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The Marshall Tucker Band

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The Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band on July 4, 2006
Marshall Tucker Band on July 4, 2006
Background information
OriginSpartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Genres
Years active1972–present
LabelsCapricorn, Warner Bros., Mercury, Cabin Fever, Ramblin'
MembersDoug Gray (original member)
Marcus James Henderson
Chris Hicks
Rick Willis
Tony Black
B.B. Borden
Past membersJerry Eubanks (original member)
Toy Caldwell (original member) (d.1993)
George McCorkle (original member) (d.2007)
Paul Riddle (original member)
Tommy Caldwell (original member) (d.1980)
Franklin Wilkie
Stuart Swanlund
Rusty Milner
Tim Lawter
Ronnie Godfrey
Bobby Ogdin
Bob Wray
James Stroud
Tom Robb
Ace Allen
Don Cameron
Frank Toler
Mark Pettey
Ronald Radford
Todd Davis
Paul Thompson
Garry Guzzardo
David Muse
Clay Cook
Tony Heatherly
Pat Elwood
Websitewww.marshalltucker.com

The Marshall Tucker Band is an American rock band from Spartanburg, South Carolina. 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.[1] While the band had reached the height of its commercial success by the end of the decade, the band has recorded and performed continuously under various lineups for 45 years.[1]

The original lineup of the Marshall Tucker Band, formed in 1972, included lead guitarist, vocalist, and primary songwriter Toy Caldwell (1947–1993), lead vocalist Doug Gray (born 1948), keyboard player, saxophone player, and flautist Jerry Eubanks (born 1950), rhythm guitarist George McCorkle (1947–2007), drummer Paul Riddle (born 1953), and bassist Tommy Caldwell (1949–1980). They signed with Capricorn Records and in 1973 released their first LP, The Marshall Tucker Band.

After Tommy Caldwell was killed in an automobile accident in 1980, he was replaced by bassist Franklin Wilkie. Most of the original band members had left by the mid-1980s to pursue other projects.[2] The band's current lineup 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. Borden.[3]

Origin of the name

The "Marshall Tucker" in the band's name does not refer to a band member, but rather a Spartanburg-area blind piano tuner.[4] While the band was discussing possible band names one evening in an old warehouse they had rented for rehearsal space, someone noticed that the warehouse's door key had the name "Marshall Tucker" inscribed on it, and suggested they call themselves "The Marshall Tucker Band," not realizing it referred to an actual person. It later came to light that Marshall Tucker, the blind piano tuner, had rented the space before the band, and his name was inscribed on the key.[5] In his book, Top Pop Singles, 1955-2002, music historian Joel Whitburn attributes "Marshall Tucker" to the owner of the band's rehearsal hall.[6]

History

Early history

The original members (and some later members) of the Marshall Tucker Band had been playing in various lineups under different band names around the Spartanburg area since the early 1960s. In 1966, members of several such bands merged to form the Toy Factory, named after guitarist Toy Caldwell. The Toy Factory's constantly shifting lineup included, at times, Caldwell, his younger brother Tommy, Doug Gray, Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle, and Franklin Wilkie. In the late 1960s, four of the bandmembers served in the U.S. Armed Forces;[7][8][9] Toy Caldwell was wounded in Vietnam.[10]

By the 1970s, Toy Caldwell and George McCorkle had returned to Spartanburg, and the Toy Factory had resumed playing in area clubs.[11] In 1970 the Toy Factory was the opening act for the Allman Brothers when the Allmans played at the "Sitar" music lounge in Spartanburg. [citation needed]

In 1972, Caldwell and McCorkle once again revamped the band's lineup, eventually settling on Tommy Caldwell on bass, George McCorkle rhythm guitar, vocalist Doug Gray, and Jerry Eubanks, flute/tenor sax, while adding Paul Riddle on drums; the new lineup adopted the name "Marshall Tucker Band." Wet Willie lead singer Jimmy Hall told Toy Caldwell to book the band at Grant's Lounge in Macon which he did. After hearing the band play at Grant's, Buddy Thornton and Paul Hornsby recorded the band's demo at Capricorn Studios in Macon, Ga. Frank Fenter and Phil Walden signed The Marshall Tucker Band based on those demos.

