From the archives: When Charlie Daniels came back to Wilmington
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A Wilmington musician's star was on the rise in the 1970s, but that didn't stop him from returning to his hometown.
According to the Wilmington Morning Star, on Jan. 21, 1977, Charlie Daniels was scheduled to land at New Hanover County Airport to promote a Charlie Daniels Band concert at Brogden Hall set for Jan. 30.
It was also a chance for Daniels to see family just 24 hours after performing as one of several bands at inauguration parties for new President Jimmy Carter.
According to the story, Daniels' mother, grandparents and several aunts were still living in the Port City.
Daniels, then 39 years old, was still two years from seeing his most successful hit "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." That propelled the Grand Ole Opry member into superstardom and eventually the Country Music Hall of Fame.
He identified himself as a “Dry Pond Boy” (after the Wilmington neighborhood) and continued to visit Wilmington. Daniels served as grand marshal of the 1995 Azalea Festival Parade and had a star inducted on the Wilmington Walk of Fame at the Cotton Exchange in 2001.
Daniels last performed in Wilmington at Thalian Hall in 2016 and passed away in 2020 at age 83.
This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: When Charlie Daniels came to Wilmington for a concert
