Charlie Daniels - guitar, violin, vocals; Tom Crain - guitar, vocals; Joel "Taz" DiGregorio - keyboards, vocals; Fred Edwards - drums; James Marshall - drums; Charlie Hayward - bass; Lea Jane Berinati - background vocals; Guest: Jimmy Hall - harmonica; Guest: Ben Smathers - violin; Guest: Jerry Mills - mandolin; Guest: Richie Canata - saxophone; Guest: Buddy Spiker - fiddle; Guest: Chuck Leavell - organ
This show was recorded at the eighth annual Volunteer Jam, the Nashville held charity concert hosted by the Charlie Daniels Band with lots of special guests. Daniels, in addition to raising money for his earmarked veterans' charities, has used the event to promote the legacy of country and southern rock, and its heroes such as The Allman Brothers Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd. He also recorded and released nearly all of the All Star Jams as double CD titles.
This show was recorded while the band was on tour promoting Windows, one of their last charting discs while the band was on Epic Records. Several of the tracks performed at this show appear on Windows, including the memorable "Still In Saigon," "The Lady In Red" "Partyin' Gal" "Ragin Cajun" and "Ain't No Ramblers Anymore." The show opens with the Daniels classic, "Trudy," from 1974's Fire on the Mountain, and also includes most of his biggest hits such as "Long Haired Country Boy," "Caballo Diablo," and "Uneasy Rider."
Daniels saw his first real commercial success as a recording artist between 1973 and '74, when he jumped on the Southern Rock movement launched by the Allman Bros. and Lynyrd Skynyrd with the release of two classic albums: Uneasy Rider and Fire on the Mountain, the latter including the radio hit "The South's Gonna Do It Again," (featured here with special guests, including Chuck Leavell of the Allman Brothers.)
As the southern rock scene began to wane, he moved in a more solid country direction after the single "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" became a number one hit, crossing over into the pop charts. In the end, it would be named Single of the Year by the Country Music Association - and established Daniels firmly as a world class platinum act. Daniels, in addition to being an expressive singer and writer, is a highly talented guitarist and fiddler. Prior to launching his own band, he was an established writer for artists such as Elvis Presley, as well as a top Nashville session player, providing fiddle for the likes of Bob Dylan, Ringo Starr and Leonard Cohen. He also produced artists such as The Youngbloods.