1970s

The Marshall Tucker Band's self-titled debut, produced by Paul Hornsby, was released in 1973, and certified gold in 1975.[12] All of the tracks were written by Toy Caldwell, including "Can't You See", which was released in 1973 on Capricorn 0023 ("Bubbled Under" at No. 108 on 1 September 1973) and re-released in 1977 on Capricorn 0278 (peaked at No. 75 on 24 September 1977). After the album's release, the band began touring, playing upwards of 300 shows per year throughout the decade.[12] Southern rock fiddler Charlie Daniels later recalled that the Marshall Tucker Band "came onstage and just blew it out from start to finish."[13]

Daniels' first of many collaborations with the Marshall Tucker Band came on the band's second album, A New Life,[13] which was released in 1974, and certified gold in 1977.[12] Daniels and blues guitarist Elvin Bishop were among several musicians that joined the band for Where We All Belong,[13] a double-album (one studio album and one live album) released by the band in 1974 and certified gold that same year. The following year the band's Searchin' for a Rainbow was also certified gold the year of its release, and contained the track "Fire on the Mountain," which peaked at No. 38 on the Billboard charts. Long Hard Ride, the band's fifth consecutive gold album, was released in 1976,[13] and its instrumental title track (which again features Charlie Daniels on fiddle) was nominated for a Grammy.[14] Carolina Dreams, released in 1977 and certified platinum that same year, proved to be the band's most commercially successful album, and included the track "Heard It in a Love Song," which reached No. 14 on the Billboard charts.[12] The band's final Capricorn release came with 1978's Together Forever, which was produced by Stewart Levine.[13] Following the bankruptcy of Capricorn, The Marshall Tucker Band moved to Warner Bros. Records for their ninth album, Running Like the Wind (the band's eighth release was a compilation album entitled Greatest Hits), and they retained Levine as the album's producer.

1980s

Following the completion of the band's tenth album, entitled Tenth, tragedy struck The Marshall Tucker Band. On April 22, 1980, the band's bassist and co-founder, Tommy Caldwell, suffered massive head trauma in a car wreck and died six days later. Former Toy Factory bassist Franklin Wilkie replaced Caldwell, but the band was never able to recapture its commercial success of the 1970s. On 1982's Tuckerized, only two songs were written by band members; 'Sea, Dreams & Fairy Tales' by Toy Caldwell and 'Sweet Elaine' by George McCorkle. Main songwriter Toy Caldwell only contributed three songs to each of the two albums released in 1983; Just Us and Greetings from South Carolina. After 1983's Greetings from South Carolina, all the rest of the original band members split, sans Doug Gray and Jerry Eubanks.[1]

In 1988 Gray and Eubanks recorded the album Still Holdin' On, their one and only release on the Mercury Records label. Although Gray and Eubanks added new members Rusty Milner, Stuart Swanlund, and Tim Lawter, Still Holdin' On was primarily recorded with studio musicians. The newer members (including newly added keyboardist Don Cameron) had a much greater role, however, on the band's 1990 album, Southern Spirit, released on the Sisaspa label. The album marked a return to the band's country and blues roots.[15]

1990s

In 1992, the Marshall Tucker Band produced its first album for the Cabin Fever label, Still Smokin', which managed to crack the top 70 on the Billboard charts. The band's 1993 release, Walk Outside the Lines, marked a transition to a more country sound, relying less on long improvised jams that were the trademark of the band's early career.[16] The album's title track was co-written by country music star Garth Brooks, a long-time fan of the band who considered writing a track for them a "milestone" in his career.[12]

For 1998's Face Down In the Blues, the band added Spartanburg-area guitarist Ronald Radford and Firefall's multi-instrumentalist David Muse, the latter replacing Jerry Eubanks, who had retired in 1996.[13] Gospel, the band's 1999 album, featured the band's rendition of traditional songs such as The Wayfaring Stranger and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, and several original tracks.

Recent history

The Marshall Tucker Band continued recording and performing into the 21st century, playing between 150 and 200 shows per year.[5] The band reissued many of its albums from the 1970s on its new Ramblin' Records label, as well as two two-disc compilations, the first (Anthology) being a 30-year retrospective and the second (Where a Country Boy Belongs) being a collection of the band's country songs. In 2004, they released another studio album, Beyond the Horizon, and the following year released a Christmas album, Carolina Christmas.

Can't You See was used for the opening and closing credits of the Kevin Costner 2008 motion picture Swing Vote. Take the Highway was also used in the movie.

"Can't You See" is also used in the 2001 film Blow, and the 2017 film I, Tonya.

