Country Rocker Charlie Daniels Dies At Age 83

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Charlie Daniels, who went from being a busy session musician to a staple of Southern rock with his hit "Devil Went Down to Georgia," has died at 83.
A statement from his publicist said the Country Music Hall of Famer died Monday at a hospital in Hermitage, Tennessee, after doctors said he had a stroke.
He had a heart pacemaker implanted in 2013 but continued to perform. Daniels, a singer, guitarist and fiddler, started out as a session musician, even playing on Bob Dylan's "Nashville Skyline" sessions. Beginning in the early 1970s, his five-piece band toured endlessly, sometimes doing 250 shows a year.

Daniels, a native of Wilmington, N.C., played on several Dylan albums as a Nashville recording session guitarist in the late 1960s, including "New Morning" and "Self-Portrait." He also played on albums by Marty Robbins, Claude King, Flatt & Scruggs, Pete Seeger, Leonard Cohen, Al Kooper and Ringo Starr.He played himself in the 1980 John Travolta movie "Urban Cowboy" and was closely identified with the rise of country music generated by that film. Some of his other hits were "Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye," "Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues" and "Uneasy Rider."

He played himself in the 1980 John Travolta movie "Urban Cowboy" and was closely identified with the rise of country music generated by that film. Some of his other hits were "Drinkin' My Baby Goodbye," "Boogie Woogie Fiddle Country Blues" and "Uneasy Rider."

He also performed gospel music, which earned him Dove Awards as well. He co-founded a veterans charity called The Journey Home Project.
Eventually, at the age of 71, he was invited to join the epitome of Nashville's music establishment, the Grand Ole Opry. He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016.
Daniels said his favorite place to play was "anywhere with a good crowd and a good paycheck."

He is survived by his wife, Hazel, and his son, Charlie Daniels Jr.