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Country Music Hall of Fame member Charlie Daniels died today, July 6, 2020, after suffering a stroke. He is survived by his wife, Hazel, and his son, Charlie Daniels Jr.
Daniels was most well-known for his song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” but by the time that song topped the charts, he had already established a career in Nashville, playing on three of Bob Dylan’s albums and also on recordings for Ringo Starr and Leonard Cohen.
Daniels joined the Grand Ole Opry in 2008, and in 2016, the star was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Here’s what you should know about Daniels’ son and family:
1. He Was Married to Hazel Daniels
Daniels was married to Hazel Daniels on September 20, 1964. The couple celebrated their 50th anniversary in 2014, and Daniels spoke to The Oklahoman about their wedding night.
“We made a joint decision just to go ahead and work that night and treat it like any other night, basically,” he said. “We travel around so much, we have so many special days. We got married in Oklahoma, in Tulsa. My wife is from Tulsa. We got married there 50 years ago that date, and I just decided to go ahead and work that night. So, we’re back in Oklahoma after 50 years under some totally different circumstances.”
2. He Had One Son Named Charlie Daniels, Jr.
Together, Daniels and his wife had one son, Charlie Daniels, Jr. Hazel stayed at home throughout their son’s childhood, but she ended up changing her ways once he went away to college.
According to The Oklahoman, Hazel started hitting the road with Charlie on his tours in 1983 when Charlie Daniels Jr. went to college.
“I’ve been blessed with finding the girl of my dreams, and here I am 50 years after, without a regret in the world about marryin’ my darlin’ from Tulsa,” Daniels said in 2014.
3. Daniels Was Raised in North Carolina by William Daniels and LaRue Hammonds
Daniels was born on October 28, 1936, in Wilmington, North Carolina. He has not shared much about his early life, but he did share memories of his youth and playing baseball in Wilmington. His parents were William Daniels and LaRue Hammonds.
As a teenager, he moved to the small town of Gulf, Chatham County, North Carolina and graduated from high school in 1955. By the time he graduated, he already played guitar, fiddle, banjo and mandolin.
He formed a band right out of high school and hit the road.
4. He Considered The Charlie Daniels Band His Family
Though they were not biologically related, Daniels considered his extremely loyal group of friends in The Charlie Daniels Band his family.
“This band’s been around now over 40 years,” he told Rare Country. “I’ve got people that have been with me — 40 years is a long time for anybody to stay at any job. You can retire from General Motors in less time than that.”
“But the guys, they’re like my family. I’ve gone through births, deaths, grandchildren, children, divorces — all kinds of things with my guys, and they’re my family. That’s a big part of my story is about my band, my road crew. The ups and downs. The things that we’ve done.”
He said he always tried to give advice to the members of the band, especially the younger men who would ask for help.
5. He Considered His Marriage His Best Achievement
In his interview with NewsOK about his 50th anniversary, he shared the story of his first meeting and said that he has no other greater accomplishment.
“It’s just finding somebody you truly love that you want to spend the rest of your life with…If you can’t find somebody you’d like to spend the rest of your life with, don’t tie the knot, because that’s not gonna make ya happy,” he said. “I’ve been blessed with finding the girl of my dreams, and here I am 50 years after without a regret in the world about marryin’ my darlin’ from Tulsa.”
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