Posted on 04/22/2006 10:49:03 AM PDT by radar101
CAMP TAQADDUM, Iraq - Southern rock/country superstar Charlie Daniels performed for a full house of more than 1,200 service members here April 16, 2006.
Backed by his loyal band and cheered on by service members from all branches of the armed forces, the 69-year-old put on a show that left the Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen standing and yelling for more.
"This is the first concert I"ve lost my voice at," said Cpl. Jesse J. Buttrick, a supply warehouseman with Marine Wing Communications Squadron 28.
"Charlie Daniels has a lot of energy; he puts on a good show," said Lance Cpl. Jeremy L. Fender, a 23-year-old native of Houston, Texas and heavy equipment operator with the 1st Marine Logistics Group.
The Charlie Daniels Band put on the concert to show the troops how much they appreciated their sacrifices for America.
"We"re (touring) to honor the men and women who protect our way of life. It"s the least we can do," said Daniels.
"It"s nice to have someone understand what we"re doing and that we"re here to help this country out," said Buttrick, a 22-year-old from Columbus, Ohio.
An opening act from Marine brothers who played some original music of their own, followed by the comedy routine of Dave Price, the weatherman for CBS" ‘The Early Show," got the crowd hyped for a show unique to this area of Iraq.
Daniels performed a variety of music ranging from country, rock, gospel, and bluegrass.
During the show, Daniels invited his opening act, brothers Cpl. Steven D. Cord and Cpl. Timothy M. Cord to play an oldies favorite with him, the Chuck Berry hit ‘Johnny B. Goode."
"(Playing with the Charlie Daniels Band) is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, especially in Iraq. I never thought I"d get to do that," said Steven, a 23-year-old Saginaw, Texas native.
The opportunity to rock out with a living legend made the deployment all that much more worthwhile on a personal level.
"All of a sudden, Iraq isn"t so bad," said younger brother Timothy, 21.
The concert came to a climactic ending when Daniels played his signature song, ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia," to an enthusiastic, standing ovation.
After the show, the band autographed flyers and took pictures with several hundred service members until everyone that waited in line had a chance to meet them.
Bad weather stalled the tour from leaving the bustling logistics base on schedule, which allowed the band to put on a second concert.
The impromptu performance, which took place in an old airplane hangar, included a few acoustic guitars, a steel trash can for a drum set, and a crowd of a couple hundred Marines, many of whom did not get to see the original show Sunday.
After their visit here, the tour was headed to Baghdad to play for another group of service members in need of a good show.
Cpl. Steven D. Cord jams in synchronicity with a pioneer of rock and country fusion. ‘The Charlie Daniels Band" performed for a full house of more than 1,200 service members at Camp Taqaddum, Iraq April 16, 2006. The band held the concert to show the troops how much they appreciated there sacrifices for America. "We"re (touring) to honor the men and women who protect our way of life. It"s the least we can do," said Daniels. (Photo by 1st Lt. Robert E. Shuford)
Even though the Charlie Daniels Band is country, they ROCK.
radar,
Did ya notice that the Country Western and Bluegrasss Entertainers manage to get in to the really "BAD" places but the press claims they can't?
Wonder if it's the the CW and Bluegrass have Bubba, an Billy Ray sitting next to em in the Pick-Up Cab with Shotguns in the back winder rack that gets the CW and Bluegrass folks in and the lack of something anatomical on the press that prevents them from getting in.
Charlie daniels is one great guy!!!!
And a very humble man, unlike the elite Press.
Great post! I saw Charlie Daniels interviewed by Sean Hannity this week. God bless him for entertaining our heroes in uniform.
Something like that. It's more like everyone in the group carries a gun around (if not more than one gun), and knows how to use it. Some probably take the opportunity to borrow full-auto.
None of which the idiot MSM/press will ever do, because they've made a career out of NOT knowing anything about guns and the proper employment thereof.
Sounds Like the Song "A Country Boy Can Survive"
Cpl. Steven D. Cord jams in synchronicity with a pioneer of rock and country fusion. ‘The Charlie Daniels Band" performed for a full house of more than 1,200 service members at Camp Taqaddum...
Charlie Daniels fiddles around in front of 4th Infantry Division headquarters.
Capt. Ruth Vetter laughs and plays an improvised dual-of-the-fiddles with Charlie Daniels.
If you really want to see how versatile and great Charlie's music can be, pick up the album Full Moon. It's one of my all time favorite albums.
Press claims they can't get to the really BAD places? That's BS. TWO years STRAIGHT at Christmastime the wrestlers of the WWE went to Camp Victory, Iraq and last year they went to Bagram AFB, Afghanistan.
Good on the Charlie Daniels Band!
I hear you, he's my favorite. :-)
Like I said, the "Pressies" are missing something anatomical that makes a man for saying they get to the bad places; and yet,.... the Country folk can very easily it seems.
That is just cool. Didn't Charlie Daniels also arrange for Gibson to donate guitars to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan? He's a real "long haired country boy" patriot, that Charlie Daniels.
Did ya notice that the Country Western and Bluegrasss Entertainers manage to get in to the really "BAD" places but the press claims they can't?........
Oh, yeah. the MSM idiots go looking for trouble.
This POST descibes them:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1619556/posts
Hey THANKS for putting that picture up. I couldn't get it to laod!
I heard a radio interview of Charlie Daniels awhile back and he more or less apologized about that song. He said it was written before he became a Christian. I like it because the devil got beat. :-)
This is from Charlie Daniels.com and was put up in November:
The Charlie Daniels Band Launches Operation Heartstrings
(Nashville, Tn)- Charlie Daniels launches Operation Heartstrings, which is a plea to corporate America to help the dedicated men and women serving in the Armed Forces overseas combat the loneliness and isolation of service in the War on Terror by providing instruments, albums, DVDs, CD and DVD players.
Operation Heartstrings is designed to put musical instruments and other sources of portable entertainment into the hands of the men and women who serve our country in some of the most desolate parts of the world.
“On a recent trip to Southwest Asia to entertain our men and women in uniform,” said Charlie Daniels, “we found that many of them played musical instruments of one kind or another. But the amount of instruments available to them was extremely limited. We’re asking for your help.”
Charlie Daniels is partnering with Major General Gus Hargett of the Tennessee National Guard and the Tennessee Air Guard, Brigadier General Russell Frutiger at USAREUR (US Army Europe), and the G-1 division MWR (Morale, Welfare, and Recreation). These partners are providing transportation from Nashville to all branches of the Armed Forces serving inAfghanistan and Iraq.
Henry Juszkiewicz, Chairman and CEO of Gibson Guitar is leading the way in donations with a gift of 100 Gibson Guitars and 100 OHS t-shirts, while Gravely/Ariens have contributed the financial resources to get this program underway. Additional donations include Gorilla and Pignose Amps and Guitars, Black Diamond Strings, Peavey Amps, Forks Drum Closet, Gretsch Electric Guitars, keyboards from Soundcheck/Nashville, Rapco International Cords, Shure Microphones, Vic Firth Drumsticks, Ernie Ball Guitar Picks, laptop computers from Bridgestone/Firestone, CD's from Sony Nashville, DVD's and CD's from Anderson Merchandisers, and keyboards from SIR Nashville.
Tax deductible donations can be made through STARS FOR STRIPES at www.starsforstripes.com
"The impromptu performance, which took place in an old airplane hangar, included a few acoustic guitars, a steel trash can for a drum set, and a crowd of a couple hundred Marines, many of whom did not get to see the original show Sunday."
You know, I might have rather seen the smaller, unplugged show! Put both shows out as a CD with some money going to the troops; I'd buy it and some for friends!
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