Miss the Marshall Tucker Band last time they were in town? You can check out some recent live pictures from the Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, NJ on January 30, 2009.

See the rest of the album at Marc D. Birnbach's website:

Marshall Tucker Band, Starland Ballroom, 1/30/09

From Swampland.com, a new article about the current MTB line-up:

Big news for fans of The Marshall Tucker Band. Doug Gray's multi-talented nephew, Clay Cook, is leaving the band to tour with Zac Brown. He will appear Tuesday evening on the Late Night with Conan O'Brien. We will miss you Clay!

Stuart Swanlund has returned to his post as slide guitarist for MTB, and the group welcomes new member Rick Willis on guitar as well, creating a three-guitar lineup. Willis was a member of Seven Moore with Paul Riddle and Jerry Eubanks (original Tucker members) before forming Jackson Crossing, who have a debut CD coming in March. Like so many fellow Tuckers before him, Willis hails from Spartanburg, SC.

"We are happy to welcome Rick to the band," says Gray. "He has been playing this music for a long time and fits right in. I am really happy to have Stuart back as well, and we wish Clay all the best."

Marshall Tucker also has a new CD out for Valentine's Day, a compilation called Love Songs. The disc features 13 of Tucker's best love songs from the first record all the way up to the latest. Check out my review.

Keep it Real. Keep it Southern.

-Buffalo

And the review of the newest release, "Love Songs"

The first thoughts that cross your mind when you think about The Marshall Tucker Band might not necessarily be thoughts of love songs. After all, these two fisted hombres have come to be known for rootin’ tootin’ cowboy songs, songs about cattle drives and hard living, life on the road and cheap whiskey. But there has always been a romantic side to the boys from South Carolina, beginning in the early seventies with primary songwriter Toy Caldwell, who penned the classic “Heard it in a Love Song,” which is the lead off track on their newest compilation, Love Songs. Toy looked at love from all sides, including the point of view of a man breaking up witha girl and all the heartache of “Can’t You See.” The 45 version is included here to give the mushy stuff some honest balance, I suppose.

Thirteen songs from a 35 year plus career highlight the loving side of the band. Songs like Toy’s “Too Stubborn” flow nicely alongside “Love I Gave to You,” a late ‘90’s track from Face Down in The Blues and “I Love You That Way,” a beautiful song written by the late George McCorkle and sung by Chris Hicks and Gabrielle Gray that was featured on the band’s very latest release.

A couple of my old favorites are included, both penned by Toy Caldwell, “Virginia,” a love song he wrote based on his mother and father, and “In My Own Way,” the epitome of blue collar love. “Try One More Time” is absolutely beautiful, with singer Doug Gray in top form.

Two great Rusty Milner songs are featured, “Love Will” from the excellent 1990 Southern Spirit record, and “Let Me Come Home” from 1992’s Still Smokin.' Both are excellent.

The secret to a good compilation record is choosing the right songs and arranging them in the perfect listening order. Ron Rainey did a great job with this collection, making an excellent Valentine’s Day gift for any true blue Southern Rock lover.

-Michael Buffalo Smith

Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist is a fan of the Marshall Tucker Band!

SINGER DOUG GRAY PRESERVES THE SPIRIT--AND CLASSIC SONGS--OF THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND SOUTHERN BAND STAYS IN SIGHT

Doug Gray of The Marshall Tucker Band talks about the music and the history of the band

BY JONAS BEALS

Practically speaking, The Marshall Tucker Band is more of a tribe than a band. According to Wikipedia, there are 25 "former members," and six current players. It can happen when a band is 35 years old.

Some members, like legendary guitarist Toy Caldwell and his bassist brother, Tommy, have moved on to the great gig in the sky. Others have simply retired after a lifetime on the road.

What does The Marshall Tucker Band have left? Everything it needs, really: a great voice and a great song.

Vocalist Doug Gray is the only original member still touring with the group, and "Can't You See" is one of the oft-covered touchstones of '70s rock 'n' roll.

"Including Hank Williams Jr. and Kid Rock, I've got enough outtakes from people's live stuff to put a whole 'Can't You See' album out," Gray said in a recent phone interview. "We could talk about how cool or how uncool that would be, though."

And it wasn't even the band's biggest hit. That honor goes to "Heard It In A Love Song," from their 1977 album "Carolina Dreams." It peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that year.

"'Love Song,'" Gray admitted, "was about the worst song that I ever had to sing, and it's still one of the more popular ones for us."

If you go to the show at the State Theatre in Falls Church tomorrow night, you will probably hear "Love Song," and "Can't You See." (Both reappear on the band's latest CD, "Love Songs," released in January.)

Gray doesn't want your sympathy; he wants you to enjoy those classic rock chestnuts. But pay attention--you will also hear some of the songs that gave the band five gold and two platinum records in a five-year span. It wasn't all due to smooth harmonies and flute solos.

The Marshall Tucker Band, like their label-mates The Allman Brothers, could jam. They were able to take the open energy of gospel, jazz and blues, and bend them into something the rest of the world recognized as pop music. They created "Southern rock."

"We grew up in a time when we had no idea what it was called," Gray admitted. "Music was coming out of the South for a long time. It was called 'rhythm and blues.'"

Bands like Marshall Tucker were able to draw disparate audiences into the rock realm. Country fans, blues fans, even psychedelic San Francisco ex-hippies found something to like about the fiery, amped-up roots rock coming out of a region with a straight-laced reputation.

Marshall Tucker still suggests easy-listening AM hits because of the prominent flute in many of their songs. But the band, with its cowboy hats and boots, also fits in with the "outlaw" country movement. Charlie Daniels was a frequent collaborator, and they made a short cowboy movie in the '70s that was essentially a music video for their instrumental "Long Hard Ride."

Perhaps the most important weapon they had was Toy Caldwell--their lead guitarist, main songwriter and occasional singer. Toy was known for his unusual picking style--he played entirely with the thumb of his strumming hand, using it as a pick. Gray said Toy's nickname was "skinny thumb" because of the unlikely licks he could pull off with his stubby appendage.

After Tommy Caldwell passed away in 1980, Toy decided to bow out of the band. Gray kept it alive, gathering top players to fill the giant holes left by the original members.

