Charlie Daniels is an imposing figure.
It's partly his looks: He's a big man, 6-foot-4, with a full beard, bullrider cowboy hats and oversize belt buckles.
It's partly his personality: He's made a career of unapologetic songs and political statements.
It's mostly his talent: As he proved in his 1979 Grammy-winning song, he can play a fiddle to put the devil in his place.
Tonight, this icon of Southern culture closes out the Riverbend Festival as the headliner on the Coca-Cola Stage.
In a recent phone interview, Mr. Daniels said he is a self-taught musician.
"I began playing fiddle when I was 15 year old," he said. "But before that, I'd already started playing guitar and mandolin."
In 1955, at age 18, he hit the road playing rock 'n' roll. Like many young musicians of the day, he had California on his mind. But by 1959, he'd hooked up with producer Bob Johnston, who realized Mr. Daniels' talent for not only playing music but writing it.
At Mr. Johnston's urging, Mr. Daniels moved to Nashville, where he began working as a session guitarist. By 1969, he was recording with such notables as Bob Dylan and producing for The Youngbloods, in addition to touring with singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen.
According to online sources, his first major break came with the novelty song "Uneasy Rider" in 1973, followed by "Long Haired Country Boy" and "The South's Gonna Do It," singles that propelled the album "Fire on the Mountain" to platinum status.
That was just the beginning. Nine of his albums have been certified gold or platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Million Mile Reflections," which contained the fiddle anthem "The Devil Went Down to Georgia," was three-times platinum, with sales exceeding 3 million units.
Now 73, he hasn't stopped.
"I've always got something to do, a piece of a song left to write," he said.
Fast factCharlie Daniels lives in Mount Juliet, Tenn., and plans to travel to about 90 cities in 2010. His 13-year-old grandson is part of his road crew. "He's been doing it all his life and is some of the best help I've ever had. He's an old road dog at 13."
Over the past year, Mr. Daniels has been inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame, earned a star on the Music City Walk of Fame, kicked off the Academy of Country Music Awards, starred in a Geico commercial and kicked off a tour of 90 cities.
"It's a blessing from the good Lord," he said.
Mr. Daniels will play a mix of old and new in his Riverbend show. Some of his older, hard-core Southern songs have been changed to reflect the role his faith plays in his life today, so it's more of a family show these days. There's no need to sing about drinking and drugs these days, he said. "There's enough of that without singing about it."