But when singer Doug Gray looks out at the audiences at the band's shows, he doesn't see a room full of those who grew up on the songs. People will ask me how the new band is working out. First, to buy beer, to be honest.". "It means we can expand a little bit not just about the music, not about the band I'm making a real difference. "We put all of those together without knowing what the heck we were doing. Marshall Tucker Band's Doug Gray recalls woman giving him her plane The Marshall Tucker Band Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family . McCorkle died in 2007 and Riddle and Eubanks both left the band in the '80s and '90s, respectively. Marshall Tucker Band has been playing at the highest level of the music scene since forming in 1972 and 50 years after coming together, Doug Gray a founding member of the original Southern rock band is "feeling good" as the group continues performing sold out shows. Marshall Tucker Band's Doug Gray reflects on 50th - Fox News And that gave me the inspiration to want to learn a new song 'Without You' and/or 'I'll Be Loving You,' which is a song that Toy wrote, which I thought was great," Gray said, adding that in his estimation Toy is one of the most prolific writers hes ever worked with and Gray was often inspired by him to come up with new records of his own for the band. [2] The band's current line-up consists of Gray on vocals; keyboard player, saxophonist and flautist Marcus James Henderson; guitarists Chris Hicks and Rick Willis, bassist Tony Black, and drummer B.B. Things would change for the band in the early 80s after Tommy Caldwell died in a car accident and Toy, who wrote some of the groups biggest hits, found it difficult to continue without his brother. Can't You See was used for the opening and closing credits of the KevinCostner 2008 motion picture SwingVote. He tuned pianos in South Carolina for decades. Borden. [11], By the 1970s Toy Caldwell and George McCorkle had returned to Spartanburg, and the Toy Factory had resumed playing in area clubs.[12]. Three months later, the band opened a show for fellow Southern rockers The Allman Brothers Band. Doug Gray of The Marshall Tucker Band performs during the Volunteer Jam: A Musical Salute To Charlie Daniels at Bridgestone Arena on Aug. 18, 2021, in Nashville, Tennessee. And Toy (Caldwell) and Tommy (Caldwell) and myself, we'd write songs that meant something to people. Those same songs are also finding their way onto soundtracks of new shows and movies produced for streaming services like Netflix [1] A founding member of the band, Caldwell remained with the group until 1983. All original members performed except for Tommy Caldwell, who died in a car crash in 1980. The Marshall Tucker Band has also influenced major country acts, including Alabama and Travis Tritt, among others. We still have those people that will be southern bands.. The Marshall Tucker Band, named after the piano tuner who owned the bands rehearsal hall, made 14 albums of easygoing Southern rock from 1973 to 1984; two sold more than a million copies each, and seven sold more than 500,000. Marshall was blind since birth but amazingly could play the heck out of the piano. Chris Hicks and Doug Gray of the Marshall Tucker Band perform live at Sony Hall on Aug. 23, 2019, in New York City. Most of the original band members had left by the mid-1980s. In 1966, members of several such bands merged to form the Toy Factory, named after guitarist Toy Caldwell. [33] The band's 1979 album RunningLiketheWind features a poprock and jazzfusion sound. "They sit down, and they ask me my opinion of how to do other stuff because of my experience," Gray added. (Tom Hill/WireImage). Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Gray is the only remaining original member in The Marshall Tucker Band. "There's a song that I wrote on the back of a Burger King fast food bag and I didn't write it down, my girlfriend at the time did, and she became my wife," Gray explained of "I Should Have Never Started Lovin' You," making a point to qualify that they didnt have much money at the time. With his older brother Toy, he formed the southern rock band the Marshall Tucker Band in 1973 and played bass and was its original frontman until his death in 1980. You have permission to edit this article. Our biggest, largest drawing audience is 18-37 now. "So we couldn't find anything to write on because we were in that pickup truck. [7], The original members (and some later members) of the Marshall Tucker Band had been playing in various line-ups under different band names around the Spartanburg area since the early 1960s. "I'm guilty of watching The Voice. Doug Gray of The Marshall Tucker Band performs on June 5, 1976, in Atlanta, Georgia. Hold On Loosely 9. Two years later came "Fire on the Mountain," and in 1977, "Heard It in a Love Song.". Ended: 25 Feb . "The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. it was also the last Marshall Tucker Band album to feature founding member Tommy Caldwell who would lose his life in an automobile accident the same year the album was released.The album was released in 1980.The album hit number thirty two on the US Billboard Top 200 . To celebrate, the multi-platinum southern rock group will hit the road for its historic "50th Anniversary Tour." . MORE FROM FORBES ADVISOR Best Travel Insurance Companies By Amy Danise. The original Marshall Tucker Band broke up in 1984, but Doug Gray and Jerry Eubanks chose to continue on. and Amazon To install click the Add extension button. I hate it that Tommy and Toy and George are not here, Gray said. And she wrote that down and she said, 'You're talking about me, aren't you?!' The song just evolves on stage as this band with Gray at the helm blends jazz elements, southern rock excess and jam-band fundamentals. Southern rock fans will get to see Marshall Tucker at shows across the country throughout the rest of 2020. 