Better Late Than Never - Soapbox Jr.
Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. For example, nobody could have seen a pandemic taking Dad and the band off the road. It still seems like something out of The Twilight Zone sometimes.
Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. For example, nobody could have seen a pandemic taking Dad and the band off the road. It still seems like something out of The Twilight Zone sometimes.
Dad, you would have been 88 years old today, two years away from 90, and it’s still hard to believe you’re gone.
*NOTE* In honor of the Sixteenth Anniversary of Charlie's Grand Ole Opry induction, here's a Soapbox Rewind from 2008, just before he was inducted, and he shares his feelings on his then-upcoming induction. - TeamCDB
On Friday, January 18th, I will catch a plane from Durango, Colorado, where I'm on vacation, en route to Nashville, Tennessee, which is the last fifteen hundred miles of a journey of several million which started one afternoon in Gulf, North Carolina, circa 1951 when I was visiting a friend, Russell Palmer, and he pulled out an old Stella guitar.
Goodbye 2023, hello 2024!
It’s a fresh start on another 365 days for us to seize and – as dad would say - make count, and if he was still here, I have no doubt he would still be making his days count.
He always did.
“Opportunity knocks but once, softly, and then moves on swiftly, attune your heart to her call, your ear to her knock, open the door and be blessed. Let’s all make the day count.” – Charlie Daniels
Sage advice from a wise man.
And he knew what he was talking about because it had happened to him on multiple occasions in his lifetime, but I’m going to focus on three pivotal individuals who opened the door for opportunities.
On April 1, 2014 – in what many probably thought was an elaborate April Fool’s Day prank - The CDB released “Off the Grid-Doin’ it Dylan,” a tribute album to Bob Dylan who was a pivotal figure in dad’s career.
It was also the first album of new material released through Blue Hat Records distribution deal with Megaforce Records, which is primarily a heavy metal label, and the original distributor of Metallica’s early recordings
*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a rewind from way back in 2003. - TeamCDB/BW
To you who have read this column for years this piece may seem a little redundant since I have written on this subject before. But it is such a frequently asked question that I feel I should revisit it from time
to time.
*NOTE* Charlie will be back with a brand new soapbox on Monday, in the meantime, here's a soapbox rewind from 2009. - TeamCDB/BW
I guess it may be a sign of my advancing age or a healthy case of nostalgia in fond remembrance of a simpler time in my life, but sometimes I find my thoughts wandering back to a time and place in my young life when my responsibilities consisted making sure the wood box was full and keeping my grades above the passing line.
If this piece is going to have any impact, it cannot be viewed through partisan eyes, conservative, liberal, Republican, Democrat. Preconceived political prejudice and implacable attitudes must be cast aside.
“Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past.” – ‘1984’ George Orwell
Happy New Year, such as it is…
I’ve been struggling on what to write for several days now and have started over at least four times as things are changing drastically from day to day.
The upcoming vote was touted as a referendum on the president.
The cases had been made, the public listened to the arguments for both sides, and the big day had finally arrived. The excitement in the air was evident, and voter turnout was expected to be historic. The lines were longer than normal with many voters standing in line for hours to enthusiastically to cast their votes.
People seemed to like the stories about Twin Pines Ranch, so I thought I’d relate a few more memories of growing up there.
As I mentioned previously, we moved between my 8th and 9th-grade year in junior high from Mt. Juliet proper out to Twin Pines which was closer to Gladeville, “Where Softball is King.”
Time sure flies, hard to believe we are in November, and it’s almost Thanksgiving. But it’s upon us.
A couple of months ago, I wrote about wearing a pair of dad’s shoes which mom gave me, and the overall metaphor of literally of walking in dad’s shoes.