Rock Solid Faith Vocalist, guitar player, and fiddler, Charlie Daniels has faced his share of troubles in his 65 years, but his strength and his faith has helped him overcome them. by Teresa Lockhart   Living music legend Charlie Daniels is a strong man. Strongly patriotic, strongly steeped in Southern heritage, strongly opinionated, and strongly rooted in his faith in Jesus Christ.   The accomplished vocalist, guitar player, and fiddler has faced his share of troubles in his 65 years, but his strength has helped him overcome them.   Charlie recalls a period after the break-up with his former manager when he was so deep in debt it took years for him to dig his way out. There was also a horrific farming accident involving a fence post auger that threatened the use of his arm, a nightmare come true for a fiddler whose career depended on his ability to hang with some of the most highly acclaimed musicians in the business. And just last November Charlie underwent a successful prostate cancer surgery.   While Charlie is indeed a strong man, he doesn’t hesitate to reveal the source of his strength. “I know God’s hand has been on me all through my life in a protecting and a very definitely blessing sort of way,” he says. “Even when I was not trying to live right, He saved me from a lot of close calls. He has blessed my life. The Bible says He will give you the desires of your heart, and He has given me so many desires of my heart. I’m truly thankful.”   Charlie’s career dates back to the early ’50s with his first bluegrass band and the recording of his first song. However, it wasn’t until the mid to late ’60s until Charlie began to make a name for himself. In 1964 he co-wrote “It Hurts Me” for Elvis Presley, who put it on the flip side of “Kissin Cousins.”   Charlie would later work as a session player for Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr, and Marty Robbins, among others. Then in 1970 he formed the Charlie Daniels Band, and to date, he and the CDB have released 39 albums, won a pair of Grammys, and received awards from the Country Music Association, the Academy of Country Music, the Gospel Music Association, and the Christian Country Music Association, among others.   While Charlie says he’s been blessed with a prolific career, he says he’s most thankful for his blessings of a happy marriage, a stable home life, and a son he loves dearly.   Charlie traces the origin of his faith back to his childhood years. Having been raised in a Christian home where Gospel music was evident, Charlie remembers going to the front of the church and singing “Kneel at the Cross” when he was just five years old. However, it would be many years later before Charlie understood what having a personal relationship with Jesus really meant.   Back then “I thought it was all about being good enough. I discovered pretty quick I couldn’t do that,” says Charlie, adding his relationship with Christ has grown gradually over the years.   Charlie, who believes in standing up for what he thinks is right, feels our society has developed a callous attitude toward one another.   “You know, we don’t practice loving people,” he says. “It all comes down to what the Bible says: God is love.” He believes we should care about everyone, not just indigent people.   “There are people who have no outward appearance of anything being wrong. Just a few kind words may mean a lot to them at a certain time in their life.”   Charlie’s love and concern for people extends to the content of his albums. Though he’s best known for his unique blend of country, rock, bluegrass, blues, and Gospel, it’s through his Gospel music that he’s able to express the words that are dearest to his heart.   To date, he’s released three gospel projects, the first two, The Door and Steel Witness, include original material. The latter, the newly released double CD How Sweet the Sound, is a collection of traditional titles, performed in signature Charlie Daniels style — you won’t find another rendition of “Amazing Grace” like this one.   “I just had some things I wanted to say,” says Charlie, explaining why he was inspired to cut his first two Gospel albums. “I knew some people who were falling through the cracks, who didn’t understand the Gospel message.   “I think one of the hardest things for people to understand is there is no way you can earn it and there’s no way you can ever deserve it. You can’t clean yourself up to come to Jesus. That’s the way a lot of people think. If you wait to clean yourself up, you will never ever do it because you can’t.   “You’ve got to come to Jesus Christ with all of your baggage. Just bring it with you and come to Him and say, ‘Lord, I can’t handle this load. It’s way too big for me. Will you please help me to clean my life up?’ And He will. If you’ll let Him, He will.”   How Sweet the Sound came about from Charlie’s desire to record a collection of the old, familiar Gospel sounds, and its release couldn’t have come at a more profound time. Though it was recorded before the world-changing events of September 11, the album hit store shelves shortly after the tragedy, during a time when people were searching for answers and security among chaos.   “We need to remember from whence comes our help,” Charlie stresses, once again referring to the source of his own strength. “We hope this project [has been able to] help serve as one of those reminders we all need, that God’s in His heaven and still in control.” [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs][Event Calendar] [Lifestyles] [Juke Box] [Cover to Cover] [Movieguide][Casting the Net] [Viewpoints] [General Info] [Rates & Sizes][Marketplace/Classifieds] [Volunteer Ops] [Writing Guidelines] [Contact Us] [Subscribe][Archives][Good News] [About Us][Links]