38 on the Billboardcharts. If you want to know what the band's about in actuality, that's it. You drop everything into the pot and out comes the Marshall Tucker Band. Gray credits Marshall Tuckers continued success to many of the songs timeless lyrics that still connect so strongly with audiences. The band's current lineup consists of Gray on vocals, keyboard player and flautist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist Rick Willis, bassist Pat Elwood, and drummer B.B. "Not all of them win." One of the major Southern rock bands of the '70s, mixing country and rock with a touch of jazzy improvisation. Both groups, incidentally, became famous for their jazzy solos and extended jams. The Marshall Tucker Band had its hits in the '70s. The Marshall Tucker Band | Discografia | Discogs Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device. Doug Gray (born May 22, 1948) is an American singer, who is a founding member and lead vocalist of The Marshall Tucker Band. I always feel for any of these guys especially when we do songs like Fire On the Mountain, Gray said. He said Marshall Tucker opened some shows for the original Lynyrd Skynyrd band and became friends with frontman Ronnie Van Zant, who died in a plane crash in 1977. The Marshall Tucker story began with a group of high school friends in Spartanburg, South Carolina. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Marshall Tucker Band is right up there with Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Allman Brothers Band in terms of contributions to Southern Rock. Most Marshall Tucker Band fans would easily rate this the bands number one song. Take the Highway was also used in the movie. [3]. In its heyday, the Marshall Tucker of the 1970s had included brothers Toy Caldwell (on guitar) and Tommy Caldwell (on bass) plus Fire on the Mountain songwriter George McCorkle (on guitar). You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. During a radio interview in Hempstead, NY in 1973, Tommy Caldwell explained the origins of the band's name: "There's an old blind dude that tunes pianos, and his name is Marshall Tucker We didn't name the band after him, but we just kind of liked that name and stuck with it.". TommyCaldwell described the Marshall Tucker Band's music as progressivecountry, explaining that the band played countrymusic structures and riffs combined with jazz improvisation upon which more complex structures were built from the country music foundation. . Noted for incorporating blues, country and jazz into its eclectic sound, The Marshall Tucker Band helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s. It was June of 2007 when we lost the third original MTB member. I'm a puppet to what the audience wants to hear. Burton girls; Twin Springs boys win 2nd straight region title, VHSL QUARTERFINALS: Floyd County (boys), Wise Central (girls), J.I. And that has put this band back in demand, even as Gray now stands as the only original member remaining with the group. [21] According to Allmusic's Jeff Tamarkin, Toy Caldwell's guitar playing style was categorized by "flashy, jazzy licks"; the band has also been noted for extensive jamming. Toy Caldwell left for a solo career soon after, and the original lineup split in 1983. Life was upended for LaShonia Ingram over the past year, and a shadow still follows her around. Cant You See Larry Marano/Shutterstock Forty-seven years since forming in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and despite losing some of its original members . The concert is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. and will be free to attend. "When they do 'Can't You See' in front of 8, 9 million people, I always reach out to them. The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina, formed in 1972. The Marshall Tucker Band featuring Doug Gray, third from left performs on Saturday, May 20, in Greeneville, Tennessee. His death didn't end the Marshall Tucker . For their most recent release, the band dug into the vault and emerged with the original live recordings from its biggest show to date. Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. (November 13, 1947 - February 25, 1993) was the lead guitarist and main songwriter of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band. The band was formed in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1971 by singer Doug Gray, guitarist Caldwell, his brother bassist Tommy Caldwell, guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul Riddle, and reed player Jerry Eubanks. Doug Gray: Marshall Tucker Band's last original band member. The Marshall Tucker Band is a Southern rock band. "We had the commonality of having all grown up together in Spartanburg," explains Gray about his original MTB bandmates, guitar wizard Toy Caldwell and his brother, bassist Tommy Caldwell, alongside rhythm guitarist George McCorkle, drummer Paul T. Riddle, and flautist/saxophonist Jerry Eubanks. If theyre not pushing all the rest of the guys, theyre pushing me.. They've been in the band for 25 years. A few of Marshall Tucker Band's most beloved tour albums and songs are displayed . Some of these guys have been with me 20 and 25 years and theyre stronger than I am, in reality. And theyre playing their asses off to respect and honor Toy and Tommy., NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 23: (L-R) Chris Hicks, Marcus James Henderson and Doug Gray of the Marshall [+] Tucker Band perform live in concert at Sony Hall on August 23, 2019 in New York City. Original Marshall Tucker Band members included Gray, brothers Toy and Tommy Caldwell, George McCorkle, Paul T. Riddle and Jerry Eubanks. The Marshall Tucker Band - March 20, 2022 - Celebrity Theatre, Phoenix AZ . As Grey remarks, the result was so eclectic that the press didn't really know what to make of them as they failed to fit neatly in any pigeonhole. In celebration of the group's 50th anniversary, Gray and the rest of the group's current members - guitarists Rick Willis and Chris Hicks, drummer B.B. Marshall Tucker Band Founder Dies After Car Crash - Rock and Roll Paradise ", Doug Gray of The Marshall Tucker Band performs on June 5, 1976, in Atlanta, Georgia. Flirtin' With Disaster 10.