It took five years to sign this country legend, but he’s coming to Palmetto on July 4

If the devil is looking to make an appearance in Palmetto on July 4, Charlie Daniels will be there waiting, and maybe even with the fiddle made of gold he already won.

The legendary country music star will be playing in Palmetto’s Sutton Park for the all-free Fourth of July festival — and it’s only taken five years to get him booked.

“The Palmetto (Community Redevelopment Agency) usually begins its Fourth of July talent selection discussion in the fall around September,” CRA Director Jeff Burton said. “Every year, our agent, Oler Productions, asks us to list the five top musical talents we would like to see the next year. For the past five years, Charlie Daniels has been at the top of our list, and we are told that he has already signed for the Fourth of July somewhere else.”

Oler Productions advised the CRA to move quickly this year, and the attempt to sign Daniels came immediately after last year’s Fourth of July Festival that featured the Oak Ridge Boys.

“Naturally, I am pleased this year’s artist is the one and only Charlie Daniels,” Mayor Shirley Groover Bryant said. “I am a huge fan of his and have gone to see his performances in several locations recently. He is an outstanding performer and is always a crowd pleaser. We anticipate a large turnout for him on July 4.”

Born in 1936, Daniels has been playing the stage since the late 1950s, forming his first band straight out of high school, but he didn’t record his first solo album until 1973, which produced his first billboard hit, “Uneasy Rider.”

The 1970s were good to Daniels, playing the fiddle with Hank Williams Jr. on his 1975 album. In 1979, Daniels produced the iconic “Devil Went Down to Georgia,” for which he won a Grammy. The song remains widely played today.

He continued to produce hits in the decades to follow and has produced several Gospel songs. He has about 20 film appearances to his credit and always played himself. He is in the Country Music Hall of Fame and has a place on the Music City Walk of Fame.

He is a staunch supporter of U.S. troops and has made at least two trips to Iraq to visit and entertain deployed soldiers. Daniels also is a staunch defender of old-school country music. He was once quoted on the state of country music today as saying, “Country music has changed tremendously, so what now is considered country was not considered country at that time.”

The news of Palmetto signing the Charlie Daniels Band leaked out Wednesday on social media. Lillie Ponder summed up the response with, “FINALLY!!!” on Facebook.

All of the festival details will be released at a later date, but the activities typically kick off around 11 a.m. with music throughout the day. Daniels likely will take the stage around 7 p.m. to be followed by the annual fireworks show shortly after dark.

This story was originally published March 15, 2018 at 9:52 AM with the headline "It took five years to sign this country legend, but he’s coming to Palmetto on July 4."