"It was a little bit weird for me to go out without Toy," Gray said. "But he shook my hand and said 'Good luck.'"

This tour features Gray's nephew Clay Cook on flute, saxophone and keyboards. Before joining, Cook was one half of a duo called Lo-Fi Masters. The other half was John Mayer, now a friend of the band.

"Do I see Marshall Tucker in him?" Gray asked about Mayer. "Absolutely not."

On the other hand, Gray does hear his music in country-rockers like Confederate Railroad and Travis Tritt, and said that George Jones and Kid Rock have turned up unannounced to check out their show. Plenty of other musicians count the band as an important influence--and plenty of fans still find an escape in those classic radio hits.

"They still scream at me," Gray said of his fans. "I don't know if they're screaming because it's so bad or because it's so good. I'm just proud to be a part of something that was really, really good in the '70s, and it's still hanging on because of the memories we gave people."

What's in the Marshall Tucker Band's vaults?

By Peter Lindblad

Love Songs is the new compilation from the Marshall Tucker Band, and you can pretty much guess by the title what's on it: that would be the choicest love songs of the iconoclastic Southern-rock band's deep catalog.

Going back through the Marshall Tucker Band past works, it's funny how many romantic tracks this group of rugged, yearning-for-the-days-of-the-Old-West cowboys has recorded. Of course, a lot of them are not exactly the kind of love songs that bring lovebirds together in warm embraces and cause babies to be made.

Often, Toy Caldwell, as well as the rest of the songwriters in the Marshall Tucker Band, explored themes of frustrations and disconnectedness that can cause the best marriage to crumble. There are songs about affairs and lovers leaving because they just can't take whatever has gone wrong in their relationship.

And we'll get into all that in the story on the Marshall Tucker Band that will appear in the April 24 print issue of Goldmine. But for now, how about a little news from the Marshall Tucker Band camp, courtesy of Goldmine reader Steve Lambley.

Lambley was one of three of the Goldmine faithful who submitted questions for Gray in response to an e-newsletter query we sent out this week. In it, we asked readers to throw some questions our way that we could ask the soulful singer of MTB, and Lambley had a good one.

He asked, "Are there any outtakes or unused material in the Capricorn vault not yet used from the Toy and Tommy (Caldwell) era?"

Gray, conducting our interview on Thursday from the side of a road in South Carolina, answered, "There certainly are. And some of it [is] not yet ready or presentable to people and the public. And if I'm not happy with it ... and I was there during the beginning, if I'm not happy with it, we're not going to put it out yet. If we can get to the point where we can make it a little bit better, technology wise ... and I think we're pretty close to it. But we've got hundreds and hundreds of hours of stuff from the Toy and Tommy era, and plus, we've got stuff that's just around, you know. We've got videos that are around [from] people ... and so we've kind of stayed in touch with people who say, "Oh, I'm sending you this. I'm sending you that." And me being the pack rat that I was, I collect all that stuff. Yeah, we've got control over most of 'em. We only got about 1 percent that's still out there that would even be worthy of us putting 'em out to people that would appreciate them."

That's probably not the answer we all want to hear, but it does give a glimmer of hope that there could be a gold rush of unreleased Marshall Tucker Band material that's could flood the market and crush us — in a good way — with that wonderful country-tinged blend of jazz and blues and rock the MTB is known for — not to mention that soaring, amazing guitar interplay between Toy and George McCorkle.

Southern rock has its roots deep in Spartanburg, SC with The Marshall Tucker Band. Formed in 1972, The Marshall Tucker Band reshaped the Southern rock landscape with their country feel, with instrumentation including the fiddle and a focus on the flute. To this day, The Marshall Tucker Band continues to redefine Southern rock with hints of country, blues, jazz, and gospel, all played with the passion that comes with rock.

With almost 4 decades of music behind them, The Marshall Tucker Band may well be the hardest working group in the music industry, playing 150-200 shows per year. This work ethic has produced a multi - generational fan base that grows bigger every year.

Quite simply,The Marshall Tucker Band is Southern rock at its best.

Band Name Trivia: While The Marshall Tucker Band has had some member changes throughout the years, there has never actually been a member named Marshall Tucker. The name was adopted after seeing it on the key tag to their rehearsal warehouse and the name stuck. Turns out, the real Marshall Tucker was an elderly blind piano tuner in Spartanburg who had rented the warehouse before the band. And the rest is history...

February 2009

Interview: Don Thatcher

Interviewing a legend is always a thrill, especially when the legend is Doug Gray, the only remaining original member of Southern rock icon The Marshall Tucker Band. Doug is a class act and opens up about the music of yesterday and today, the band's marathon touring schedule and work ethic, and their home town of Spartanburg, SC.

Listen to Doug Gray's interview: Part One; Part Two

B.B. BORDEN

Drums

PAT ELWOOD

 Bass and Vocals

DOUG GRAY

Lead Vocals and Tambourine

MARCUS JAMES HENDERSON

Keyboards, Saxophone, Flute and Vocals

 STUART SWANLUND

Guitar, Pedal Steel Guitar and Vocals

RICK WILLIS

Guitar and Vocals

Doug (and the Marshall Tucker Band) was recently noted as one of the most influential acts out of South Carolina. Here's what Paul Grimshaw of The Weekly Surge in South Carolina said about one of their hometown favorites:

The principal players in the original Marshall Tucker Band lineup are from the Spartanburg region and though there is no one named Marshall Tucker in the band, he is a real person. The band chose its name in 1972 after finding a key fob in its Spartanburg rehearsal space imprinted with the name of a blind piano tuner from town, Marshal Tucker, who is now in his 80s and living in Columbia.

Of the original six members, only Doug Gray, the band’s primary lead vocalist, remains in the group. Toy Caldwell (1947 – 1993), who wrote most of the band’s material, was the lead guitarist and lead vocalist on the iconic tune, “Can’t You See,” though Gray sang virtually everything else. Tragedy struck the Caldwell family, when, in 1980, bassist and founding member brother Tommy Caldwell died in an auto accident. Toy Caldwell left the Marshall Tucker Band in 1984 and toured and recorded with The Toy Caldwell Band between 1985 and 1992. He died from complications resulting from heart disease. George McCorkle, who once lived in Conway, was rhythm guitarist and writer of “Fire on the Mountain.” He died of cancer in 2007.

