Charlie Daniels stops by the amphitheatre in Alpharetta

He may have already met the devil down in Georgia, but soon he'll be returning to the state to put on a show for all his fans. Yes, Charlie Daniels, a legend in the Southern Rock and country music circles will be stopping by this neck of the woods on Friday to put on another one of his famed Volunteer Jam shows.

Daniels has been extremely prolific over the years, releasing nearly an album a year (sometimes several in a single year) since the late 60s. Now he's out on the road promoting his latest, a collaborative effort dubbed "Deuces." This disc comes as a mixture of covers and originals with Daniels playing with some of his friends in the music biz, playing homage to those who paved the way for him.

You'll find covers from Ray Charles, The Band, Johnny Cash and a few Bob Dylan cuts, as well as a few instrumental numbers, one dedicated to the late great guitar God, Stevie Ray Vaughn. It boasts guest appearances from Vince Gill, Del McCoury and Gretchen Wilson Darius Rucker, among others.

"This album was just an idea my manager said I should do," Daniels said. "So we put some feelers out to artists and then started looking at what songs we could do based on the response we got."

But, given the collaborative nature of "Deuces," Daniels estimates most of the songs probably will not show up when he's on the stage, but who needs them when he's put out the body of work he has?

Daniels recently received what he called one of the biggest honors of his career by being inducted as an official member into the Grand Ole Opry. Membership means that he'll now officially be recognized with the history of the place and will always have an invitation to play there.

"We do some deeper cuts for sure, but also there are a lot of songs that the people have come there to hear," he said, checking in a few hours before a show at the Missouri State Fair. "And of course we've got to play 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia.'"

Daniels said he feels most comfortable on the road and despite being 71, sees no end in site to his touring. Aside from taking off January and February each year to unwind, he spends the rest of the time around the country playing for the fans or abroad to play for the troops – last year he released "Live From Iraq," culled from a 2006 USO tour of bases there.

Right now he's in the midst of two tours, he said, regular Charlie Daniels Band shows and the Volunteer Jam tour. The Volunteer Jam first saw its genesis from a recording session in 1974 taking place in Tennessee, the Volunteer State. Throughout the years he's put these on with some of the most renowned Nashville and country acts. This version brings along Shooter Jennings – son of the legendary Waylon – and The Outlaws.

Since it's known as a jam, expect to a see a lot of collaboration between the artists during the sets. He declined to say who would play with him on what, but said there are always surprises at these shows.

And although he may be getting up there in years, he said he thinks his best music is still to come.

"This is probably the best band I've ever had," he said. "They are all extremely talented musicians and they are capable of playing in any band. They all give a lot but also show restraint to make sure everyone gets their solos. Everyone lays their ego aside."

One question Daniels has been asked many times over his career is what instrument he likes playing the best, and to that he does not have an answer. His most well known is probably the fiddle, since it immediately brings to mind "The Devil Went Down to Georgia."

"I really love playing guitar, too," he said. "I usually start out my shows with a few fiddle songs, but then I'll bring out the guitar and I then end the show with the fiddle again"

Perhaps it will be up to the crowd to decide which instrument they best like him playing.

For more information about the Charlie Daniels Band Volunteer Jam, visit www.vzwamp.com.
- www.gwinnettherald.com

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