Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. (13 November 1947 - 25 February 1993) was the lead guitar player

Guitar Player

Guitar Player is a popular magazine for guitarists founded in 1967. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print since the late 1960s and during the 1980s, under editor Tom Wheeler, the publication was...

 and a founding member of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band

Marshall Tucker Band

The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s...

. He was a member of the band from 1973 to 1983.

Early life

Caldwell was born November 13, 1947 in Spartanburg, SC to Mr. and Mrs. Toy Talmadge Caldwell Sr. He began playing guitar before his teen years with his younger brother Tommy Caldwell

Tommy Caldwell (musician)

Thomas Michael "Tommy" Caldwell was the bassist and original frontman for The Marshall Tucker Band between 1973 and 1980. He was from Spartanburg, South Carolina. He died from injuries suffered in a Jeep crash on April 28, 1980, at the age of 30...

. Toy played basketball and football in high school with friends George McCorkle

George McCorkle

George McCorkle was a founding member and guitarist for the Marshall Tucker Band. He wrote "Fire on the Mountain", the band's first top 40 hit, though had hoped that Charlie Daniels would record the song. He left the band in 1984 and later worked as a songwriter. He released a solo album, American...

, Jerry Eubanks, and Doug Gray

Doug Gray

Doug Gray is an American singer best known as the lead vocalist of The Marshall Tucker Band. He sang lead on most of the bands songs but did not sing lead on their biggest hit "Can't You See." In addition to singing he also sometimes plays tambourine and in the band's early days he played...

. While interested in sports deeply, the boys eventually became interested in music including jazz and blues. By age sixteen, Toy became deeply passionate about music, sports, and his other obsession: motorcycles. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing. In 1966, Caldwell decided to serve his country and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps

United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

. He served in Vietnam as an infantryman and continued to play guitar. He was wounded in 1967 and spent seven months in Japan. He was then redeployed to Vietnam. Caldwell was discharged in 1969 and once again began playing music with his high school buddies. The Spartanburg chapter of the Marine Corps League is named the Hutchings-Caldwells Detachment in honor of Toy, his brother Tommy and another soldier.

Later career

He later formed the Toy Caldwell Band and released an eponymous CD in 1992; the record was later renamed Son of the South by Southern rocker and Caldwell's personal friend, Charlie Daniels

Charlie Daniels

Charles Edward "Charlie" Daniels is an American musician known for his contributions to country and southern rock music. He is known primarily for his number one country hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia", and multiple other songs he has performed and written. Daniels has been active as a singer...

. The album was digitally re-released in 2009 through Hopesong Digital / GMV Nashville

GMV Nashville

GMV Nashville is a digital record label based in Nashville, TN, founded by Jeff Walker in 2007.- History :Walker founded the label primarily to release digital versions of classic releases from Con Brio Records, which was founded by Walker and his father, Bill Walker...

. As guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 for Marshall Tucker, Caldwell wrote almost all of their songs. Caldwell was born in Spartanburg

Spartanburg, South Carolina

thgSpartanburg is the largest city in and the county seat of Spartanburg County, South Carolina, United States. It is the second-largest city of the three primary cities in the Upstate region of South Carolina, and is located northwest of Columbia, west of Charlotte, and about northeast of...

, South Carolina

South Carolina

South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...

 and was the brother of Marshall Tucker co-founder and bass guitar

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

ist Tommy Caldwell

Tommy Caldwell (musician)

Thomas Michael "Tommy" Caldwell was the bassist and original frontman for The Marshall Tucker Band between 1973 and 1980. He was from Spartanburg, South Carolina. He died from injuries suffered in a Jeep crash on April 28, 1980, at the age of 30...

. His death in 1993 was reported as respiratory failure.