Charlie Daniels Band 1979
Ozie Melzer
The song is written in the key of D minor. Although uncredited, Vassar Clements originally wrote the basic melody an octave lower, in a tune called "Lonesome Fiddle Blues" released on Clements' self-titled 1975 album on which Charlie Daniels played guitar. The Charlie Daniels Band moved it up an octave and put words to it. The song's verses are closer to being spoken rather than sung (i.e., recitation), and tell the story of a young man named Johnny, in a variant on the classic deal with the Devil. The performances of the Devil and Johnny are played as instrumental bridges. The song was the band's biggest hit, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, prevented from further chart movement by "After the Love Has Gone" by Earth, Wind and Fire and "My Sharona" by The Knack.[4]
The song tells a story about the Devil's failure to gain a young man's soul through a fiddle-playing contest. The song begins as a disappointed Devil arrives in Georgia, apparently "way behind" on stealing souls, when he comes upon a young man named Johnny who is playing a fiddle, and quite well. Out of desperation, the Devil, who claims to also be a fiddle player, wagers a fiddle of gold against Johnny's soul to see who is the better fiddler. Although Johnny believes taking the Devil's bet might be a sin, he fearlessly accepts, confidently boasting "I'm the best that's ever been."
Realizing he has been defeated, the devil lays his golden fiddle at Johnny's feet. Johnny then invites the devil to "c'mon back if y'ever wanna try again" before repeating his claim to be "the best that's ever been".
Cash Box praised the "engaging narrative story line" and said the song has "thundering piano", "screaming fiddle work", "pounding drums and screeching guitar".[7] Record World said that Daniels "administers heavy doses of both [storytelling and fiddle-playing] with producer John Boylan capturing the excitement like no one else can."[8]
Johnny's final boast, from the album version of the song, goes, "I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I'm the best that's ever been". But to accommodate radio airplay for Country and Top 40 formats, Daniels changed the lyric for the single release to, "'Cause I told you once, you son of a gun, I'm the best that's ever been", though AOR stations continued to use the unaltered version.
The ballad's story is a derivative of the traditional deal with the Devil motif. Charlie Daniels has stated in interviews, "I don't know where it came from, but it just did. Well, I think I might know where it came from, it may have come from an old poem called 'The Mountain Whippoorwill' that Stephen Vincent Bent wrote many, many years ago (1925), that I had in high school."[10][11]
The original version of the song spent fourteen weeks on the Hot Country Singles charts in 1979, peaking at number 1 and holding the position for one week. It spent two weeks at a peak of number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100.[35] The single was certified Platinum by the RIAA on December 20, 1989, for sales of over one million copies in the United States.[36] In 2003, the song was ranked at #69 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music, and #5 on CMT's 20 Greatest Southern Rock Songs in 2006. Since it became available as a download in the digital era, it has also sold 2.49 million digital copies in the US as of November 2019.[37] In June 1998, Epic Records re-released the song to country radio, but accidentally sent out the version in which the line "son of a bitch" was uncensored. This error was quickly corrected, and the song re-entered the country charts at number 62 for the chart dated June 20, 1998.[38] It spent seven weeks on the chart and peaked at number 60.[35]
In 1993, a sequel to the song, "The Devil Comes Back to Georgia", was released by master violinist Mark O'Connor on his album Heroes. The song featured Daniels on fiddle, with Johnny Cash as the narrator, Marty Stuart as Johnny, and Travis Tritt as the devil. The song peaked at #54 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart in 1994.
Million Mile Reflections is the tenth studio album by Charlie Daniels and the seventh as the Charlie Daniels Band, released on April 20, 1979. It is best known for the hit single "The Devil Went Down to Georgia". The title refers to the band having passed the million mile mark in its touring. The song "Reflections" is a tribute to Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, and Ronnie Van Zant.[1] Daniels dedicated the album to Van Zant, who was killed in the CV-240 plane crash on October 20, 1977.
Million Mile Reflections emerged as the band's most commercially successful album, achieving triple-platinum certification in the US and reaching the position of number five on the Billboard Top LPs chart. It also reached number one on the Top Country Albums chart.
The Shreveport Journal wrote that Daniels's "lyrics sometimes seem awkward [and] out of synch."[5] Record World said of the single "Behind Your Eyes" that "the hit-bound ballad features shimmering keyboards and a lyrical guitar run."[6]
*"The Devil Went Down To Georgia (Reprise)" is a shorter version of "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" evidenced only by an earlier fade, likely to best program the 8-track tape to minimize a lengthy silent portion of Program 4 and minimize splitting more than one track over the four programs.