“It’s the fans that keep the spirit [of Marshall Tucker] alive,” said Gray, who owns a second home in Garden City Beach and tours regularly, performing in the Myrtle Beach area almost annually. “I love Myrtle Beach. I bought a place there when I was 21-years- old and I’ve been back and forth ever since.” When asked about the most influential South Carolina band, Gray didn’t hesitate. “There’s so many bands from South Carolina but there’s one that came out of Spartanburg that I love called The Sparkletones. It was Joe Bennett and The Sparkletones. Man, they had their own TV show and a song called “Black Slacks.” They played it on ‘The Ed Sullivan Show’ back in the 1950s. As far as I’m concerned that was probably the strongest song anybody from South Carolina ever had.”

“Black Slacks” hit the Billboard Top 100 chart in 1957, peaking at no. 17, but stayed on for four consecutive months. In the earliest days of rock ‘n’ roll, which we now call rockabilly, some acts from South Carolina and other southern states added a decidedly country twang to their electric guitars and vocals, but it was rock ‘n’ roll none the less. Considered a classic of the 1950s “Black Slacks” is featured in the films “Crazy Mama,” “The Rescuers Down Under,” and Johnny Depp’s “Cry Baby.”

You can read about the rest of the notible South Carolina artists here!

Check out a new article from Buffalo over at Swampland.com:

Last week, The Greenville Drive minor league baseball club welcomed one of their own home, in a way. Of course, back in the early ‘90’s, our Greenville, SC ball team were The Greenville Braves. In 2005, the Braves moved to Rome, Georgia.

John Smoltz of the Boston Red Sox, a twenty year veteran of The Atlanta Braves, pitched in Greenville, making a rehab start for the South Atlantic League’s Greenville Drive.

Fluor Field was packed, sold out. Of course, that’s nothing new for the Drive. Their first four seasons and new ball park in the West End have been pulling in fans since the gates opened.

Back in 1991, I was editor of Greenville’s first ever weekly entertainment newspaper, Edge Magazine. One of the first things my partner, the late James Irwin, did was to trade advertising with the Greenville Braves for season tickets. Our row of seven box seats was right behind home plate. Boy howdy, did we ever have some fun times there  Now, mind you, this was at the time when our minor league team featured cats like Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones and Javy López.

Of course, my love fore baseball goes back much, much further than that. I can remember very clearly being a little kid, over at my Grandparents’ house watching the game on the old black and white TV with Papa Sorrells. Man, those games were so good. Back before players wore shoulder length hair. Back before steroids.

I collected baseball card, like every other red, white and blue boy during the sixties. I went to many a game out at Duncan Park in my home town of Spartanburg, SC, and even had a life changing experience there one night with my buddies from church, but that is a story unto itself. One I shall save for later. More about stupidity that the fine game of baseball.

There were several occasions during the seventies when we would see the guys from The Marshall Tucker Band out there taking in a game. Two of my favorite worlds, colliding before my very eyes.

 I was a fan of the Atlanta Braves. I remember when Hank Aaron started with Atlanta in the mid-sixties, and was watching when hit his 600th career homer in Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium off the Giants' Gaylord Perry in 1971. Man, Aaron was my first real African American Hero. The man could do no wrong, baby.

I’ll never forget joining the millions who cheered Hank on as he tied Babe Ruth, connecting on April 4, off Cincinnati's Jack Billingham. Four days later he broke the record with No. 715 against Dodgers' lefty Al Downing. Jeepers, that was some fine baseball.

Standing by my Braves scored big in 1991 when they made history by becoming the first team ever to reach the World Series just one season after having baseball's worst record. Go Braves.

Today, I am happy to present a guest blog from my buddy Brad “The Animal” Lesley, former Cincinnati Reds pitcher, and die hard Marshall Tucker Band fan. Brad is a staple at the annual Angelus Benefits in Tampa, and has been known to sing his big ol’ heart out onstage with the MTB and Charlie Daniels.

Brad is one hell of a guy. One I am happy to count among my friends. I want to thank him for sharing his thoughts with our readers. Hope y’all enjoy reading his blog as much as I did. Read it here.

Keep it Real. Keep it Southern. Pass the peanuts.
Buffalo

And "Brad "The Animal" Lesley Guest Blog: Baseball & Marshall Tucker"

I met Toy Caldwell for the first time at the Walnut Grove Opry House in Spartanburg, SC in the late 70's. Did my first shot/sip of moonshine that night as well - what a shock. I was playing with the Greensboro Hornets in the Western Carolina League and the Phillies had a team in Spartanburg that played at Duncan Park. Nice old ballfield, but the lockerooms were tiny. I loved the pitchers mound there as it was  big one, like Dodger Stadium and guys like me ( 6' 6") could really get on top of breaking pitches and had that good downward angle at the hitter.

The first two hitters in the Spartanburg Phillies line up were Ryne Sandburg and Scotty Fletcher. Fletcher went on to play 10-plus  seasons in the big leagues with the White Sox. Sandburg was likewise traded to the Cubs and is now in the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. Neither played a day for the Phillies big club. I am sure someone lost there job over that !

Thru the years, since my return from Japan I have gone to many a game with the boys in The Marshall Tucker Band. Some of the boys are diehard fans, others just like the atmosphere of the ballpark. Stuart Swanlund lives and dies with his Cubbies. I would have to say that the majority of the boys in the band are diehard Braves fans and follow the club still to this day.

As for me, baseball has opened every door I have walked thru in my life and I owe the game. I coach with Giants, coach my kids team, and do pitching clinics all over the country. Johnny Bench was my cathcer and there were none finer. Tom Seaver was a teammate as was Joe Morgan and Pete Rose. I have had the good fortune to be around the best that ever played the game and it is my duty to pass their knowledge on to today's young players.  The game has changed. Frankly, some of the pitchers today should wear skirts as opposed to the uniform, but it is still our game.  Dads and sons share experiences that will last a lifetime.

