Country Music Star Charlie Daniels Is Dead

Sad news in the world of music: Charlie Daniels has died at age 83 of a stroke, reports the Tennessean. Daniels, a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, is best known for his smash hit of 1979, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." But well before that, Daniels already had established himself as a top-notch musician—as a sessions player, he ended up on multiple Bob Dylan albums, including Nashville Skyline. The AP notes that he played himself in the 1980 John Travolta movie Urban Cowboy, which led to a resurgence in the popularity of country music.

“I can ask people where they are from, and if they say, 'Waukegan,' I can say I’ve played there," he said in 1998. "If they say 'Baton Rouge,' I can say I’ve played there. There’s not a city we haven’t played in." Daniels' band was known for its relentless touring dating back to the early 1970s, when they sometimes played 250 shows a year. He is survived by his wife, Hazel, and son, Charlie Daniels Jr. (More obituary stories.)