With hits like, “Heard It In A Love Song,” “Can’t You See” and “Fire On The Mountain,” The Marshall Tucker Band has been a staple in any Southern Rock music collection since the early 70s. With a fanbase that has always supported at least 100 live shows a year across their 40+ year span as a group, there is no wonder that they have sold over 15 million records to date. I got a chance to chat with founding member and lead singer, Doug Gray, about what is next for the Marshall Tucker Band.
Rock: As a person who loves and collects vinyl records and knows how hard it can be to find them in great condition, I was impressed to see that you have new vinyl records for sell on your website.
Doug Gray: We know that there are a lot of audiophiles out there, what we call those who love vinyl records and turntables, and we know that there are people that want to get their old vinyl records autographed, so we released some of our albums on vinyl as limited editions. Most have sold out, but there are still a few left. I personally inspected them before they went to production to make sure that they were the best quality available.
Marshall Tucker Releases A New Live Album
Rock: You were inducted into the South Carolina Music Hall Of Fame in 1995, right? And The Marshall Tucker Band has just released the live show from that induction on album. Why now?
Doug Gray: We have lost a few of those people from then, and we performed with some great artists at that show like The Charlie Daniels Band and The Outlaws. So we thought it was time to release it.
Rock: A reader asked what your favorite song to perform live is and why?
Doug Gray: Mine, personally? Hmmm…that’s a hard one. I would have the “Take The Highway” because that song is shared with a lot of singers. You can see that when you see us perform the song live.
Rock: Tell me a little about touring. Do you have a funny story from the road?
Doug Gray: People now bring their kids and sometimes even their grand kids to our shows. It’s great to see the young people now listening to our music. And one time we played in Iraq for the troops and a sargeant told me about how his grandfather always showed him a picture that he had of us on his mantle. He would tell us the same story about it every Thanksgiving and Christmas. So, the sargeant said that he wanted to get a picture with us and sit it on the mantle right next to the original from 30 years earlier. I thought that was a great story.
Rock: Who are some of your favorite people that you have toured with?
Doug Gray: B.B. King. I hate to use the word “idol,” but he is definitely an idol of mine. And Carlos Santana and The Doobie Brothers. But The Allman Brothers come first. Gregg Allman. He is one of my favorite singers. We have also toured with great acts like Kid Rock, Zac Brown and we have been invited to play at the Grand Ole Opry a couple times a year.
History Of The Marshall Tucker Band
Rock: So, can I get a little history of the band, for those who might not be aware? How old were you guys when you started playing together?
Doug Gray: Some of us were still in high school. The Marshall Tucker Band has been in existence for 40+ years in some lineup or another. We lost some people along the way. One person died while he was a member of the band and we also had people leave the band {some who died after leaving the band} to spend more time with their families. But we never stopped playing. Why stop? Everybody has ups and downs in life, but you have to move on.
Rock: When did you start singing?
Doug Gray: I started singing when I was about 6. My parents would take me around to sing for others. I also played piano and guitar for a little while, but I realized there are people who are a lot better at both of those instruments than myself, like Carlos Santana. I don’t even keep guitars in my house now. I just stick to singing.
Rock: What do you like to do in your downtime?
Doug Gray: The Marshall Tucker Band is on the road 170 days out of the year. When I am off, I like to hang out with friends, ride my Harley Davidson Road King and go out to dinner at my favorite bars. My grandkids come first, though. And my kids. I have one daughter getting ready to graduate college and one that is 10 years older. They both are in the Psychology field.
Rock: I majored in Psychology, too. It’s a great field. I bet you are proud of your kids.
Doug Gray: I am. I love stepping back and looking at who they have become. I wasn’t always around when they were kids with touring, but when I was around, I liked to spend quality time with them. I think about what it would be like to go back and change things but my kids wouldn’t be who they are today if I wasn’t who I am.
On Owning Your Own Record Label
Rock: How do you like owning your own record label? Do you find it is a lot more work?
Doug Gray: We have Ramblin’ Records, distributed by Sony. We know that a lot of musicians would really love to be in our position. It’s great to have that much control. It really helps our band go forward. Everyone tries to be #1, but everyone can’t be #1. You just have to try to do your best. We have never had a Top 10, but we have still sold 15 million records. That is pretty nice.