I remember old Fulton County Stadium was another one of my favorites. The Braves had like a BBQ area down by the visitors bullpen. I had Chief Nokahoma to my left smokin’ his peace pipe or whatever it was, and gracious Braves fans who would have killer southern BBQ to my right. It was awesome. Braves fans were fun people who knew the game, the women were stunning and in those years, the ole Braves weren't very good. Trips to play in Atlanta were always one of every ball players favorite cities.

Obviously times have changed, the Braves won 14 straight division titles, the old ballpark is gone and I am now living in Los Angeles making movies and and raising my kid as a single dad, but I will always have nothing but great memories of my baseball career, my teammates, the championships and the great and loyal fans along the way.

I have considered Doug Gray, Toy, and the MTB boys family for some 30-plus years. You take away baseball. I would have never met the Tucker boys that night at the Walnut Grove, nor would my life experiences have been as plentiful as they have been. Like I said...I owe this game.

- Brad Lesley
"The Animal "

ABOUT THE ANIMAL: Brad is a former Major League Baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers from 1982 to 1985. Lesley, who was nicknamed "The Animal", was known for his aggressive style to motivate himself. He later became a television personality in Japan after playing two seasons for the Hankyu Braves. His record in Japan is 7-5, 24 saves, 60 games over 2 years.

He is probably best known for his role as Ajimaru "Animal" Resry in the Japanese game show, Takeshi's Castle where he would participate in such games as "Devil's Domain," "Stuck Up" and his own game "Animal Bang." Takeshi's Castle would later be shown in the US on the cable network Spike TV as Most Extreme Elimination Challenge, later shortened to MXC.

He has also made a number of appearances in certain films such as Brother (2000) (as Moose), Big Monster on Campus (2000) (as Arnie), Buddy (1997) (as Ali Baba), A Boy Called Hate (1996) (as the Moving Truck Driver), Little Big League (1994) (as John 'Blackout' Gatling) and Mr. Baseball (1992) (as Niven). He also made a brief appearance in Space Jam (1996) (as Himself), after Michael Jordan had asked him to star in it personally.

He now lives in Los Angeles and works for the San Francisco Giants as a youth baseball pitching instructor. Oh, and he dearly loves Southern Rock, especially The Marshall Tucker Band.

Marshall Tucker Band trying to connect with Tri-State fans

From the Evansville Courier & Press

By Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt

For Marshall Tucker Band vocalist Doug Gray, music is a way to connect the dots between people.

"What music really is about is testifying to what you feel," he said. "Music makes us smaller as it brings connections from person to person."

The Marshall Tucker Band will perform at 8:15 p.m. Friday at the Thunder Concert Bowl (in Sunset Park, near the tennis courts). Jason Clutter & the Dirty South Band will open the show at 7.

Gray, Tucker's original lead singer, was pleasantly surprised by how well their latest CD, "Love Songs," released in February, has been received.

"People don't really think of love songs as a big macho type of music," he said. "They think of it more as women's music."

However, one of Marshall Tucker's biggest hits was "Heard It In a Love Song." "Can't You See" and "Fire On the Mountain" are among their other 1970s staples.

"If you listen to the words of all of those songs, they're about leaving," Gray said.

New release

"The Essential Marshall Tucker Band," a sampling of hits and other songs from their Capricorn years, plus a few that never have been heard before, is scheduled to be released in September.

Gray enjoys telling the story of how the name "Marshall Tucker Band" came about. When they were an up-and-coming band in their native Spartanburg, S.C., they rented a warehouse and the name "Marshal Tucker" was on the key.

"I later found out that he was a piano tuner," Gray said. "I found out that he was blind from birth and had rented the warehouse before us. We decided to add an extra 'l' to make it a real 'Marshall.'"

He later found out that Tucker's wife also was blind.

"I've learned that true beauty comes from within," Gray said.

Earlier this week, Gray was in Spartanburg to send his daughter and two adopted sons off to high school. Growing up, Gray's taste was diverse, ranging from Dionne Warwick to B.B. King.

"In 1976, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., I got to get onstage with B.B. King and his band and sing 'The Thrill is Gone.' That was one of the most wonderful things in my life," Gray said.

Although Marshall Tucker has been around well over three decades, they still generate new fans all the time.

"Just last week, I had a little girl that was about 4 years old come up onstage from the audience who knew the words to 'Can't You See,'" Gray said.

He said Marshall Tucker's music, considered "Southern rock," transcends genres.

"I still think people don't realize that we do blues, we do rock 'n' roll, we do country," Gray said. "Music is music and if it's good and touches people, that's all that matters."

You can see The Marshall Tucker Band at Thunder on the Ohio in Evansville, IN Friday night, August 21st.

The Marshall Tucker Band has entered racing again, but not drag racing this time. We're proud to announce that Scott Morris now rides for The Marshall Tucker Band. Scott is from Spartanburg, SC.

From The Evansville Courier & Press

Marshall Tucker - "The Essential Marshall Tucker Band" - (Ramblin' Records)

by Julie Rosenbaum-Engelhardt

While Ingram is a rising country star, veteran country rockers Marshall Tucker are releasing a best of package, "The Essential Marshall Tucker Band." "Essential" includes standbys such as "Can't You See," "Fire on the Mountain" and "Heard It in a Love Song," and collectors will relish disc 3, which contains four previously unreleased live songs from a riveting 1973 performance in San Francisco.

"Essential" proves what lead singer Doug Gray says his band is all about: "Good music knows no boundaries. It's a blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country and gospel."

With the release of "Essential," a new generation of fans will learn what the rest of their fan base has known for so long.

You can read the full review here, and buy the CD here.

The Essential, Limited Edition 3.0

(Shout! Factory)
I remember a time back the mid 1990s when the whole internet thing was just beginning to catch on. I was among the members of a small group of fans online that were building tribute pages to The Marshall Tucker Band. We all came together with our common love of the good ol’ boys from my home town of Spartanburg, SC, and on Thursday nights we would all meet up in a MTB chat room while E.R. was on the T V.

