Charlie Daniels funeral: Vince Gill, Travis Tritt and more memorialize Hall of Fame singer
MURFREESBORO, Tenn.— Before anyone could stand behind the podium to speak about the late Charlie Daniels on Friday, two things had to happen.
First, a hymn: “The Lord is My Shepherd,” sung by Carolyn Corlew, a longtime background singer in the Charlie Daniels Band.
Moments later, a colour guard marched up to Daniels’ casket with the U.S. and Tennessee flags, and the hundreds gathered inside World Outreach Church rose to say the Pledge of Allegiance.
God and country were at the center of the funeral service for the “Devil Went Down to Georgia” singer, who died Monday at age 83.
It was a morning where Vince Gill combined his “Go Rest High on That Mountain” with a rendition of “America the Beautiful.”
Travis Tritt led the congregation in “Amazing Grace,” Gretchen Wilson sang “I’ll Fly Away,” and Trace Adkins revisited his patriotic “Arlington.”
“He always said two things protected America: The grace of God and the United States military,” said speaker David Rutherford.
“…He was a man that believed to his core what America represented. He was a man that believed to his core that he was here to serve those that served him.”
Along with the flags and red and white flowers, Daniels’ casket was surrounded by his instruments and iconography: a Gibson Les Paul electric guitar, white boots, silver belt buckle with a cross, and his fiddle — the instrument to which he narrated Satan's defeat in "Devil" each night on stage.
Outside of World Outreach Church, law enforcement vehicles from across the state lined the street, and large groups of motorcyclists revved into the outside lot, where a second stage and video screen had been set up.
Tammy Williams flew in from Hudson, Florida, to her longtime friend’s funeral because she said she “couldn’t not come.”
She worked with Daniels on a yearly fundraiser in her hometown. She was accompanied by friend. Kelly Holdren-Pillow, who said Daniels made her “feel like a daughter.”
“Everybody was family to him,” Holdren-Pillow said.
“His heart was bigger than his hat,” chimed in Williams.
“A man said this about Charlie: he didn’t look up to nobody, he didn’t look down at nobody, he looked you straight in the eye,” said longtime friend and ranch manager Thurman Mullins, choking back tears.
“He and my dad were the two best men I’ve ever known. Charlie was honest, he told you what he thought. He was a great American. The folks that worked for him — they were all family. We’ve lost a legend in more ways than one. Charlie was a cowboy in the truest sense, he was a Patriot in the truest sense, he was a family man in the truest sense, and he was a Christian.”
Before the service began, Daniels’ famed “Devil Went Down to Georgia” played repeatedly over the church speakers and for those tuning into the livestream. Also on the playlist was “Simple Man,” the 1989 song where Daniels suggested hanging drug dealers.
In the latter half of his career, Daniels was both celebrated and criticized for sharing his frank views.
"This ain't no rag, it's a flag," he sang on his 2001 song of the same name, a response to the September 11 attacks. "And we don't wear it on our heads."
On his website and on Twitter, he would sound off against abortion and make a daily declaration that "Benghazi ain't going away."
On Friday, several speakers acknowledged Daniels' political candor. They also stressed a kind heart, and a reputation for giving everyone in his life the same amount of love and attention.
“You might not have agreed with his politics, or even cared for his music,” said longtime friend Roger Campbell. “But you could not help but love the man.”
The service came at the end of a full week of remembrances and tributes to the musician. A Wednesday memorial in his longtime home of Mt. Juliet included a 21-gun salute, helicopter flyover and an audio message from President Donald Trump.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Charlie Daniels funeral: Vince Gill, Travis Tritt and Trace Adkins perform
