Wynn Medinger[portfolio_slideshow id=6500]
PHOTOS BY George Kamper
The Encyclopedia of Southern Culture says, “Few individuals have symbolized the South in popular culture as directly and indelibly as Charlie Daniels.” In fact, Daniels is both partly western and partly southern. His signature bull-rider hat and belt buckle; his lifestyle at Twin Pines Ranch; and his love of horses, cowboy lore, the heroes of championship rodeo, western movies, and Louis L’Amour novels identify him as a westerner. But he is a southerner by birth, and his music—rock, country, bluegrass, blues, and gospel—is quintessentially southern.
We visited Charlie at his beloved Twin Pines Ranch near Nashville. He and his wife, Hazel, bought the property in 1976 and built the house in 1979. “I always wanted a log house,” he says, “and we designed and built it for ourselves—not to impress anyone else.”
After riding his horse up the hill to an old barn (that seems somehow familiar) for our photos, Charlie gave an impromptu fiddle concert. It seems that the reason much of the ranch looks familiar is from the many TV commercials filmed here, including Chevy, Purina Dog Chow, and Busch Beer, as well as a Wrangler country Christmas TV special, and Tanya Tucker and other music videos.
Later in the day, while relaxing on the log porch overlooking the beautiful ranch, Charlie smiled and said, “There’s the tennis court, there’s my golf area, my shooting range, and, of course, the horses. When I’m not on tour, weeks go by and I don’t ever leave the ranch. This is my favorite place on earth.”
Meet Charlie and see the full story here.