The Volunteer Jam was the annual Charlie Daniels Band concert first held on October 4, 1974 at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

 This was the beginning of a tradition.

The 2nd Volunteer Jam was released in the form of a movie. It was billed as the "First Southern Rock movie," even appearing in theaters across the US. The movie was re-released on DVD in 2007. Regulars at the Nashville Volunteer Jam concerts included the late 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...

, Jimmy Hall

Jimmy Hall

Jimmy Hall was the lead singer and harmonica player for the Southern rock group, Wet Willie. He cofounded the band in 1970, which had significant success in the 1970s; in 1980 he scored a hit of his own with the single "I'm Happy that Love Has Found You"...

, Dickie Betts, Henry Paul

Henry Paul (musician)

Henry Paul is an American southern rock and country singer/songwriter who was a founding member of the Southern rock band Outlaws, the front man and founder of the Henry Paul Band and the lead singer for the country band BlackHawk.-Early life:Henry was born in Kingston, New York and lived on a...

, Dobie Gray

Dobie Gray

Dobie Gray is an African American singer and songwriter, whose musical career has spanned soul, country, pop and musical theater...

, the late Toy Caldwell

Toy Caldwell

Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. was the lead guitar player and a founding member of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band. He was a member of the band from 1973 to 1983.-Early life:...

, drummer Gary Pacemaker, and others.

In 1979, Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Lynyrd Skynyrd is an American rock band prominent in spreading Southern Rock during the 1970s.Originally formed as the "Noble Five" in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1964, the band rose to worldwide recognition on the basis of its driving live performances and signature tune, Freebird...

 reunited for the first time since the 1977 plane crash, with several members of the Charlie Daniels Band. CDB keyboardist Taz Digregorio

Joel DiGregorio

William Joel "Taz" DiGregorio was a longtime member and keyboardist for the Charlie Daniels Band. He was self-taught on the keyboards, practicing from tunes by Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, and Little Richard following his attendance at a Ray Charles concert.-Musical career:He fulfilled his goal of...

 took lead vocals on "Call Me The Breeze" followed by an extended instrumental version of "Free Bird

Free Bird

"Free Bird" is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd...

." In 1987 Lynyrd Skynyrd returned to the stage for only the second time, also at the Volunteer Jam.

Each of the Nashville concerts featured a long list of special guests appearing onstage with Charlie and his band including Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent

Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...

, The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band is an American rock/blues band once based in Macon, Georgia. The band was formed in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1969 by brothers Duane Allman and Gregg Allman , who were supported by Dickey Betts , Berry Oakley , Butch Trucks , and Jai Johanny "Jaimoe"...

, The Marshall Tucker Band

The 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...

, Billy Joel

Billy Joel

William Martin "Billy" Joel is an American musician and pianist, singer-songwriter, and classical composer. Since releasing his first hit song, "Piano Man", in 1973, Joel has become the sixth best-selling recording artist and the third best-selling solo artist in the United States, according to...

, Garth Brooks

Garth Brooks

Troyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...

, Billy Ray Cyrus

Billy Ray Cyrus

William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...

, Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stevie Ray Vaughan

Stephen Ray "Stevie Ray" Vaughan was an American electric blues guitarist and singer. He was the younger brother of Jimmie Vaughan and frontman for Double Trouble, a band that included bassist Tommy Shannon and drummer Chris Layton. Born in Dallas, Vaughan moved to Austin at the age of 17 and...

, Tammy Wynette

Tammy Wynette

Virginia Wynette Pugh, known professionally as Tammy Wynette , was an American country music singer-songwriter and one of the genre's best-known artists and biggest-selling female vocalists....

, Roy Acuff

Roy Acuff

Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...

, Carl Perkins

Carl Perkins

Carl Lee Perkins was an American rockabilly musician who recorded most notably at Sun Records Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, beginning during 1954...

, Alabama

Alabama (band)

Alabama is a country music and southern rock band from Fort Payne, Alabama, United States. The band was founded in 1969 by Randy Owen and his cousin Teddy Gentry , soon joined by Jeff Cook...

, Don Henley

Don Henley

Donald Hugh "Don" Henley is an American singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up...

, Barefoot Jerry

Barefoot Jerry

Barefoot Jerry is an American Southern rock and country rock band, based in Nashville, Tennessee, most active from 1971 to 1977. It was composed of area studio musicians under the tutelage of Wayne Moss, lead guitarist of Area Code 615, and other 615 alumni. This name is also used to refer to Moss...

 and many more. Many of these concerts were broadcast live on the radio. The Volunteer Jam on nationwide TV included a live broadcast on the Jerry Lewis Telethon and a Dick Clark produced network special.

A "Volunteer Jam Tour" including the Charlie Daniels Band, the Outlaws and the Marshall Tucker Band toured the United States in 2007. The Nashville show scheduled for May 19, 2007 was cancelled, due to the closing of Nashville's Starwood Amphitheater

On April 11-12, 2008 Volunteer Jam was held at the Island Resort and Casino in Harris, Michigan. The concert featured Shooter Jennings

Shooter Jennings

Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings is an American singer-songwriter active in the country music and Southern rock genres as well as making his first foray into psychedelic rock in 2009...

 and .38 Special.

On April 25, 2008 the Volunteer Jam tour visited Fayetteville, AR for the First Annual Dickson Street

Dickson Street

The West Dickson Street Commercial Historic District, known as Dickson Street is an area in downtown Fayetteville, Arkansas just off the University of Arkansas campus. It is lined with multiple bars, restaurants, and shops unique to the area. Many large condo projects are now under construction as...

 Music Festival, also featuring Shooter Jennings and .38 Special.

Volunteer Jam is also the name of a series of albums released by 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...

of performances from the late 1970s and early 1980s at the Volunteer Jam shows.

External links

• Volunteer Jam - Volunteer Jam page, with memorabilia from past Nashville Tennessee Volunteer Jam concerts