- Were you a Charlie Daniels fan growing up?
- Yeah, I’m a fan of his. I got into him later, not when I was growing up, but I’ve been a fan of a lot of his songs. I actually met him for the first time onstage at the first Volunteer Jam show, because at the end he calls everybody up, and that was the first time I met him. He was like, “I can’t believe we’re meeting like this.” I was like, “Yeah, well, here I am.”
- Does being in that middle ground between country and rock make it tough for you to break into the mainstream of either genre?
- With country for sure. I think I get a good reception with the rock people to some degree. But country radio and stuff are real hard on us. I’m at the point where I don’t even try to please them at any point, because they won’t play us. But it’s a tough position to be in. When you’re breaking ground, it’s different. You’ve gotta put up a fight. If you made a choice to be artistically in control, that’s a life choice, to just do what you want to do
- A lot of children of famous musicians seem to try to distance themselves from their parents, but you reference your dad [Waylon Jennings] often in your songs. Do you worry about existing in his shadow?
- It’s a pretty comfortable shadow to be in, so it doesn’t really bother me too much. It also is important because I respect him, and I respect his music and learned very much from it. So for me it’s something that I embrace, and I’m proud of it. There’s nothing that anybody could do that would make me unhappy about that.
- Taking your daughter on tour with you now, does it remind you of when you were little on tour with your parents?
- It's just funny that she's living it the same way I did. It's like I'll have somebody to talk to about it.
Volunteer Jam with Charlie Daniels Band, 38 Special. May 31, 8 p.m., $35-$65. Orleans Arena, 284-7777. Buy tickets.
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