What Was Charlie Daniels' Net Worth?
Charlie Daniels was an American singer-songwriter and musician who had a net worth of $20 million at the time of his death in 2020. Charlie Daniels was best known for his major hit, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Charlie died on July 6, 2020, at the age of 83.
His expertise was in country, southern rock, outlaw country, bluegrass, and blues rock. He played the guitar, fiddle, and bass and was a vocalist. He had been active in the music industry since the 1950s. Daniels helped co-write a song with Joy Byers called "It Hurts Me," which Elvis Presley eventually performed.
Charlie worked with several prominent musicians in Nashville and played fiddle on several Marshall Tucker Band recordings. He produced his first solo album in 1971 titled "Charlie Daniels." In 1979, he won a Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance for his single "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." The song has since been covered and reworked by several artists under Daniels' influence. In 1999, he was inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame, and he was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry by Marty Stuart and Connie Smith on January 19, 2008.
Early Life
Charlie Daniels was born Charles Edward Daniels on October 28, 1936, in Wilmington, North Carolina. His parents, William and LaRue Daniels, were teenagers at the time of his birth. Daniels suffered measles while a child, which permanently affected his eyesight and made it so he had to wear eyeglasses in order to see for most of his life afterward. He was often bullied for this at school. In his youth, he began writing and performing songs, as he was influenced by Pentecostal gospel, local bluegrass music, and various rhythm and blues artists. He learned how to play the guitar, fiddle, banjo, and mandolin.
Career
Daniels began his music career in the 1950s when he joined the bluegrass band Misty Mountain Boys. In the 1960s, he performed rock and roll music more often than bluegrass. He formed his own band called the Rockets. The band later changed its name to the Jaguars after they had a hit single with the instrumental recording "Jaguar." The Jaguars then began performing more jazz music after discovering the genre. They later reverted to rock and incorporated more country music into their style by 1964.
Around this time, Daniels was also writing songs for other musicians to record. Soul singer Jerry Jackson recorded his song "It Hurts Me" in 1963. The following year, Elvis Presley recorded the same song, and it became more popular. Charlie had co-written the song with songwriter and producer Bob Johnston. Johnston encouraged Daniels to move to Nashville to get more work as a session player, which Charlie did.
The move proved to be successful, as Daniels met Bob Dylan in Nashville and played on his 1969 album "Nashville Skyline." He also played with Ringo Starr on his 1970 album "Songs of Love and Hate." Charlie toured with both Dylan and Leonard Cohen in 1971. He also produced albums for the Youngbloods, including their 1969 album "Elephant Mountain."
Meanwhile, Daniels continued to work on his own music. He released his self-titled debut album in 1970. Two years later, he formed the Charlie Daniels Band. In 1971, he scored a hit with "Uneasy Rider," a talking bluegrass song. The next year, he organized the first Volunteer Jam concert. The same year, Charlie released the album "Fire on the Mountain," which achieved gold status. He followed that album with the even more successful "Nightrider" and then with "Saddle Tramp." The latter was the first release by his band to reach the top 10 of the "Billboard" Country charts.
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In 1977, the Charlie Daniels Band released their most commercially successful album, "Million Mile Reflections." The album reached the fifth spot on the charts and was certified triple-platinum. It featured the single "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." The song reached the third spot on the "Billboard" Hot 100 in September 1979. Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance for the track. Around this time, the band was well-liked by President Jimmy Carter, who used their song "The South's Gonna Do It Again" as his campaign theme. After he won the election, the band performed the song at his 1977 inauguration.
In 1980, Daniels played himself in the film "Urban Cowboy." The film starred John Travolta, and Daniels became closely identified with the revival of country music that was generated by the film's success. The same year, he released the platinum album "Full Moon." In 1982, he released "Windows," which went on to be certified gold. Charlie continued releasing music throughout the decade but didn't have another hit until "Simple Man" in 1989.
In his later career, Daniels performed regularly and maintained an avid fanbase despite failing to release more chart-topping records. In 1995, he released "The Door," the first of three Christian albums. Beginning in the 2000s, Charlie began primarily releasing his music on independent labels. He released his first fully bluegrass and gospel album in 2005 with "Songs from the Longleaf Pines."
In October 2005, Daniels was honored as a BMI Icon at the 53rd annual BMI Country Awards. In November 2007, he was invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted during the January 2008 edition of the Opry. In October 2016, Charlie became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. He also released his memoir that year entitled "Never Look at the Empty Seats." In September 2018, he was awarded the MMP Music Award and inducted into the MMP Global Entertainment Hall of Fame.
Personal Life and Death
Daniels married Hazel Juanita Alexander on September 20, 1964. They had one child, Charles Jr. Daniels enjoyed hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and other outdoor activities. He was also a member of the National Rifle Association of America and performed for the organization's promotional videos. He did not express political views when performing, though he considered himself patriotic. He was an outspoken Christian.
In 2001, Daniels was treated for prostate cancer. In 2010, he suffered a stroke while snowmobiling in Colorado but was released from the hospital two days later. In 2013, he had a pacemaker implanted to regulate his heart rate. In July 2020, Charlie died at the age of 83 of a cerebral hemorrhage at Summit Medical Center in Hermitage, Tennessee.
Twin Pines Ranch
In 1976, Charlie and Hazel bought a ranch near Nashville called Twin Pines Ranch. At the time of their purchase, it was 51 acres. They eventually expanded Twin Pines to its current 400 acres. In addition to a large main house, they built a tennis court, shooting range, putting green, and a pond.
