Charlie Daniels Band comes to Lynn Thursday

LYNN – Country music legend Charlie Daniels turned 75 this past October, but he has no plans to take it easy anytime soon.?That?s when you start getting old is when you?re slowing down,” he said during a recent phone interview from French Lick, Ind., one of the stops on his current tour.The Charlie Daniels Band will play the Lynn Auditorium Thursday night, and James Marsh, development director for Lynn?s Office of Economic and Community Development, said the band is the venue?s first real foray into country music.?Obviously we crunch the numbers with any show, but with this one we were looking for how a true country act would play out,” he said. “There is a market here, so we?re definitely going to delve into that genre.”Daniels said Marsh?s distinction as the first country act is “wonderful,” but he does not consider the music his band plays as solely country.?Our appeal goes both directions. We?re not strictly what you call a country band. If you come to one of our shows, you?ll hear anything from bluegrass to jazz,” he said.The Charlie Daniels Band, which formed in 1972, has had many hits over the years, including 1975?s “Long Haired Country Boy” and 1989?s “Simple Man.” Arguably the group?s most famous song, 1979?s “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” is still a treat to play, Daniels said.?It?s a challenging piece of music. The guys I play with are all excellent musicians. I really have to stretch to keep up with these guys every night,” he said. “Regardless of as many times I?ve played a song, I can always do it better.”In 2008, Daniels reached his 50th year as a professional musician and celebrated in style with a member induction into the Grand Ole Opry.?It was like having a dream coming true. It?s something I?ve waited for my whole life performing,” he said.Daniels said he listened to the Grand Ole Opry performances every Saturday night on the radio as a child growing up in North Carolina and tried to imagine what the stage looked like.?As far as ever walking on that stage, it was just impossible. You just weren?t going to do it. Everybody dreamed about it,” he said.Daniels recalled what the moment was like.?I had done the Grand Ole Opry many times over the years, but never asked to be a member. It still kind of grabs me. It?s one of these kind of things, ?Boy, I wish my mom and dad could have seen this.?”Reflecting on his long tenure as a professional musician, Daniels said he does not want to give into the conventions of aging, like the typical retirement at 65.?I refuse to be conditional. I have physical restraints. I can?t jump as high as I used to. But I think one of the main things in living is staying excited by something you?re doing, is enjoying it,” he said.Daniels said he looks forward to going to work and playing with his band, people who he calls an “extended family.” Some of the members have been with him for 30 years, he said.Last October, Daniels? longtime keyboardist, Joel “Taz” DiGregorio, died in a car accident and Daniels described it as “a kick in the head.”?He was in my band for 40 years, then suddenly he was not. I didn?t replace him for a while. I didn?t want to go there for a while,” he said.He eventually hired a new keyboardist, Shannon Wickline.Daniels said he is not familiar with contemporary country acts, but he has noticed a shift in the recording industry.?I don?t spend a lot of time listening to the radio. I see names that are big stars, I don?t even know who they are anymore. It?s all gotten to be so disposable,” he said.Daniels attributed that to the “What have you done for me lately” mentality of record companies, where they constantly look for the next big act and artists do not get second chances, like Daniels said he did.?I think record companies could have more commitment to their artists, more development time,” he said.Outside of his music career, Daniels said he enjoys a variety of outdoor activities around his home 30 miles east of Nashville, Tenn., such as riding horses, shooti