Chan Daniels
January 1, 1940 – August 2, 1975
Chan Daniels was an original member of ’60s folk group, The Highwaymen who scored a couple of hits with “Michael,” and “Cotton Fields.” Formed in 1958, The Highwaymen were very popular along the college folk circuit due, in part, to their political songs. More pop-leaning and less confrontational than Bob Dylan or Phil Ochs, the Highwaymen found their audience alongside the likes of the Kingston Trio and New Christy Minstrals. The group disbanded in 1964 as Daniels, Bob Burnett and Steve Butts opted to go to grad school. They reunited on occasion in later years. Chan Daniels passed away on August 2, 1975.
I remember these guys from listening to their record “Gypsy Rover” and the flip side to their 45rpm record, “Cotton Fields” way back in 1961, when I was 6 years old, growing up in Connecticut. Both numbers were songs that really captured my heart back then! The record was released on United Artists. I was just doing some research on the web about The Highwaymen, and I just learned that their leader, Dave Fisher, passed away last May 12 of this year. I also found in Fisher’s obituary in the New York Times (online) the lawsuit that he and the other members of the group filed against Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Kris Kristofferson for copyright infringement-unlawfully using their group name in 1990. I was astounded when I found that!
Thanks for stopping by my site, Arthur, and for leaving your comment! In case you haven’t seen it, here is my memorial page for Dave Fisher
http://themusicsover.com/2010/05/07/dave-fisher/
Vince