Growing up as a kid, I remember countless times I woke on Saturday to my dad playing Charlie Daniels songs on his acoustic guitar, and anytime I go out to the garage to work I’m reminded of the hundreds of hours we spent working on projects together with CDB blaring in the background. Christmas drives to visit family almost always featured Charlie’s Christmas album…and it’s never Christmas season in my world until I’ve played that album myself.

When I struck out on my own in college, 9 hours from college, and my sense of country, loyalty, and belief were being solidified in the wake of 9-11, Charlie Daniels would regularly post on a blog his “soap box” comments regarding faith and culture, always with an eloquence, clarity, and brevity that was hard to match. (He posted his last thoughts publicly for independence day https://www.charliedaniels.com/soap-box) His song, The Last Fallen Hero, stands as emotional reminder of the time we lived in and the feelings I felt.

Charlie Daniels has written crude, controversial, and crazy songs, he’s by no means a neutral figure. But for all the criticism you can throw at songs, he’s been a man who’s lived a remarkably good life example. He’s been a faithfully committed husband to one wife. He’s not poured his money into lavish mansions or possessions. He’s never been in the headlines for an arrest or addiction to my knowledge. He’s politely and calmly represented his opinions. He’s remained an entertainer to the end, one who truly loved the concert and songwriting and stuck to it. The few times I met Charlie Daniels, backstage at one of his small concert venues, he was always relatable and sincere.

I am obviously biased in my views on Charlie, because I grew up in close proximity to the man and his music. That’s because he was my father’s hero. He’s the songwriter my dad often aspires to be when he puts pen to paper. He had a gift for writing songs that bring our minds to our best selves. He’s a good man, balancing a country heart, a Christian attitude, and a desire to make a difference in this world. And he was a good man to the end. Ever open, honest, and relatable. We need more men like him.

If you are reading this, my hope is that you aspire to be a lifelong example for others as well: of faith, of faithfulness, patriotism, gratitude, and resilience.