Festival Organizers Announce
2009 Miller Lite Great Lawn Entertainment
NEWS RELEASE
On the Waterfront presented by Associated Bank announces Charlie Daniels Band to kick off 2009 Festival
Rockford, IL- Let’s get this PARTY started! On the Waterfront presented by Associated Bank and Q98.5 welcome the legendary Charlie Daniels Band to kick off the 2009 Festival. Blue Hat Records’ Charlie Daniels Band will ride into Rockford with their outlaw style of country and southern rock on Thursday, September 3rd. Tickets go on sale Saturday, May 30th at noon and can be purchased online at www.onthewaterfront.com. A limited number of $5.00 general admission lawn seats will go on sale Saturday, May 2nd at the following locations:
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Cars R Us, corner of Hwy 173 & Hwy 251 (1020 Ralston Road), Machesney Park
Ultimate Car Wash & Express, 2121 N. State Street, Belvidere
12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Ecowater Systems, 6206 Forest Hills Road, Loves Park. IL
Dicello’s Pizzeria, 1975 N. State Street, Belvidere. IL
Charlie Daniels is known primarily for his chart topping, internationally acclaimed country hit “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” and many other songs he has performed and written. Born in Wilmington, North Carolina, Daniels was raised listening to Pentecostal Gospel, local bluegrass bands, rhythm & blues, and country music from the radio. Daniels is a singer, guitarist, and fiddler, who began writing and performing in the 1950s. He was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry on January 24, 2008.
Daniels recorded his first solo album, Charlie Daniels, in 1971. His first hit, “Uneasy Rider”, was from his 1973 second album, Honey in the Rock, and reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1975, he had a top 30 hit as leader of the Charlie Daniels Band with the southern rock anthem “The South’s Gonna Do It Again.” “Long Haired Country Boy” was also a minor hit that year. Daniels won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance in 1979 for “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The song is by far Daniels’ greatest success, still receiving regular airplay on U.S. radio stations.
In the late 1980s and 1990s, several of Daniels’ albums and singles were hits on the country charts and the music continues to receive airplay. Daniels also released several Gospel and Christian records. In 1999, he co-wrote the song “All Night Long” with Montgomery Gentry, which was a commercial success.