Music style

The band has incorporated throughout its career elements of diverse genres into its sound, most frequently blues,[17][18][19][20] country[17][18][20] and jazz.[17][20] The band has also drawn from boogie,[19] psychedelic,[21] R&B,[21]gospel,[21] folk[21] and rock and roll.[18] According to Allmusic's Jeff Tamarkin, Toy Caldwell's guitar playing style was categorized by "flashy, jazzy llicks; the band has also been noted for extensive jamming.[22]

The band's eclectic musical style has predominately been categorized as Southern rock.[18][20][23][24][25][26] The band's music has also been categorized as blues rock,[22] country rock,[23] jazz rock[23] and as a "proto-jam band".[22] Billboard charts have categorized the band as country, blues and adult contemporary.[20]

The band's self-titled debut album was categorized as country rock,[21] progressive rock[23] and "a Southern rock classic".[27] Guitarist/songwriter Toy Caldwell drew heavily from bluegrass and country while writing songs for the band's debut.[19] The follow-up album, A New Life, was categorized as having more of a country sound.[17][28] Where We All Belong has been described as a "classic rock and roll album".[29] The band's 1979 album Running Like the Wind features a pop rock and jazz fusion sound.[23] The follow-up Tenth album featured a boogie rock sound.[30] The band's 1998 album Face Down in the Blues consisted, as its title implies, entirely of blues music.[20]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album Chart positions RIAA Label
US US Country CAN
1973 The Marshall Tucker Band 29 — — Gold Capricorn
1974 A New Life 37 — 35 Gold
Where We All Belong 54 — 91 Gold
1975 Searchin' for a Rainbow 15 21 — Gold
1976 Long Hard Ride 32 21 64 —
1977 Carolina Dreams 23 22 7 Platinum
1978 Together Forever 22 26 24 Gold
1979 Running Like the Wind 30 — — — Warner Bros.
1980 Tenth 32 — — —
1981 Dedicated 53 — — —
1982 Tuckerized 95 — — —
1983 Just Us 204 — — —
Greetings from South Carolina 202 — — —
1988 Still Holdin' On — — — — Mercury
1990 Southern Spirit — — — — Capitol
1992 Still Smokin' — — — — Cabin Fever
1993 Walk Outside the Lines — — — —
1998 Face Down in the Blues — — — — K-Tel
1999 Gospel — — — —
2003 Stompin' Room Only — — — — Shout! Factory
2004 Beyond the Horizon — — — —
2005 Carolina Christmas — — — —
2007 The Next Adventure — — — —

Live albums

Year Album Chart positions RIAA Label
US US Country CAN
2006 Live on Long Island 04-18-80 — — — — Shout! Factory
2008 Carolina Dreams Tour '77 — — — —
2010 Way Out West! Live From San Francisco 1973 — — — —
2013 Live! From Spartanburg, South Carolina — — — —

Compilation albums

Year Album Chart positions RIAA Label
US US Country CAN
1978 Greatest Hits 67 19 68 Platinum Capricorn
1994 The Capricorn Years — — — — Era
1996 Country Tucker — — — — K-Tel
1997 The Encore Collection — — — — BMG
MT Blues — — — — K-Tel
2005 Anthology — — — — Shout! Factory
2006 Where a Country Boy Belongs — — — —
2008 Collector's Edition — — — — Madacy
2009 Love Songs — — — — Shout! Factory
Essential 3.0 — — — —
2011 Greatest Hits — — — — Ramblin'

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US US Country US Rock CAN CAN Country CAN AC
1973 "Can't You See" 108 — — — — — The Marshall Tucker Band
"Take the Highway" — — — — — —
1974 "Another Cruel Love" — — — — — — A New Life
1975 "This Ol' Cowboy" 78 — — — — — Where We All Belong
"Fire on the Mountain" 38 — — 81 — — Searchin' for a Rainbow
1976 "Searchin' for a Rainbow" 104 82 — — — —
"Long Hard Ride" — 63 — — — — Long Hard Ride
1977 "Heard It in a Love Song" 14 51 — 5 38 24 Carolina Dreams
"Can't You See" (Re-release) 75 — — 57 — 39 Greatest Hits
1978 "Dream Lover" 75 — — 80 — — Together Forever
"I'll Be Loving You" — — — — — —
1979 "Last of the Singing Cowboys" 42 — — 97 — — Running Like the Wind
"Running Like the Wind" — — — — — —
1980 "It Takes Time" 79 — — — — — Tenth
"Without You" — — — — — —
1981 "This Time I Believe" 106 — — — — — Dedicated
"Silverado" — — 60 — — —
"Tell the Blues to Take Off the Night" — — — — — —
"Love Some" — — — — — —
1982 "Mr. President" — — — — — — Tuckerized
"Reachin' for a Little Bit More" — — — — — —
1983 "A Place I've Never Been" — 62 — — — — Just Us
1987 "Hangin' Out in Smokey Places" — 44 — — — — Still Holdin' On
1988 "Once You Get the Feel of It" — 79 — — — —
"Still Holdin' On" — — — — — —
1992 "Driving You Out of My Mind" — 68 — — — — Still Smokin'
1993 "Walk Outside the Lines" — 71 — — — — Walk Outside the Lines
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Music videos

