Still Bringing Them to Their Feet, Five Years Later - Soapbox Jr.
On March 13, 2020—just over five years ago—Dad and the band took the stage together for what would be their final show. It was in Huntsville, Alabama, at the Von Braun Center’s Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.
After that night, he and Mom returned to Twin Pines Ranch, where they mostly stayed - sheltering in place - until that heartbreaking day, July 6, when everything changed for us. The CDB family lost its leader, and a good and faithful servant was called home—to his permanent home, “in the sky, Lord, in the sky.”
It was the end of an era. No more CDB concerts, aside from a powerful tribute at the 2021 Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute to Charlie Daniels and a few smaller shows with past members and friends in 2023, the CDB machine, which had roared across the country for decades, came to a screeching halt. The pandemic put the whole touring world on pause, but for us, there was no resuming when the world reopened.
There have been several tributes since Dad "changed addresses." The 2020 CMA Country Music Association Awards honored Dad with a stirring nine-minute tribute—an eternity in awards show time—featuring Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, Brothers Osborne, and Ashley McBryde. They played through “Long Haired Country Boy,” “Trudy,” “Texas,” and, of course, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” COVID restrictions kept the audience small and distanced, but the tribute was big—completely unexpected and deeply moving.
Other posthumous honors followed, but nothing could have prepared me for what I witnessed on March 18, during the Grand Ole Opry's Opry 100 celebration on NBC.
I knew the TV producers had requested licenses for a couple of CDB songs, but live TV is unpredictable—things get cut, songs get trimmed, TV show plans change. I figured we might get a verse and a chorus of both songs, or maybe just a condensed version of "Devil.”
I actually missed the first 20 minutes of the show, and ended up missing the tribute, so I went back to watch it. And all I can say is—wow.
I already knew Jamey Johnson and Dierks Bentley would be performing, but what I didn’t expect was Old Crow Medicine Show's Ketch Secor—who is a pretty dang good fiddle player in his own right —bringing the fire.
First up was “Drinkin’ My Baby Goodbye.” It was tight but full of energy, with three choruses and a verse—short, but it did the job. Then – of course came the CDB’s signature song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.”
Now, I’ve heard a lot of covers of this song—some great, some… well, not. This one? This one was extremely well done with Jamey on lead vocals, Ketch sawing away on that fiddle like it owed him money—it was electric.
And as I watched, it hit me—Dad would have been so humbled, and I started getting teary-eyed. These three phenomenal artists, all paying tribute to him, giving his signature song the reverence it deserves. And then, to top it off, Jamey even stuck to Dad’s preferred “son-of-a-gun” ending—just as Dad had done since the late ‘80s or early ‘90s.
I was already feeling emotional, but then came the moment that broke me—a standing ovation.
This wasn’t just any audience. This wasn’t just the regular Opry crowd, this was a crowd filled with industry veterans, artists, in addition to the usual Opry fans. And here we were five years after his last show, Dad was still bringing people to their feet.
Niagara Falls had nothing on me.
It was a powerful reminder that even though he’s moved on to a place where personal accolades don’t matter—where the pure Love of Jesus is all that counts—his legacy is still here. And it’s still strong. And it’s still my mission to keep it going and even extend it for future generations.
Another thing that stood out to me was the Opry’s new LED screen backdrop. It has a basic design that mimics the Opry’s previous barn set, but the LED screens allow it to transform into anything—a starry sky, a waving American flag, or anything else.
During “Drinkin’ My Baby Goodbye,” the background morphed into a saloon, with a neon heart that switched from whole to broken throughout the performance. And for “Devil,” they went all in—a flaming fiddle and a blazing old-school microphone.
Now, I’ll admit—Dad might have requested them to dial back the flames a bit—but seeing how dynamic the Opry stage has become made me wish he could have experienced it just once.
And speaking of killer backdrops—when Reba McEntire and Trisha Yearwood performed “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” the screen transformed into a swampy scene. All I could think was, “Man, that would’ve been perfect for ‘The Legend of Wooley Swamp.’”
At the end of the day, all the visuals, performances, and tributes were incredible, but here’s what really hit home:
This was a celebration of 100 years of the Grand Ole Opry—a milestone for the most legendary and longest-running radio program in history. And in the midst of honoring a century’s worth of country music, Dad was still considered worthy of a solid 6 minutes in a three-hour show – with commercials.
Almost five years gone and he still can bring the house down.
You see, Dad was still performing at the Opry as late as fall of 2019 and had plans on continuing through 2020. The Opry management always wanted the CDB to play “Devil” on every segment, even if he had already done it earlier in the night when the Opry was still doing two shows.
And nobody wanted to follow him, so the second oldest member – Whisperin' Bill Anderson still has a firm lock on first – was usually closing the show because of the energy he still brought to the stage, even in his later years.
Case in point: Dierks Bentley in 2010. Dierks had just released his bluegrass-inspired album, Up on the Ridge, and was set to follow Dad’s performance of “Devil.” Dierks and his band were looking dapper in their matching suits and ready to play some bluegrass songs from that album. But he felt obligated to acknowledge the uncomfortable position that he and his band were in. He stepped up to the mic, shook his head, and said, “Thank you, Opry, for making me follow that.” What else could he do but laugh? Even in his 70s and 80s, Dad had the energy of a man half his age.
So, to Jamey, Dierks, and Ketch—thank you. To the Opry staff and the TV producers—thank you. You honored Dad in a spectacular way on a night that celebrated the very foundation of country music.
Congratulations to the Grand Ole Opry on 100 years. And here’s to many more centuries to come.
The tribute came about five minutes into the show, and can be found on NBC’s Peacock app, but here it is in its entirety.
What do you think?
Let’s all make the day count!
Pray for our troops, our police, the Peace of Jerusalem and our nation.
God Bless America!
- Charlie Daniels Jr.
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