In those days, we would all chat about our common dreams, like seeing the long shelved Stompin’ Room Only released, or the Warner Brothers releases, especially Runnin’ Like The Wind. We dreamed of the day we could buy live concert video from the original lineup of Doug Gray, Toy and Tommy Caldwell, George McCorkle, Paul T. Riddle and Jerry Eubanks. Then came Shout! Factory and Ramblin Records just a few years ago, and Carolina dreams began to come true one after another.

Now, yet another dream has manifested itself into reality. The long bootlegged 1973 set from Winterland with an introduction by Bill Graham. It’s a short set, but just awesome. And the remastering really made it pop. I get a real kick out of hearing Tommy introduce the songs, and Toy singing “Hillbilly Band.” Then there are classics like “Another Cruel Love,” “See You Later, I’m Gone,” “Ramblin,” and of course “Can’t You See.” It is a real smoker from the earliest days of a band that is now into their 37th year and still going strong, even after the tragic deaths of three of the original members. I guess you can’t keep a good band down.

Of course, the Winterland set is actually just one small part of this massive three-disc set that collects many of the band’s best loved Paul Hornsby produced tracks from their Capricorn Records days.

There are 22 tracks on the first two discs, including their biggest hits “Fire On The Mountain,” “Heard it in a Love Song,” “Searchin for a Rainbow,” “Can’t You See,” and my personal favorite, “This Ol Cowboy.”

There are more live tracks, including “The Thrill is Gone” from Stompin Room Only, “24 Hours at a Time,” “Everyday I Have The Blues,” (with Toy Caldwell blazing across the fret board) and “See You One More Time.” 

The Tucker just keeps on coming with the Grammy nominated instrumental “Long Hard Ride,” “Virginia,” “Bob Away My Blues” and the the beautiful acoustic tune “Asking Too Much of You.” 

The set is rounded out with “Take The Highway,” “Hillbilly Band,” “A New Life,” “Windy City Blues,” and more. The title of the collection is pretty much perfect. This really is the “essentials,” taken from their vast back catalog, and topped off with the never before released Winterland live set. It’s an excellent primer for new fans and a wonderful addition to the music library of us old school MTB fans. Buffalo says “check it out.”

-Michael Buffalo Smith

You can check out the full article here, and buy the CD here!

The Marshall Tucker Band: Taking the highway to success 

By Suzanne Rothberg

The Marshall Tucker band is continuing its successful 39-year career with a show at Irvington Town Hall Theatre on Oct. 16. 
The band members have taken to the highway and are touring to support their latest three-disc CD release, “The Essential Marshall Tucker Band.” The CD contains all of the band’s greatest hits, plus a bonus disc of rare and previously unreleased live performances. The Oct. 16 concert will be presented by Westco Productions Gold Star Concerts.

The original, last surviving member and lead vocalist, Doug Gray, talked about the new CD and the tour. He continues to lead the band, consisting of talented musicians, winning new young fans as well as satisfying the loyal fans of several generations. The band’s best-known and loved hits are “Can’t You See,” “Fire on the Mountain,” “Take the Highway” and “Heard it in a Love Song.” 
“The album took a year-and-a-half. A lot of bands don’t spend a lot of time on albums because they don’t control them anymore,” Gray said in a telephone interview from his home in Spartanburg, S.C., the town where the band’s career began in 1972. “We let the audience pick out the songs that they want to hear the most. 

“We do over a hundred tours a year. I’ve got shows lined up for September 2010, so we’re continuously touring. I tell my kids I’m touring and they act like nothing’s new.” 
The band got its name from a piano tuner, Marshall Tucker, who is now 87 years old and living in Columbia, S.C. 

“We gave him a couple of platinum records and told him how we appreciated our association with him all these years.” Gray said. “There’s never been a person called ‘Marshall Tucker’ in the band. We just thought it was a good name to use. Not too long ago, I did a CBS special with him, they flew a crew in and we talked about how many years we’ve been together and we all sat down and had lunch. It was really nice and he was extremely proud that we were keeping his name clean and honorable.”

The band’s music is a blend of sounds ranging from country to jazz, he said.
“When country music came around, we had already established being a country band as well as rock and roll,” Gray said. “We are a mixed bag and can play country, southern rock and roll and a bit of jazz.”

Their musical mix is one of the reasons they never gained the success and recognition when they first started in the 70s, but their popularity grew over time.
“Fans didn’t know how to categorize us and we were competing against several groups at that time that were rock and roll or country bands.” Gray said. “They looked at us as if we’ve been around awhile, and we’ve done our hits “Fire on the Mountain” and “Can’t You See?” for 15 or 20 years, so the world has changed around us and we let it keep on going.” 
Gray said that they were one of the first bands to play with touring southern bands, such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, (who they still perform with at least three or four times a year) Molly Hatchet and The Charlie Daniels Band, as well as opening for Santana and B.B. King. 
“It was just as important to be hanging around these bands, because sometimes you never get to see those bands.” Gray said. 

Today, he doesn’t have a preference regarding who he would like to share the bill with on tour. 

“Anybody who wants to play with us is always welcome.” 
His favorite Marshall Tucker Band song is “In My Own Way,” he said, “because of it’s meaning and that it explains to people how much you care for that other person.”
The band has encountered several personnel changes over the years due to some circumstances beyond their control. 

Three original band members, Tommy Caldwell, Toy Caldwell and George McCorkle, passed away years apart. Tommy Caldwell died in 1980 as a result of injuries from an auto accident; Toy Caldwell, who wrote the majority of the band’s songs, died in 1993; and George McCorkle died in 2007. Jerry Eubanks retired from the group in 1996. 
The band’s current lineup, along with Gray, includes Pat Elwood on bass guitar, Rick Willis on lead guitar, Stuart Swanlund on rhythm guitar, B.B. Borden on drums and Marcus Henderson on keyboards, saxophone flute and vocals. 

“I was the one most likely to continue because I had the drive,” Gray said. “I sit in a room with seven gold and five or six platinum records and it doesn’t get old to me. Some of those guys, it got old for them.” 

Although the band is categorized in the same genre as the Allman Brothers, Gray said comparisons between the two have not been made in years. 
“The band hasn’t been compared to them in 15 or 20 years,” he said. “The reason we were with the Allman Brothers so much is because they were our label mates.” 
Coincidentally, the band opened for the Allman Brothers in 1973, the same year they released their first album. 