Year Video Director
1981 "Even a Fool Would Let Go"
1992 "Driving You Out of My Mind" George Bloom[31]
1993 "Walk Outside the Lines" D. Gray, J. Gerik
"Down We Go" D. Gray, J. Gerik, K. Mandel[32]

References

  1. ^ a b c Colin Larkin (ed.), "Marshall Tucker Band." The Encyclopedia of Popular Music, Vol. 5, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2006), pp. 521–522.
  2. ^ Ted Olson, "Marshall Tucker Band." The Encyclopedia of Country Music: The Ultimate Guide to the Music (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), pp. 325–326.
  3. ^ The Marshall Tucker Band – Current and former members page. 2009. Retrieved: 9 June 2009.
  4. ^ Herring, Melissa (February 15, 1983). "Blind piano tuner turns talent into a key business". Associated Press. Retrieved 2016-01-13.
  5. ^ a b The Marshall Tucker Band – Biography. 2009. Retrieved: 9 June 2009.
  6. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research, Inc. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  7. ^ "GEORGE MCCORKLE". georgemccorkle.com. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  8. ^ Ryan (May 4, 2011). "Marshall Tucker Band to Entertain Troops in Iraq & Kuwait". marshalltucker.com. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  9. ^ Dudley Brown (Jun 29, 2003). "Marines salute Hutchings, Caldwells". =Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved 3 June 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  10. ^ "Toy Caldwell Jr., 45, a Founder of the Marshall Tucker Band". The New York Times. February 26, 1993. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
  11. ^ Michael B. Smith, Toy Caldwell's Carolina Dreams. Tuckerhead.com. Retrieved: 9 June 2009.
  12. ^ a b c d e James Elliott, "Marshall Tucker Band." Definitive Country: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Country Music and its Performers (New York: Berkley Publishing Group, 1995), pp. 504-505.
  13. ^ a b c d e f Barry Alfonso, Notes to The Marshall Tucker Band: Anthology [CD liner notes]. Ramblin' Records, 2005.
  14. ^ Amy Cortner, "Marshall Tucker Band." Encyclopedia of Appalachia (Knoxville, Tenn.: University of Tennessee Press, 2006). p. 1186.
  15. ^ Tuckerhead.com, Still Holdin' On Review. 2002–2008. Retrieved: 9 June 2009.
  16. ^ Craig Cumberland, Walk Outside the Lines Review. Retrieved: 9 June 2009.
  17. ^ a b c d http://www.southernrockbrasil.com.br/2012/10/marshall-tucker-band-new-life-review.html?m=1
  18. ^ a b c d http://www.longislandernews.com/life-and-style/the-marshall-tucker-band-brings-southern-rock-to-the-paramount
  19. ^ a b c https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/50-rock-albums-every-country-fan-should-own-20141112/the-marshall-tucker-band-the-marshall-tucker-band-1973-20141112
  20. ^ a b c d e f https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-marshall-tucker-band-mn0000052382
  21. ^ a b c d e https://www.allmusic.com/album/r347200
  22. ^ a b c https://www.allmusic.com/album/live-on-long-island-4-18-80-mw0000445891
  23. ^ a b c d e http://www.glorydazemusic.com/articles.php?article_id=4146
  24. ^ https://www.axs.com/the-marshall-tucker-band-southern-jam-kings-32507
  25. ^ http://m.digitaljournal.com/entertainment/music/op-ed-marshall-tucker-band-puts-on-the-best-southern-rock-show-of-2017/article/510984
  26. ^ http://beneathadesertsky.com/2017/10/15/the-marshall-tucker-band-brings-its-southern-rock-to-talking-stick-resort-showroom/
  27. ^ https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2007/11/the-marshall-tucker-band-searchin-for-a-rainbow23.html
  28. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/r12463
  29. ^ http://swampland.com/reviews/view/title:where_we_all_belong
  30. ^ Rob Theakston. "Tenth - The Marshall Tucker Band | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  31. ^ "CMT : Videos : The Marshall Tucker Band : Driving You Out of My Mind". Retrieved 2011-04-17.
  32. ^ "CMT : Videos : The Marshall Tucker Band : Down We Go". Country Music Television. Retrieved 2011-10-14.
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