The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Using a unique mix of soul, blues, jazz, country, and traditional influences, the band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s with its legendary live performances, lengthy improvisations, and a string of gold and platinum albums. While the band had reached the height of its commercial success by the end of the decade, a loyal fanbase has allowed it to record and perform continuously under various lineups for nearly 40 years.
The original lineup of the Marshall Tucker Band, formed in 1972, included lead guitarist, vocalist, and primary songwriter Toy Caldwell (1947–1993), keyboard player and vocalist Doug Gray (b. 1948), flutist Jerry Eubanks (b. 1950), rhythm guitarist George McCorkle (1946–2007), drummer Paul Riddle (b. 1953), and bassist Tommy Caldwell (1949–1980). They signed with Capricorn Records and in 1973 released their first LP, The Marshall Tucker Band . After Tommy Caldwell was killed in an automobile accident in 1980, he was replaced by bassist Franklin Wilkie. Most of the original band members had left by the mid-1980s to pursue other projects. The band's current lineup consists of Gray on vocals, guitarist Stuart Swanlund, keyboard player and flutist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist Rick Willis, bassist Pat Elwood, and drummer B.B. Borden.
Name origin
The "Marshall Tucker" in the band's name does not refer to a band member, but rather a Spartanburg-area piano tuner. While the band was discussing possible band names one evening in an old warehouse they had rented for rehearsal space, someone noticed that the warehouse's doorkey had the name "Marshall Tucker" inscribed on it, and suggested they called themselves the "Marshall Tucker Band," not realizing it referred to an actual person. It later came to light that Marshall Tucker, the piano tuner, had rented the space before the band, and the landlord had yet to change the inscription on the key.
History
Early history
The original members (and some later members) of the Marshall Tucker Band had been playing in various lineups under different band names around the Spartanburg area since the early 1960s. In 1966, members of several such bands merged to form the Toy Factory, named after guitarist Toy Caldwell. The Toy Factory's constantly-shifting lineup included, at times, Caldwell, Caldwell's younger brother Tommy, Doug Gray, Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle, and Franklin Wilkie. In the late 1960s, several bandmembers served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and several saw action in the Vietnam War. By 1970, Toy Caldwell and Doug Gray had returned to Spartanburg, and the Toy Factory had resumed playing in area clubs.
In 1972, Caldwell and Gray once again redid the band's lineup, eventually settling on Tommy Caldwell, George McCorkle, and Jerry Eubanks on bass, guitar and flute/keyboards, while adding Paul Riddle on drums; the new lineup adopted the name "Marshall Tucker Band." They quickly gained a regional following, playing relentlessly night after night. Wet Willie lead singer Jimmy Hall was particularly impressed by one of the Marshall Tucker Band's performances, and submitted the band's demo to Phil Walden of Capricorn Records, which was a pioneering label in the Southern rock genre. Walden signed the band shortly thereafter.
1970s
The Marshall Tucker Band's self-titled debut, produced by Paul Hornsby, was released in 1973, and certified gold in 1975. All of the tracks were written by Toy Caldwell, including "Can't You See," which received considerable radio play. After the album's release, the band began touring virtually non-stop, playing upwards of 300 shows per year throughout the decade. A typical show lasted several hours, and included lengthy improvised jams for which the band became legendary. Pioneering Southern rock fiddler Charlie Daniels later recalled that the Marshall Tucker Band "came onstage and just blew it out from start to finish."
Daniels' first of many collaborations with the Marshall Tucker Band came on the band's second album, A New Life , which was released in 1974, and certified gold in 1977. Daniels and blues guitarist Elvin Bishop were among several musicians that joined the band for Where We All Belong , a double-album (one studio album and one live album) released by the band in 1974 and certified gold that same year. The band had continued success the following year with Searchin' for a Rainbow , which was also certified gold the year of its release, and contained the track "Fire on the Mountain," which peaked at #38 on the Billboard charts. Long Hard Ride , the band's fifth consecutive gold album, was released in 1976, and its instrumental title track (which again features Charlie Daniels on fiddle) was nominated for a Grammy. Carolina Dreams , released in 1977 and certified platinum that same year, proved to be the band's most commercially-successful album, and included the track "Heard It In a Love Song," which reached #14 on the Billboard charts. The band's final Capricorn release came with 1978's Together Forever , which was produced by Stewart Levine.
