“Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.”
From the Encyclopedia of Southern Culture.

The Music industry has seen  a lot of changes over the years. Probably one of neatest to watch has been Artists/Musicians making the digital, and social media transition. 

Not so long ago, the only way you were able to talk to a Celebrity would be if you ran into them on a plane, got back stages passes, scored ‘meet and greet’ tickets before/after a concert or knew someone, that knew someone.  Aside from a chance encounter, what you learned about them was only what you saw on TV, heard on the radio or read in the papers.
A bulky layer of separation. 

Social Media is changing that. Even for people in the industry, there were still managers, assistants and/or representatives, that you would have to go through.  Now you can go online and see what is on just about any celebrities mind, and start a conversation with them.


Charlie Daniels is a great example of a Music Icon who is making the conversion to Social Media seamlessly and with ease, giving accessibility to his fans, media professionals and other artists.  Not only has Charlie been blogging since the year 2000, he is on Facebook, has a very smart phone, and an iPad he tweets er maybe we could say he “Twiddles” from. His posts across all social interactive platforms run the gamut from sports to politics, memories and quotes, thoughts, prayers and hopes, military support, nature, his family, snowmobiling and an assortment of many other things that show the authentic, candid, straight from the hip, down-to-earth man that he is.  And on any given Sunday you can even kick it with him on Twitter, and discuss whatever NFL game or NASCAR race is on TV.

It is an absolute honor to let you know that I will have him as a quest on Country Music Chat aka #CMchat Monday January 23, at 6pm PT/9pmET.

Known for his fiddle playing, Charlie Daniels is a music icon that has been performing for over 50 years including song writes and appearances with the likes of Elvis Presley, Marty Robbins, Bob Dylan, Hank Williams Jr, Marshall Tucker Band, Kid Rock, to name a few. But if you asked any of them, I am pretty sure they would say that they performed with Charlie Daniels.

During Charlie Daniels career, he has scored hits on the rock, country, pop and Christian charts with awards from the Country Music Association (CMA), Academy of Country Music (ACM), TNN/Music City News Awards, the Gospel Music Association (GMA), and a Grammy among his many.

Did I mention that last year Charlie Daniels turned 75? He celebrated his life with an appearance at the Country Music Hall of Fame and a birthday bash at the Grand Ole Opry.

Born in Wilmington, NC, he was raised on a musical diet that included Pentecostal gospel, local bluegrass bands, rhythm & blues, and country music from the radio. His signature song, “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” topped both country and pop charts, bringing him international acclaim.

His style is a mixture of rock, country, bluegrass, blues, and gospel.

Charlie’s signature “bull rider” hat and belt buckle, his lifestyle on Twin Pines Ranch that he shares with his lovely wife Hazel, his passion for horses, championship rodeo, Western movies, and Louis L’Amour novels, identifies the man we all love.

He has even been honored by the Pentagon with the Office of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Exceptional Public Service award for his support of military personnel and has been awarded the AmVet Silver Helmet award, an annual award that recognizes excellence and achievement in Americanism, defense, rehabilitation, congressional service and other fields, by the AmVets, an organization formed by WWII veterans.

I hope you will join us! The one-hour chat is a Q & A format led by me (Jessica Northey) and will start at 6pm PT/9p ET.

You can follow the chat on this website, or use the hashtag #CMchat in your tweets will show up in the stream for other chat participants to view. When you sign into this website it will let you view the chat in real-time at your own speed and the #CMchat hashtag will automatically appear on your tweet.

If you are on Tweetdeck, Hootsuite or on the Twitter.com platform just click on the #CMchat hashtag and a window should open for you.

Entering its 8th month, #CMchat has generated over 500 million impressions on Twitter with an average weekly reach well over 1 million according to Hashtracking.com. #CMchat“Where Country Music Meets YOU” is the first and only registered LIVE “Country Music Chat” on Twitter, hosted by it’s founder Jessica Northey and dedicated to all things Country Music including different topics from getting your music played on radio to Social Media strategy and of course getting the inside scoop from Country Music Musicians, Broadcasting Personalities, Radio and Label Executives and Fans alike! This community is an open-forum and you are always invited to come chitter on Twitter with Country Music’s best!

If you have any specific questions you want me to ask Charlie Daniels you can leave them hear, on Facebook or tweet me with the #CMchat hashtag!

MORE INFO ABOUT CHARLIE DANIELS HERE