These last few weeks I have indeed released a long list of articles covering albums released in the past year that got reissued that year with all the bonus bells and whistles. Another one of those I am working on right now as well as this article here. This one here is not really an album, but an event in itself which contains a long on again off again history through those 50 years. In all honesty it has not transpired every year of these 50 years, for many reasons, however it still remains one of history’s most influential music festivals of all time.
Back in 1974 The Charlie Daniels Band began one of the nation’s first ever single day indoor event in music history he called the Volunteer Jam, because Tennessee is the Volunteer state. The first six concerts that happened yearly were recorded on vinyl and are highly collectable and brought many of the Southern Rock Legends like Grinderswitch to the forefront of mainstream society. They used this as his homecoming concert at the end of a long tour and it ended up being a one-day festival of like 10 bands.
The last of the numbered Jams that happened annually was number XVI, and it happened in 1996, which was the year I moved to Nashville to pursue this type of work like journalism. In 1999, he took the Jam on the road kind of like what Willie Nelson does with his Outlaw tour, and that previous year in 2000 he also toured. Then again in 2007 and 2008 he again toured.
In 2015 they had an unofficial 40-year anniversary of the Jam, just like this year where they are celebrating 50 years of it today. It is basically for history lovers like me that delve into the dates and people involved with events like this one that brought us many acts. Everyone from the Gaitlin Brothers to Molly Hatchet has graced the stage of the arena that holds this event. Here is where you can buy the 50 year merchandise.
It’s the sale FIFTY years in the making! Oct. 4 marks the 50th anniversary of the very first Volunteer Jam concert which would go on to be a long-running series of concerts and CDB tours. To celebrate this milestone in CDB history, we’re launching the VolJam 50th Sale, just use code VOLJAM50 at checkout to save 30% on orders over $30!
“Ain’t It Good To Be Alive and Be in Tennessee!” October 4, 2020 marks 50 years since Charlie first uttered those words back at the very first Volunteer Jam concert at War Memorial Auditorium in October of 1974, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the landmark concert series, we’ve now got VolJam 50th Anniversary Tees!
The design is based on the 2022 cover for ‘Volunteer Jam 1 – 1974: The Legend Begins,’ the first time that the original concert had been heard since it was originally recorded for two live songs that appeared on the ‘Fire on the Mountain album.’ 100% Made in the USA! – TeamCDB
