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Event brings a hometown feel

Eight years after C harlie Daniels moved his b enefit out of Pasco, l ocal singer Daniel Lee Martin will host a benefit here for The Angelus.

By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
Published November 10, 2006

It's been eight years since country star Charlie Daniels moved his annual benefit for The Angelus home for the developmentally disabled children and adults out of Pasco County, first to Coachman Park in Clearwater, then to the Ford Amphitheatre in Tampa.

Daniels still holds the concert each year to benefit the Hudson home.

Even so, his departure has distanced the hometown feel of the event from the locals.

Into the void has stepped local boy, country singer Daniel Lee Martin, who was born in St. Petersburg, was reared not far from The Angelus itself, but since 1997 has pursued a singing career in Nashville.

On Saturday, he will launch the Daniel Lee Martin Celebrity Country Club Classic & Concert, a one-day version of the three-day extravaganza that the Charlie Daniels' Charlie-Palooza (yup, that's its new name) has always been.

Proceeds of the golf tourney and the concert will go to The Angelus.

"I'm doing this in memory of my dad, Daniel N. Martin," Martin said from Nashville.

He's bringing along some of his music buddies and also his friends from baseball, including Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo, who released his first music album, Covering the Bases, in 2005.

The four sons of the late Roger Maris - Kevin, Roger Jr., Randy and Richard - will be among those paired with golfers for the Saturday tourney.

Others from baseball will be Darold Knowles and Jim Tuttle (Oakland A's), Bill Dancy (Philadelphia Phillies), Anthony Telford (Montreal Expos), Brian Meadows (Tampa Bay Devil Rays), Lee Elia (Chicago Cubs) and others.

Among the entertainers will be country artists PovertyNeck Hillbillies (Mister Right Now) and Jay Teter (Until You Find Your Mister Right).

The headliner at the concert will be Martin himself. He's expected to play tracks from his first album, All That I Am, and his recently released CD, Homespun Love.

The baseball connection isn't a fluke. At one time, Martin played, but more important, his record label, ChinMusic, was founded and is owned by baseball players. The name itself is a baseball term - when a pitcher hits a batter, by accident or otherwise.

As for golf, before his music and marketing careers, Martin was a professional golfer.

[Last modified November 9, 2006, 22:57:26]