Charlie Daniels Was The “Long-Haired Country Boy”
Charlie Daniels first hit the country music scene in 1961. But 14 years passed before he earned a huge hit.
Daniels released “Long Haired Country Boy” as a single in April 1975. He featured it on the Charlie Daniels Band’s album Fire on the Mountain. The song climbed to #56 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Four years later, Daniels tore up the charts with his smash hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” Hot off the heels of that song’s success, Daniels decided to re-release “Long Haired Country Boy.”
The re-release debuted in 1980. It became a huge hit on the country chart, and peaked at #27.
Throwback Video Shows A Much Younger Charlie Performing
But before “Long Haired Country Boy” rocked the charts for the second time, Daniels delivered an impressive performance of the song on the show Pop Goes the Country. Filmed in 1975, the footage shows a 30-something-year-old Daniels doing what he did best: singing good country music.
Daniels sat on a stool at center stage, his acoustic guitar in hand. With a short, brown beard no glasses, the younger Daniels looked nearly unrecognizable compared to his older self.
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But a few things never changed over the course of Daniels’ lifetime: his signature cowboy hat, his powerful voice, and his unbridled energy.
Daniels went on to be regarded as a country icon. Before his death on July 6, 2020, he became a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. Looking back on this performance of “Long Haired Country Boy,” it is no surprise he was considered Hall of Fame-worthy.
Catch the video of Daniels’ old-school performance below. All country fans will get a kick out of this!