“We haven’t played with the Allman Brothers in years because they have a different audience now,” he said.

With the music industry constantly changing, the Marshall Tucker Band is following the trend of going independent. The band has been with several major labels over the years, including Warner Bros for 10 years, and then Capitol Records and Columbia Records. 
“What made it easier was the ability to put it out there on Ramblin’ Records,” he said. “And putting it all together in one place enabled us to make a distribution deal with the label Sony /Shout Factory Records. That deal is going to last another eight years.” 
Gray said the buying public never cared about whether they were country, jazz, blues or rock ’n’ roll. 

“Anyone who likes to hear good music and not pigeonhole it or put it in one category will enjoy The Marshall Tucker Band,” he said. 

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show cost $55, $65 and $75 and are now on sale at the Irvington Town Hall Theater Web site at http://www.irvingtontheater.com/ or by calling the box office at (914) 591-6602.

You can read the complete article here or find out more about the show here!

Order any 3 Marshall Tucker CD's and receive a full length CD entitled “Keep On Tuckerin” a CD sampler, that contains 12 full length tunes from 9 different Marshall Tucker CD's.*

*Note:  Double & triple CD packages count as one CD purchase.

11-6-09

Marshall Tucker Band Performance Leaves Large East Coast Florida Crowd Feeling Good

By:  Steve Muzzy – Space Coast News Review

It was a balmy and breezy evening at Captain Hiram’s Riverfront Resort, Marina, and Bohemian-Style Sandbar located in Sebastian, Florida Thursday night.  The Florida Beach Resort and the estimated crowd of over 2,000 was buzzing with excitement and anticipation of the beloved Marshall Tucker Band soon to be performing on stage as part of their national recording act concert series.  The atmosphere, weather, and the people in attendance made the evening one of those special nights when you feel truly blessed to be living in Florida. 

While it has been 31 years since my high school graduation in nearby Melbourne, Florida, it was clear to me – as it was in high school – this is an area that truly loves and appreciates the music of the Marshall Tucker Band.  As the clock reached 9:00 PM – the outdoor venue was packed with the sandbar and restaurant doing more business than the excellent staff could keep up with.  Backstage, my brother John and I (“The Muzzy Boys”) caught up with Doug Gray – the 39 year front man and lead singer of the band.  It is always a privilege to catch up with Doug who truly is a southern rock legend. Doug took the time to introduce the band: Stuart Swunlund (guitar and vocals); B.B. Borden (drums), Rick Willis (guitar and vocals); Pat Elwood (Bass guitar and vocals); and Marcus James Henderson (keyboards, flute, saxophone, and vocals).

I have always admired Doug Gray for the genuine devotion and love he has for his fans – his extended family- and tonight did not change that opinion. One gets the impression that Doug Gray is not about the money but more about the people  and living life to its fullest each and every day.  He remains an artist who continues to create material with the same spirit he has had for 40 years.  

The first order of business upon seeing Gray was extending our sympathies for the recent passing and untimely death of his wife, Rene.  As Doug prepared to go on stage for yet another show in his 39 year career with the Marshall Tucker Band he was also the proud father and family man with several references to how his family is doing.  He also was quite reflective about the recent circumstances in his life and in this writer’s opinion was still very much in the grieving process in regards to all of the things he has been through over the last several weeks.  His therapy, to the delight of the MTB fans and extended family, would be the next two hours on stage sharing stories and playing great music on this beautiful November on the east coast of central Florida.

The show lasted nearly two hours and a good time was had by all.  The band kicked off with the surreal title track from the band’s “Running like the Wind” album.  Stuart Swunlund took the crowd back to 1973 with “Hillbilly Band” from the classic debut album.  An extended version of “Blue Ridge Mountain Skies” that featured Rick Willis on lead vocals followed.   Doug’s soulful and heartfelt vocals next led the band with the popular hit from 1977 “Heard it in a Love Song”.  Marcus James Henderson was featured on vocals for the iconic “Take the Highway” song from the band’s self-titled album. Next up was “Fire on the Mountain” from the Searchin’ for a Rainbow album, followed by one of my personal favorites - “Midnight Promises” from Toy Caldwell’s  lone solo album released  during his post-MTB days shortly before his untimely death all too long ago.  As a loyal MTB fan who first saw the band during the Carolina Dreams tour at 16 years old and who has followed the band for 35 years and well over 40 concerts, I could not help think of fallen band members George McCorkle, Toy Caldwell, and Tommy Caldwell.  Doug and MTB have long played  the largely unknown “Midnight Promises” and always includes “Fire on the Mountain” to their sets which I suspect are genuine tributes to his brothers of the road and former bandmates.  A humble, appreciative, hard-working, Vietnam veteran – Doug Gray continues to keep the southern spirit alive. 

The night concluded with a raucous “Can’t You See” with Doug inviting the hard working security personnel to come on stage and assist with the tambourine and chorus.  Finally, in a bit of a surprise, Doug announced he was not ready to go just yet and he meant it!  A 20 minute “24 hours at a time” performance ensued.  Particularly impressive and worth noting was the sax solo by Henderson and the drum solo by Borden.  Most pleasing however was hearing the smooth and soulful vocals of the legend in our midst – Doug Gray.  It was an outstanding show at one of the best venues imaginable to see the Marshall Tucker Band.

Before saying goodbye until our paths met again, Doug reminded my brother and me that “there’s more to gray hair than old bones” and expressed his genuine appreciation to all of the folks who managed to catch up with him for those moments after the show.  As my brother and I made our way to the car for the short ride home I could not help but think how lucky we were to have experienced such a great time and how appreciative I was for Doug Gray and his efforts in keeping the Marshall Tucker Band alive and kicking.

The CAROLINA PACKAGE is a great Christmas bargain! These three albums are normally $63, but just in time for the holiday season, get The Carolina Dreams Tour ’77 DVD, Greetings from South Carolina, and Carolina Christmas for only $49, a $14 dollar savings! WHILE SUPPLIES LAST, this package will also include a Carolina Christmas T-shirt! (Size XL only). Sale runs through December 15th, 2009. This sale is only available through the Marshall Tucker Band here!