On October 20, 1977, the CDB was kicking off the first night of a new tour and getting ready to take the stage at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis, MO. While the band was warming up in the dressing room, someone came back and told everyone that there was a rumor going around that a plane carrying the Skynyrd band and crew had crashed and that there were no survivors.
In January of 1979, the band reunited and fused with the CDB to perform two songs at Volunteer Jam V, "Call Me the Breeze" and a haunting instrumental of "Free Bird." Later that year, the song Reflections was released which paid tribute to three singers who all died before their time, Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin and Ronnie Van Zant.
By 1979, Charlie Daniel's Volunteer Jam had become a major musical event in America. The fifth in his series of annual concerts took place at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium and featured a veritable who's who of southern rock, country, and bluegrass musicians all on the same stage. Volunteer Jam V will long be remembered as one of the greatest and one of the most emotionally-charged nights in the history of Southern Rock music, and this King Biscuit Flower Hour broadcast, featuring choice highlights from that memorable night, makes the reasons for this abundantly clear.
The Charlie Daniels Band were at the top of their game in 1979, previewing material from their soon-to-be-released Million Mile Reflections album, which would feature "The Devil Went Down To Georgia," soon to become a smash crossover hit. Fittingly, the KBFH broadcast kicks things off with several choice excerpts featuring the Charlie Daniels Band. They warm up the audience with the goodtime country flavored rock of "Trudy," followed by the rebellious spirit of "Long Haired Country Boy," setting the tone for things to come. The first emotionally-charged moment occurs next, as the Daniels Band publicly unveil what is essentially the title song and centerpiece of their forthcoming album. "Reflections," a touching tribute to Elvis Presley, Janis Joplin, and most significantly in this context, Ronnie Van Zant, this new song resonates deeply with the Nashville audience. Capping off this initial Charlie Daniels Band portion of the broadcast is the spicy Mexican flavored ballad, "Caballo Diablo," a highlight of the group's popular Fire On The Mountain LP.
At this point, the broadcast jumps to highlights from later that evening, beginning an impressive stream of special guests joining the Daniels Band on stage. First up is the soulful singer Dobie Grey belting out an engaging version of "Drift Away," the biggest hit of his career. Next, Daniels introduces Tampa Florida's Henry Paul Band, an offshoot of the Outlaws. Like Daniels in the previous set, the Henry Paul Band previews a new heart-tugging song that directly relates to the loss of Ronnie Van Zant. The title song of their forthcoming album, Grey Ghost is a tour-de-force that not only serves as a fitting eulogy for Van Zant ("The man is gone but his spirit will remain") but also proves what a profound effect Lynyrd Skynyrd had on these musicians. "Grey Ghost" is quite obviously an homage to Skynyrd, with a similar structure to "Free Bird" that begins with a somber vocal section and then transforms into a soaring triple lead guitar jam. This serves as the perfect precursor for what is to come next.
At this point Charlie Daniels introduces Judy Van Zant and Theresa Gaines, who briefly speak as the surviving members of Lynyrd Skynyrd take the stage for the very first time since the plane crash. With Daniel's keyboardist, Taz Digregorio, taking lead vocals and his bass player, Charles Hayward, filling in for Leon Wilkeson (who was also present, but unable to perform), the musicians sink their teeth into J.J. Cale's "Call Me The Breeze." The intensity of this moment is quite palpable on the recording and the musicians waste no time getting down to business. The vocals are kept to a bare minimum, allowing Gary Rossington, Allen Collins, Billy Powell, and Artimus Pyle to take flight. The performance has plenty of bite and these musicians are obviously inspired to be on stage again, delivering a highly charge performance. However, the most emotional moments of the entire night are next as a lone spotlight focuses on a solitary microphone stand at center stage and pianist Billy Powell embarks into the opening notes of "Freebird," Skynyrd's most revered number. For the first time since the tragic deaths of Ronnie Van Zant, Steve Gaines, and Cassie Gaines, the surviving band members tackle this magnum opus of Southern Rock and by all accounts, there were few dry eyes in the house. Performed instrumentally, the initial slow section serves up an emotional wallop, with wailing slide guitar and poignant piano work, displaying a beauty that is even more apparent in instrumental form. When they finally take off into the soaring jam, it is with a vengeance that never falters. This remarkably intense version of "Free Bird" serves as a fitting eulogy for the lost band members and no doubt left everyone both on and off stage emotionally drained. Daniels then introduces Leon Wilkeson, who briefly relays a thanks to the highly-charged audience, followed by Daniels proclaiming, "Long live the Lynyrd Skynyrd Band!" to deafening applause.
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