Died On This Date (January 12, 2011) Tommy Crain / Charlie Daniels Band; Co-wrote “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”
themusicsover Tommy Crain
January 16, 1951 – January 12, 2011
Tommy Crain was, simply put, one of the foundations of Southern Rock. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, Crain first took up the piano at just six years of age. After a neighbor soon taught him to play the ukulele, he won a talent contest at his school and decided to devote his life to music. Next, he mastered the guitar and banjo, and began playing in local rock bands throughout high school. During the early ’70s, he formed a band called Buckeye who was invited to play the opening slot at Charlie Daniels’ very first Volunteer Jam Festival there in Nashville. And when Daniels needed a new guitarist about a year later, he hired Crain. Crain played in the Charlie Daniels Band for the better part of the next twenty years and co-wrote more than 50 of the band’s songs including Daniels’ signature tune, “The Devil Went Down To Georgia.” The song earned Crain a Grammy in 1980. He left Daniels in 1989 to work on his own projects which most recently included Tommy Crain & the Crosstown Allstars. Crain died in his sleep on January 14, 2011, just days before what would have been his 60th birthday. Cause of death was not immediately released. The group’s Taz DiGregorio also passed away in 2011.
Thanks to Jon Grimson for the assist.
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