1980s
The Marshall Tucker Band moved to Warner Bros. Records for their ninth album, Running Like the Wind , although they retained Levine as the album's producer. On April 22, 1980, the band's bassist, Tommy Caldwell, was involved in an automobile accident in which he suffered massive head trauma, and died six days later. Former Toy Factory bassist Franklin Wilkie replaced Caldwell, but the band was never able to recapture its commercial success of the 1970s. After 1983's Greetings from South Carolina , the band split up.
In 1988, Gray and Eubanks reorganized the Marshall Tucker Band to record the album Still Holdin' On , their one and only release on the Mercury Records label. Although Gray and Eubanks added new members Rusty Milner, Stuart Swanlund, and Tim Lawter, Still Holdin' On was primarily recorded with studio musicians. The newer members had a much greater role, however, on the band's 1990 album, Southern Spirit , released on the Sisaspa label. The album marked a return to the band's country and blues roots.
1990s
In 1992, the Marshall Tucker Band produced its first album for the Cabin Fever label, Still Smokin' , which managed to crack the top 70 on the Billboard charts. The band's 1993 release, Walk Outside the Lines , marked a transition to a more country sound, relying less on long improvised jams that were the trademark of the band's early career. The album's title track was co-written by country music star Garth Brooks, a long-time fan of the band who considered writing a track for them a "milestone" in his career.
For 1998's Face Down In the Blues , the band added Spartanburg-area guitarist Ronald Radford and multi-instrumentalist David Muse, the latter replacing Jerry Eubanks, who had retired in 1996. The album showed a much stronger blues influence than previous albums. Gospel , the band's 1999 album, featured the band's rendition of traditional songs such as The Wayfaring Stranger and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, as well as several original tracks.
Recent history
The Marshall Tucker Band continued recording and performing into the 21st century, playing between 150 and 200 shows per year. The band reissued many of its albums from the 1970s on its new Ramblin' Records label, as well as two two-disc compilations, the first ( Anthology ) being a 30-year retrospective and the second ( Where a Country Boy Belongs ) being a collection of the band's country songs. In 2004, they released another studio album, Beyond the Horizon , and the following year released a Christmas album, Carolina Christmas .
"Can't You See" was used for the opening and closing credits of the Kevin Costner 2008 motion picture Swing Vote . "Take the Highway" was also used in the movie.
Style
While the band is typically grouped under "Southern rock," their style has never fit neatly into any single genre. Compared with Southern-rock pioneers and label-mates The Allman Brothers Band, the Marshall Tucker Band has more of a country and western feel, with the flute being a key lead instrument in their sound with a lot of its parts in the higher fife/piccolo register. Blues music and Western-themed lyrics have been mainstay with the band since its inception, although the band has occasionally drifted into a more jazz-like sound (especially with the albums produced by Levine) and some albums have a stronger country influence, such as Still Holdin' On . Later albums, such as Gospel , showed a stronger Appalachian Carolina influence.
Guitarist Toy Caldwell, who died of a heart attack in 1993, was the band's primary driving force in its early years, and provided lead vocals on songs such as "Can't You See" and "This Ol Cowboy." Bassist Tommy Caldwell sang background vocals, and performed lead vocals on "Melody Ann." Guitarist George McCorkle wrote one of the band's most well-known songs, "Fire on the Mountain," as well as "Silverado" and "Holdin' On To You."
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
References
- ^ a b Colin Larkin (ed.), "Marshall Tuc
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The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. Using a unique mix of soul, blues, jazz, country, and traditional influences ...
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The Marshall Tucker Band is the self-titled debut album by The Marshall Tucker Band, a Southern rock band. It was recorded in 1973 in Macon, Georgia, USA at Capricorn Studios.