The Marshall Tucker Band’s founder and lead singer, Doug Gray, is reminiscing about his 50-year friendship with Charlie Daniels. In an exclusive interview, Doug opened up about the things the two had in common, the lessons he learned from Charlie, and his future in music without one of his biggest inspirations.

“It started for no particular reason other than running into somebody that spoke the same language, understood what it was all about to be out playing on the road,” Doug told Everything Nash of their enduring friendship. “It all revolves really around the road, because there was no time that we had off. He was always the guy that wanted to work, and he taught me really well. Even though I had been out with other bands and stuff, Charlie was that one guy that would say, ‘We got it this way. Let’s make it as good as we can.’ He gave me a strength that nobody would understand. There was a warmth that we had between each other.”

One of the many, many lessons Charlie taught Doug, and others, is how to treat the fans, many who travel for several hours just to see one show.

“Charlie was the one guy that made you appreciate the fans,” Doug shared. “Certainly I grew to be that way as well, but off of his shoulders. I learned that from Charlie. He said, ‘Always shake that last man’s hand, because he’s going to remember that for the rest of his life.’ How Charlie knew that, I don’t know, but I still have fans today because I never stopped shaking hands. I never leave somebody standing at the autograph booth.”

The Marshall Tucker Band planned on being on the road with the Charlie Daniels Band this year, for their joint Fire on the Mountain Tour, which originally had to be postponed because of COVID-19. But now that Charlie is gone, Doug says they won’t try to continue the tour with him.

“It wouldn’t be fair,” Doug said. ‘It wouldn’t be the same. We could do all the dedication songs we want. We had a Fire on the Mountain record. They had a Fire on the Mountain record. Both of them were great. This particular tour Charlie and I wanted to do for the last 20 years. Just go out there and have some fun… It was gonna mean that people understood the relationship,

“I don’t foresee that happening,” he continued. “I know we’re going to still go out there and do our regular dates. I know that, but it’s gonna be with a heavy heart. Charlie and I had more dates than some of these guys with hit records. Some people go out there and know that they had those dates, but don’t care about those dates. Charlie cared,

“Charlie is right now wishing he could go play those dates,” he added. “We talked so much over the last 15 to 20 years, when we get to the dates that we can pick and choose the venues, and we can go out there and make these people happy together. Involve the group, involve everybody. Involve the driver … This completes the circle of not only making Charlie proud, but making all the people before us proud.”