Blues Beat

Marshall Tucker's Doug Gray

Still Taking the Highway

By Robert Putignano

During his high school years, Doug Gray fronted a band called The Guldsmen, performing rhythm and blues and rock covers before joining Tommy Caldwell in the New Generation. After high school, Gray joined friends Tommy and Toy Caldwell, Jerry Eubanks and Ross Hanna to form the Toy Factory, a band that began to achieve notoriety. Toy Factory became popular enough to be asked to open for The Allman Brothers. Afterwards, some band members spent time in the military, and when everyone returned from service, the musicians regrouped with Gray, the Caldwell brothers, and Eubanks joined by George McCorkle and Paul Riddle.

The Marshall Tucker band name was originated when someone found a key ring that belonged to a local piano tuner named Marshall Tucker. While opening for Wet Willie at The Ruins in Spartanburg, South Carolina, the MTB was noticed by Jimmy Hall. Jimmy introduced them to Capricorn Records CEO Phil Walden, who signed the band. From 1972 to date, Gray has acted as lead vocalist for MTB. When Capricorn went bust in '79, the band shifted to Warner Brothers Records. In 1980, bassist Tommy died following an auto accident, and in 1983, his brother Toy, along with McCorkle and Riddle, decided to retire from the band. Gray and Eubanks carried on, hiring some of Spartanburg's best musicians. Driven by the heart, soul and undying pride of Doug Gray, The Marshall Tucker band continues to tour regularly,  

Just as the Shout Factory triple CD box set The Essential Marshall Tucker Band was released, and while Marshall Tucker was passing through New Yokr City, I had  the opportunity to check in with the good natured southern Blues-rocker Doug Gray

Robert Putignano for BluesWax:  Mr. Doug Gray, how are you today?

Doug Gray: I'm having a good time, Bob and hope you are too.

BW: I'm enjoying this new triple box set that you just put out, The Essential Marshall Tucker Band.

DG: Thank you and you know what? Some of those tracks have been released before, but there are some new previously unreleased tracks that were fun for me to introduce to our fans. We are working on another one that will be called Way Out West, too.  I've been sitting in the studio listening to these tapes and they are really nice.

BW:  Anything from that first trip you made to New York City at Kenny's Castaways?

DG:  Man, I wish we had some of what we did that night.  You were there?

BW: Funny story, I had never heard you guys before and on the morning of that gig, a DJ on WNEW played you guys from the first LP, and I freaked.  The DJ also said you guys were playing in New York City that night, so I rounded about eight of my buddies, went to the show, and you guys tore the roof off the place!

DG: You wouldn't happen to have any pictures or audio from that night?

BW: I wish I did, Doug, but I don't.

DG: That night was very exciting for us as it was our first New York City show, and I am really glad you were there! 

BW:  It was a great night, and that's when Kenny's Castaways was uptown, I was a regular patron as they brought in a lot of Blues guys like; Willie Dixon, Mighty Joe Young, Muddy Waters, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and others. Catching you there was phenomenal and a very memorable evening.

DG:  It was wonderful, and your bringing this night up brings back so many memories for me. And reminds me why we did what we did, and why I am still doing this with the band. You know I think it was Scott Muni who played us on WNEW that morning. I miss that guy, and we became great friends. Remembering that night still gives me chills, as does when I mix this other live stuff we found, where I go into the studio with a great engineer and just listen to those old tapes and envision that I am standing on stage. We are so proud of what we've done. I hope you get a chance to come see us this weekend. We're different people now. The world has changed, and God has taken care of some of us, as a lot of people have left this world, but I bet a lot of those good folks have come back as kitty cats. (Laughs)  The beautiful part of all of this is that you and I are still talking about great memories and chuckling about it.  Do you know that I almost stole a police car that night? 

BW:  No, but why?

DG: True story, a police car pulled up in front of the club while we were in between sets, and the policeman was chasing some sucker down the street into a hallway. He left his car door open, and the car was still running. I was just drunk enough on Scotch, and someone said, "Doug you better not do it!"  What a night, what a grateful night. 

Earlier, you said you did not know us until that day in '73, but we didn't know who we were yet.  We all came from humble blue collar backgrounds. My daddy worked in a cotton mill. Other members of the band and family were plumbers, and others made teeth on the side. We were and still are just real down to earth regular folks who also loved to have a great time. We were not different than any of your listeners or your family. I didn't even hang my gold records. People would visit me and say, "Where are all of your gold records?"  So eventually someone went to my warehouse and pulled out the gold and platinum records and hung them for me. And you know it makes me feel good looking at them now, as I am proud to have been a part of what we did. 

BW: Plus you are still out there, carrying the Tucker flag. 

DG:  I wear my Marshall Tucker t-shirts everyday. Damn, I get them for free! (Laughs)

BW:  Too funny.  I was fortunate to have seen you guys early on in a club setting, but it wasn't long afterwards that you were opening for the Allman Brothers and playing in front of twenty thousand people.  Come to think of it, I saw you with the Allmans and Elvin Bishop, too.

DG: Sitting on a bail of hay with Elvin.  Elvin's got to be at least six-hundred years old. 

BW:  Actually, Elvin is sixty-seven this week.

DG: Sixty-seven, and I thought I'm old at sixty-one. You know what? I am going to make a deal with you. If you come out to our show this weekend, I want you to memorize the second verse of  "This Old Cowboy," and I will bring you on-stage with my arm around you. I'll even whisper the words in your ear, I won't leave you alone out there!

BW:  I don't know, Doug...

DG:  You are coming out to the show, and I'm giving you my manager's phone number, and my personal cell phone number.

BW: I'd love to come out and see the band this weekend, and the other bonus is that Charlie Daniels is also on the bill, so I'm there!

DG:  You just call me, and we'll make this happen.

BW:  But joining the band on stage will scare the living you know what out of me.

DG: No one's going to smell it, I will bring you some Depends (Laughs.)  But I want you up there, it's easy.  Believe it or not, you will feel wonderful after it's over.

BW:  We'll work this out, oh my God!

DG: You don't work out nothing with the Marshall Tucker Band. You just come on out there, because I want you to feel what I feel every night with this band. You will remember this night for years and years.