Rock: You are right. Too many compete for the top and it is just too stressful. Everyone should just try to be happy. There are many levels of success. What’s next for The Marshall Tucker Band?
Doug Gray: We have 30-40 new pieces of product already lined up to come out as well as a couple of huge announcements coming out in the next couple of weeks. These will be on our website, so make sure you check it out.
Check Out The Marshall Tucker Band Live
The Marshall Tucker Band will be performing locally…
January 30th at 8pm at the Carolina Theatre in Greensboro, NC
January 31st at 8pm at the Fillmore Charlotte in Charlotte, NC.
Be sure to check out The Marshall Tucker Band’s complete tour schedule.
Very cool. My husband will be so excited about this! He loves the Marshall Tucker Band!
Great interview. SOunds like a neat band.
i have to call my brother tom!! he LOVES Marshall Tucker band!
I will have to share this with my mom. She is huge fan!
We are big fans in our house and this is an amazing interview!
I will have to share this with some of my family that are huge Marshall Tucker fans.
How fun, I think that would neat to have an interview with them!!! Thanks for sharing!!
I am very out of the loop in music apparently, I’ve never heard of Marshall Tucker before…guess I better get on the bandwagon!
Fun interview! Thanks for sharing.
Wow, I didn’t even know that the Marshall Tucker Band was still around! Thanks so much for sharing, I am going to have to check their new album out!
Sounds like a great band. I think it is awesome they still sell vinyl records! 🙂
That sure is one proud Poppa and wow, both kids are into Psychology!
I have never heard of this band, but this was a very interesting read.
What a great interview! I’d think it would be a ton of fun to own your own record label.
Exactly what i was thinking. sometimes old school is the way to go!
Very good post! the Marshall Tucker Band is one of our favorites!
What a great interview! The band looks awesome!
wow, thanks so much for sharing, I had no clue they started back in HS… very cool
Never heard of them….but so cool you got to meet and chat with the founder and lead member!! That is definitely a great story to tell future generations! 😀
What a great interview! So fun to find out so much back story to such a cool band!
I have never heart of this band before, sounds like a fun interview!
I’ve never heard of them before.
Hit enter to soon — I’ve never heard about them before before I’ll be checking them out now! Thanks for the recommendation!
Great interview. I find it interesting how bands that have been around for a long time change so much. I think they will always be young and then I see them and realize they are like me, grown up with kids.
Sounds like a great interview!
I did not know this group before. Thank you for sharing the two videos, so I could hear their music. They seem to be a quite interesting group.
Fabulous interview. So interesting to hear about the background of a band I’ve been a fan of!
They’ve been around for 40 years? Wow. That’s amazing!
What a cool interview! I love all the questions you asked. I always feel such a deeper connection to the music itself when I know more about the band!
Thank you! I really love to learn more about the people behind the music I love.
Somewhere I’m nearly positive that I have an autographed guitar from this band! Now you have me wondering where the heck I put it!
Oooh! That is really awesome! You should definitely find that and display it somewhere.
So cool! I love that they have limited edition vinyls. Such a great part of music history.
Just Love them. Wonderful interview! Good Job!
Wow that story about the generations that have been listening to this group gives me chills. It makes me think about if I was ever to take a photo with someone that my great grandma grew up liking because she is in her 90s now! Thanks for sharing this interview with us!
I love that story from their tour! That would be really cool to pass that story along to his children about his grandfather!
Great information for fans and those of us who have never heard of them before – thanks for sharing!
Bringing back my high school years there….I remember dancing to their music at the monthly dances. And at the bars (drinking age was 18 back then.)
This does bring back memories. I remember dancing to them in high school. Great interview!
Great interview- thanks for sharing!
Oh I didn’t know they were around so long – very cool interview!
Wow, I learned a lot from this interview. I thought their name sounded familiar and I actually know some of their music once I got to reading and listening! Great Interview! I also realized that another band I really like does a medley that has a portion of “Can’t You See” in it. Really cool! Thanks for posting!