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County fair

This band's Southern rock still rolling

One original member continues the legacy and classic hits of the Marshall Tucker Band, three decades after the band hit it big.

By LOGAN NEILL
Published April 15, 2005

Walk into any bar or nightclub in the South, and you're likely to hear a local country band reeling off a Marshall Tucker Band tune that's likely to conjure up memories of a time when Southern rock ruled the radio airwaves.

The fact that the band's laid-back, country rock twang still sounds fresh after 34 years is testament to its musical legacy, says lead singer Doug Gray.

Gray, the only original member still in the band, thinks the band, which will perform at 2 p.m. April 24 at the Hernando County Fair, was able to capture a sound that resonated with a wide audience.

"I've always thought that you could play our version of Can't You See on the radio today, and most people would think it was a new record," Gray told the Times in an interview. "There is definitely a link there that the country guys are getting into."

For his part, Gray is something of a rock 'n' roll survivor, having spent a good portion of his professional music career learning, as he puts it, "the high cost of success." He watched as the band rapidly rose from its humble Spartanburg, S.C., roots to become one of the hottest-selling rock groups during the 1970s. He was also there when the bottom fell out. Through it all, however, the integrity of the band's music never suffered.

"There's no question that nostalgia is what still brings people out to see us," Gray said. "We're still playing all of the classic songs, but we're moving ahead into other styles as well. It's still a fun band to play in."

The history of the Marshall Tucker Band is not unlike many rock groups of the era. Under the leadership of lead guitarist and songwriter Toy Caldwell, whose early 1970s band Toy Factory had earned fame in and around Spartanburg, the band melded country, bluegrass, blues and jazz into a unique, ear-friendly sound.

With the 1973 release of its self-titled debut album, the band quickly went to work finding an audience.

"Those were hellacious days," Gray recalled. "We did somewhere between 325 and 350 shows that first year, trying to get our name out there."

Despite good regional air play, the band's first Top 40 hit didn't come until 1975's Fire on the Mountain . Over the years, platinum-selling songs such as Can't You See , Heard It in a Love Song , 24 Hours at a Time an d Searchin' for a Rainbow would earn the band a legion of loyal fans.

But the success would begin to unravel within a few years. In 1980, bassist Tommy Caldwell (Toy's brother) died in a car crash. Four years later, Toy Caldwell left the group to pursue solo interests. He died of heart failure in 1993. Gray and original band mates George McCorkle, Jerry Eubanks and Paul T. Riddle carried on for a while until everyone except Gray decided they'd had enough.

These days, Gray accepts the responsibility of carrying on the band's legacy with pride. He feels he owes it to the faithful who have supported the band for years.

"It never ceases to amaze me how this music affects people," Gray said. "People tell me all the time how they got married to our music, and I know of a few that got buried to it as well. You can't help but be humbled by that kind of devotion."

[Last modified April 15, 2005, 00:49:17]