Records and Roots: 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia' is an everlasting blast of country music

According to Charlie Daniels, "the devil went down to Georgia, he was lookin' for a soul to steal."Thus began the most monumental song in Daniels' career.The Charlie Daniels Band recorded "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" 45 years ago. The group entered Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, on Dec. 5, 1978. They came out with the flaming song that helped broaden Daniels in the country field and propelled him to superstar status in the realm of Southern rock.And it did not hurt one bit that the song was included in the John Travolta-starring blockbuster movie and soundtrack "Urban Cowboy." But that was in 1980. By then, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" had attained million-selling status.In the song, the devil "went down to Georgia, he was lookin' for a soul to steal." The premise of the song is that the devil bet a "fiddle of gold against" the soul of Johnny, whom he challenged to a duel of fiddles.But why do you think Daniels chose the fiddle? It's the instrument waged in the battle between the devil and "this young man sawin' on a fiddle and playin' it hot." No question about it, Daniels was a far more accomplished guitar player than fiddler, as evidenced by his studio session work on three Bob Dylan albums: "Nashville Skyline" in 1969, "Self Portrait" in 1970 and "New Morning" in 1970.So, why the fiddle? Myriad thoughts and theories abound, but it's inarguable that the fiddle was long known as "the devil's box." A North Carolinian by birth and steeped well in the traditions of Southern gospel and bluegrass, Daniels knew that too.Well into the 20th century, most local to nationally known country and bluegrass acts would not use a fiddle onstage or record with it when playing gospel music. Shoot, the entire early catalog of perhaps country gospel's most successful group of them all, the Chuck Wagon Gang, was recorded without a fiddle.Take Bill Monroe. He came to be known as "the Father of Bluegrass." Of course, bluegrass is known for its acoustic instrumentation, lineups that almost always include a fiddle.Granted, when Bill and brother Charlie Monroe recorded the Carter Family's "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Oct. 12, 1936, there was no such terminology as bluegrass attached to any style of music. Regardless, the song contains no fiddle.Ten years later, Bill Monroe, with perhaps his greatest lineup of Blue Grass Boys, recorded "Wicked Path of Sin" on Sept. 17, 1946, in Chicago — without a fiddle, even though he employed one of the finest fiddlers in the genre's history, Chubby Wise.And so, Charlie Daniels made sense. The devil plays the fiddle in "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," not the guitar or banjo or mandolin and so on. We know how the story in the song goes. The devil loses the fiddle-off with Johnny. In so doing, he loses his golden fiddle. Or, in another way to view the song, good triumphs over evil.The Charlie Daniels Band emerged as the biggest winner. The song peaked at No. 1 on Billboard's country singles chart on Aug. 25, 1979. To that point, Daniels had lodged just two singles in country's top 40, neither of which were hits or named "Long Haired Country Boy."In those days, rock radio was much more likely to play music by the Charlie Daniels Band. They were deemed among America's leading Southern rock bands. Consequently, Daniels' 1973 breakthrough, "Uneasy Rider," peaked at No. 9 on Billboard's pop singles chart and just No. 67 on the country side.Indeed, until the devil picked up his golden fiddle and went down to Georgia, music by the Charlie Daniels Band was more often heard on America's radio stations alongside the Rolling Stones and the Jackson 5 than Merle Haggard and George Jones. Those were the days.After "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," Daniels lodged just three more songs on pop radio's hit parade. None of the three ventured into the top 10. However, on the country side, Daniels sent 24 songs into Billboard's top 100 singles chart, two of which struck the top 10.Largely upon the bow of Johnny who slayed the devil, Charlie Daniels earned induction as a member in the hallowed Country Music Hall of Fame in 2016, four years before his death. He has yet to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Now, it's 45 years later. And still "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" firmly resides alongside "Long Haired Country Boy" as two of the bona fide signature songs of the legendary Charlie Daniels Band. Hear those songs today. They sound as vibrant and pointed as when they were new.