
DATE: Thursday, September 11, 1997          TAG: 9709110032

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E4   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: Interview 

SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   67 lines

CHARLIE'S FIDDLED AWAY 40 YEARS

CHARLIE DANIELS, who will be at the GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater Saturday, is less than thrilled with the country music business these days. He is thrilled, though, about touring with Hank Williams Jr., Travis Tritt and Jo Dee Messina.

He has worked with all three, at different times. Together they are part of a show that, he said, ``lasts at least four hours.''

Amphitheater concessionaires are probably salivating over that.

``The concert is great, one of the best packages I've ever been on. We have a good time - everybody has a good time,'' said Daniels, who has been having a good time in showbiz for 40 years.

``I just realized it's been that long,'' he said, during a phone interview from Red Bank, N.J. ``I've been blessed by God. One of my main goals, when I began in this business, was to be around for a long time.

``The Lord blessed me. I really enjoy what I do.''

He does not, however, enjoy the state of country in this day and age.

``Country music is headed for trouble. I keep seeing playlists tighten,'' he said. ``Radio is controlled by just a few people. I can't see how a guy can sit in L.A. and program for New Orleans. . . .

``We don't get played. We're not `mainstream.' I have no intention of going mainstream.''

Daniels said that too many singers today sound alike, intentionally. ``They think, that way they can get played on the radio,'' he said. ``I can't listen to country radio anymore. I get bored with it after a while.

``A lot of people tell me the same thing, so there is a problem out there,'' Daniels said. ``I have nothing against the 25-record playlist, but let's have other formats - let's play albums. I want some variety.''

Tritt gets a lot of radio play, Daniels said, ``because he has a certain amount of freedom.'' Williams is chart-absent, although very much a presence on Monday Night Football. Messina sneaks on the charts every now and then.

Daniels, who lived on the charts in the '70s, plays country, rock, bluegrass and even jazz.

``If you can't snap your fingers or pat your feet, I'm not into it,'' he said. ``I like something that cooks. If it's got a beat, it's fine.''

There is plenty of beat on the two current Daniels albums. ``Blues Hat'' has some excellent blues-boogie offerings, and ``By The Light Of The Moon'' offers campfire and cowboy songs. ``I think of it as a kid's album,'' Daniels said of the latter.

Daniels received a Dove award from the Gospel Music Association in 1995 for best gospel album. It was the devil, though, that brought him a lot of renown, for his song ``The Devil Went Down To Georgia.''

Daniels is now widely regarded as an angel. He is a friend and mentor to many. He is a volunteer with Tennessee's literacy efforts, and he works with Alternative Visions, which helps locate missing children.

Last year, he traded his trademark 10-gallon hat for a mortarboard when the University of North Carolina at Wilmington honored him with an honorary doctorate of letters. He was born and raised in that city. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

WANT TO GO?

Who: Charlie Daniels Band, Hank Williams Jr., Travis Tritt, Jo

Dee Messina

When: 6 p.m. Friday

Where: GTE Virginia Beach Amphitheater

How much: $15.25 to $33.25 plus parking and service charges;

order at 671-8100

Call: 368-3000 KEYWORDS: INTERVIEW