Q&A: For Daniels, "There's always another record to cut"

By Deborah Evans Price

NASHVILLE (Billboard) - At 71 years old, Charlie Daniels still sets a blistering pace few can match. Whether touring, authoring a book or recording an album, he approaches each project with a sense of creative vision and passion that remains undimmed after 50 years in the industry.

One of the most versatile and prolific artists in American music, Daniels has released 50 albums, 17 of those just since launching his own Blue Hat label a decade ago. Reflecting the broad scope of his artistry, those projects have encompassed a variety of genres, from the blues of 1997's "Blues Hat" to the bluegrass gospel of 2005's "Songs of the Longleaf Pines" to the rockin' country represented on two 2007 releases, "Live From Iraq" and the duet project "Deuces."

Daniels has always had a gift for forging a sense of community and bringing together artists from all musical styles. Whether welcoming an eclectic lineup to the stage during one of his famed Volunteer Jam concerts or mentoring some of today's young country acts during the making of "Deuces," Daniels has always encouraged others to defy boundaries and just create great music.

Q: When you started, did you think you'd still love playing music this much 50 years later?

Charlie Daniels: "I had no idea. You do one day at a time. People ask me what would I have done if I had not been a musician. I'm not a 'What if?' thinker. It's been a long road and a good road and a tough road. I've learned a lot of lessons in the many years that I've been doing this that I wouldn't have learned anywhere else.

"I've learned about adversity. When everyone else gets tired and disgusted, that's when you have to go for it. If you don't have it in your heart to do it that way, you should have never taken the first step."

Q: What did your parents think of your decision to be a musician?

Daniels: "My dad wanted me to go to college and get a degree in forestry because he was a timber man. But I didn't carry that gene or whatever it is to have the same love for it that he had.