Throwback: Charlie Daniels Performs 'Devil Went Down To Georgia' For The First Time

Jul 07, 2020 by apost team

Musician Charlie Daniels, well known for his hit song The Devil Went Down to Georgia, passed away from a stroke on Monday, July 6 at the age of 83. Revered in the industry, the fiddle player and country music legend was also a popular session musician, even working with Bob Dylan.

In honor of Charlie Daniels, here we take a look at a performance from 1979 in which the Charlie Daniels Band played The Devil Went Down to Georgia live for the first time.

Over 40 years ago, the Charlie Daniels Band was performing at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium, on the fifth anniversary of the band's annual concert titled Volunteer Jam. In this video from the event, Charlie begins talking to the audience and says: "Here is a song we just finished writing and recording and we are going to do it for the very first time in public tonight... This is called The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

The now-iconic song kicks off and Charlie Daniels' incredible fiddle playing begins, along with some loud rock guitar. The audience is enamored with the band as they play, barely making any sound as they take in this new song from them. But towards the end, their approval is heard through loud cheering.

What a special thing that this first live performance of The Devil Went Down to Georgia exists for us all to watch now, knowing what an iconic song it is, and to pay tribute to Charlie Daniels' contribution to music.

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The Guardian discussed Daniels' early start in the music industry as a guitarist and fiddler who mostly worked as a session musician. He played on Bob Dylan's Nashville Skyline sessions and began to tour with his five-piece band in the early 1970s, allegedly playing up to 250 shows a year.

Daniels had stated in a 1998 interview, as reported by The Guardian: 

"I can ask people where they are from, and if they say 'Waukegan,' I say I've played there. If they say 'Baton Rouge,' I can say I've played there. There's not a city we haven't played in."

Charlie Daniels has even played at the White House, the Super Bowl, and internationally in Europe and for the troops in the Middle East. 

Another highlight of his career was playing himself in the 1980 movie Urban Cowboy, which starred John Travolta. The film captured the rise of country music in the late '70s and early '80s.

But despite his illustrious and long career, Charlie Daniels will forever be remembered for giving the world The Devil Went Down to Georgia—a truly iconic song. Hitting number one on the country charts in 1979, it even managed to cross over into the pop charts and made it to the top 20 in the UK. It won the Charlie Daniels Band a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance By a Duo or Group and was voted single of the year by the Country Music Association.

The story that is told in the song and the dynamic musical changes throughout, including Charlie Daniels' fiddle playing, is what makes The Devil Went Down to Georgia such an incredible hit even after all these years. Leaving behind a legacy as great as this, Charlie Daniels is a true country music legend. Rest in peace.

Were you a fan of Charlie Daniels? Let us know the first time you heard The Devil Went Down to Georgia and your memories associated with the song. Then pass this on to any country music fans so they can pay their respects too.