Note:  Your humble correspondent, never made to the stage that night, and I think those all in attendance were better off for it, me too!

DG:  And you know, we rarely play the same songs nightly, so we do some sweet stuff, and when I hear someone yell a request from the crowd I just do it.

BW: That keeps you and the band fresh and sharp, I'm sure. How did the MTB band get hooked up with Capricorn Records?

DG: Jimmy Hall then of Wet Willie heard the band and asked if we had a tape of the band, and we had something that we'd just cut in Muscle Shoals.  "Can't You See," "Take the Highway," and "Hillbilly Band." So Jimmy Hall took the tape to Phil Walden in Macon, Georgia, and Phil invited us down to come play at a place called Grants Lounge, which was a black club, back in the day when black was black, and white was white. Nobody seems to care about this anymore.  But anyway, we walked in, did our thing, signed the contract over some Scotch, and had ourselves a deal for five years. 

BW: Great story.  Plus the legacy and history that came out of Capricorn was amazing, what a roster; MTB, ABB, Elvin Bishop, Charlie Daniels, Bonnie Bramlett, Wet Willie, Cowboy, the list goes on and on.  Speaking of Elvin, that deal with Capricorn just catapulted his career.

DG:  It sure did. It did for all of us. One night at the studio, guess who I run into? Dr. John.  There was this practice room with a big Steinway back there, so I stumbled in higher than you know what, I was a young man and couldn't even grow a beard then.  So someone says,  "Hey, Mac is back there," and I said, "I don't care who is back there," and then he says, "Gregg Allman is there, too."  Now, Gregg's still one of my best friends, but I just did not give a hoot back then..  So eventually, I walk back, and Mac says, "Sit down and sing one." The rest of the night was just great, and we had ourselves a ball.

BW: What about the current version of MTB?

DG: I tell you, over the years, there's been hundreds of guys that have come into this band who thought that they could stay, wanted to stay, and thought they had the heart to make Marshall Tucker live on. I don't know if it will live forever. I have plans to go for as long as I can. I brought in my nephew and others that are a little bit younger than me.  This current lineup knows our songbook, and they are ready and biting at the bit to play anything I want them to. I am very fortunate as it's not easy to find guys like this. Some of them have jazz credits, too.

BW: Well MTB always had a jazzy side.

DG:  Yeah, we did, and wait till you hear my sax player. You are going to want to go over there and kiss him.  He's that good, and has played with everyone. But all he really wanted to do was play in MTB. He kept calling me asking me to join the band. So when the spot opened, I gave him a call and gave him a list of songs to learn, and he was more than ready! 

BW:  So, now I am really looking forward to seeing the band. Tell me more about this new Essential Marshall Tucker Band box set.

DG: Like I'd mentioned, some of the tracks have been released prior, but we found this one live tape that needed some work.  I knew that there was nothing I could do to change the music, but it needed to be cleaned up sonically.  So I went into the studio and said, "Let's just play it top to bottom end to end, leave the audience noise as it is, the talking we did between songs, etc.  I listened to it for four days and made my notes, then spent three weeks thinking about it, but all we got from that tape was just three or four songs for this release.  But there's a reason for that as the next CD I was telling you about, Way Out West (which was done with Bill Graham's people,), will have other tunes from that tape.  This is preliminary information that I am not supposed to be telling anyone about, but you are going to love it.

BW: I will be looking forward to it, Doug. Speaking of the jazzy side of MTB, I had an uncle (who is no longer with us) that somehow stumbled upon Marshall Tucker, who just adored the band, especially "This Old Cowboy." He was almost eighty and would crank the MTB up big time, and drove my aunt nuts!  But he was a jazz guy, too.

DG: That makes some sense to me, and speaking of jazz, we took Spyro Gyra on the road with us for several years.

BW: I did not know that.

DG: Oh yeah, we wanted that jazz/Marshall Tucker influence. So when they played,we'd listen and picked up that flavor.  So, as the saying goes, anything you associate yourself with, you become. 

BW:  And reach a wider audience, too.

DG: That's right, and we learned as well.  Hey, I am taking up your whole day here. Do you want me to come in and do your radio show, too?

BW: Come on down, and co-host with me, that would be a trip.

DG: Be careful for what you wish for, Bob!  (Laughs)

BW: Doug, I can spend the entire day talking with you, thanks for your time.  Do you have any final words for the audience?

DG:  Well, being that this college radio is such an open forum for people like us, it's really special.Here we are, you and I, spending time talking about just about anything we want and sharing our thoughts about music with people who dig what we are all about. So, I really enjoy working with people like you and spending time talking about what will always be important in my life, that being sharing stories about my time with the Marshall Tucker band. Thank you, Bob.

BW: Thank you, Doug.  We've both lived through and survived a great era of music. So to sit here and chat with you about those past and current days has been all of my pleasure.  And furthermore, I've always enjoyed the band for many reasons, but first and foremost was the fact that every time I saw you, the Marshall Tucker Band gave it their all.

DG: Just be ready to sing "This Old Cowboy" this weekend. It's going to okay. You'll see what a thrill it is as I get that feeling every night.

BW:  Yikes, take care, Doug.

DG:  You, too, Bob. See you this weekend, and let's do this again real soon.

BW:  Anytime, you have carte blanche to join me on air anytime.

Bob Putignano a senior contributing editor at BluesWax. He is also the heart of Sounds of Blues at www.SoundsofBlue.com. Bob may be contacted at:  bob8003@yahoo.com

You can read the full article at bluesandjazzsounds.com

The title says it all with this latest release from The Marshall Tucker Band. This is truly an essential CD for any Marshall Tucker fan. It contains 3 discs full of their greatest music along with rare live tracks. Disc three is a re-mastered live performance from their September 1973 Winterland, San Francisco performance. The CD set comes complete with a great booklet of info and vintage photos. Too many bands will continually re-release greatest hits CDs with the same old tracks. Doug and the MTB folks have shown the right way to do a greatest hits CD! Although the CDs contain all their greatest hits, each disc contains rare live cuts giving you something special on each disc. Thanks guys for a great collection!!

~Bruce Wall~

Read the full review at southernfriedmagazine.com