“I just do what I do,” he told me. “I don’t follow trends or fads, I just follow my heart. I hate going to see a band do a medley of their hits and spend the rest of the time trying to save their new album. You owe it to people to do the songs they hear on the radio, so we always do the stuff they’re familiar with, and then we throw in some stuff they haven’t heard before.”
That would include his latest single, “Let ’Em Win or Bring ’Em Home.”
Charlie is a staunch supporter of the military and doesn’t hesitate to wave the red, white and blue. “How many people have lived and died so I can say what I want to say without fear? I have very deep feelings about this country,” he said proudly.
“My point is this: I have had the honor of being among the finest in the military. If left to their own devices, they can win these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but there’s too much politics involved. That’s what the song is about. Tell the leaders to do whatever it takes to win. If we’re not willing to pay that price, take the heat and the world’s criticism, then just pack ’em all up and bring ’em all home.”
He’s quick to point out he’s speaking as “Charlie Daniels, U.S. citizen” not “Charlie Daniels, entertainer.” And, in keeping with his love of our country, Charlie doesn’t call himself a “country” singer, but an “American” singer: “I found out a long time ago you can’t put yourself in a box. Whatever you come up with is what you are.”
See for yourself next Sunday, Aug. 14, at the Miami County Fair (more info online at www.MiamiCountyOhioFair.com).
No matter what kind of music you like, CDB will take care of it all. “My aim when I go onstage is to entertain people,” Charlie says, “and the best way I can entertain them is to play my music for them.”
Readers can contact Nancy Wilson, a morning-radio personality at WHKO-FM (K99.1), by email through k99online.com.
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