as a writer, I could capture that same feeling I have when this song hushes and Charlie speaks the lyrics so softly that you almost have to strain to hear it . . . I'm not sure what that would look like on the page, but it's something I would like very much to achieve.



Charlie's one of a kind.