by Karen Rose
Originally published in Big Island Weekly January 2014
This month, the iconic multi-platinum selling Marshall Tucker Band kicks off it’s 43rd
year on the road. Their 2014 tour,”Take The Highway” kicks off in Hawaii and performs
at Kona Brewing Company on Friday, January 10th.
One of the perks of writing about bands is being invited on stage to sing along!
The Marshall Tucker Band took the music scene by storm in the early ‘70s with their
Southern Rock sound and have been rocking ever since. With such hits as “Heard It in a
Love Song” and “Can’t You See”, their steller sound continues to excite crowds and
garner a loyal fan base.
One of the major Southern rock bands of the 1970’s, the Marshall Tucker Band was formed
in Spartanburg, SC, in 1971 by singer Doug Gray, guitarist Toy Caldwell (born 1948,
died February 25, 1993), his brother bassist Tommy Caldwell (born 1950, died April 28,
1980), guitarist George McCorkle (born 1947, died June 29th, 2007), drummer Paul
Riddle, and reed player Jerry Eubanks.
Big Island Weekly had the opportunity to speak with lead singer Doug Gray about his
musical past and what he thinks about today’s popular music. Gray’s southern charm and
spirited drawl were very engaging and likeable, just like one would imagine when
listening to him belt out “Fire on the Mountain.”
BIW – “Who are some musicians that you’ve especially enjoyed playing with and why?”
DG – “Well I think Eric Clapton would be the one because he walks in and he’s kind of
laid back and someone who just sits there and plays. I’ve played with BB King, Carlos
Santana – all these different people from jazz musicians to the Allman Brothers, we’ve all
sat down and play together. One of the most important things here is anyone who wants
to play can play. Hopefully musicians will show up for this show and get on stage as
BIW – “Growing up, what type of band did you fantasize about being in and how did you
get your original band together?”
DG – “In this case, we all went to high school together. We just wanted to be the best
band we could possibly be. We knew that there were a couple of guys in Spartanburg
that were overwhelmingly good musicians and every time we talked to these guys, they
wanted to be in the same band as well. So when we all got back from Vietnam and
settled down we did that. Then some of us got married and some of us got stupid, but we
had a great time.”
BIW – “What was your favorite decade of music and why?”
DG – “I’d say 1960s, because people were free and nobody was paying attention to who
was doing what drug, they were just playing music to please people. We never worried
about what was the next step, we only worried about what was happening right then. The
60s were good the 70s were even better. In the 80s all of a sudden came Saturday Night
Fever which didn’t do us any good at all.”
BIW – “How have you seen the music scene change throughout the 40 years you’ve been performing?
DG – “Well Miley Cyrus hasn’t showed me anything at all. I like people who show
emotion in their music. Usher is good, and Dione Warwick was good for a period of
time. All of these people show us what real music is all about. When you sit down with
somebody and want to share a lyric with them, or you have a girlfriend sit down with you
and say “Oh, tell me something sweet”, you want it to be better than good. Most things
are already written so we could write all day long and it would be hard to write
something new that gets you emotionally turned on. I think with Marshall Tucker Band –
if you listen to our old music and our new music as well – you’ll understand that it’s a big
part of our music and why our following is still so loyal. I’m really looking forward to
the show and performing – it’s always good.”