Volunteer Jam
The Volunteer Jam is an annual concert headlined by the Charlie Daniels Band, featuring a multitude of musical acts that perform onstage with the band. It was first held on October 4, 1974, at the War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.
Over the years, guests have included Ted Nugent, The Allman Brothers Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, Billy Joel, Garth Brooks, Billy Ray Cyrus, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Tammy Wynette, Roy Acuff, Carl Perkins, Alabama, Don Henley, Barefoot Jerry and many more. Many of these concerts were broadcast live on the radio. The Volunteer Jam on nationwide TV included a live broadcast on the Jerry Lewis Telethon and a Dick Clark produced network special. Volunteer Jam is also the name of a series of albums released by Charlie Daniels of performances from the late 1970s and early 1980s at the Volunteer Jam shows.
History
Volunteer Jam I
October 4, 1974The very first Volunteer Jam concert was held at War Memorial Auditorium in Nashville, TN. The show was scheduled as a live recording session for two songs for the Fire on the Mountain album, "No Place to Go" and "Orange Blossom Special." The CDB invited some of their friends - Dickey Betts from the Allman Brothers Band and Toy Caldwell, Jerry Eubanks and Paul Riddle from the Marshall Tucker Band - to get together and Jam after their set. A tradition was born. "Ain't it good to be alive, and be in Tennessee!" - Charlie Daniels 1974
Volunteer Jam II
September 12, 1975Officially Known as Volunteer Jam '75, the second Jam was held at Murphy Center in Murfreesboro, TN. Special guests included The Marshall Tucker Band, Dickie Betts and Chuck Leavell from the Allman Brothers Band, Jimmy Hall from Wet Willie and Dru Lombar from Grinderswitch. The concert was filmed and released as Volunteer Jam - Starring The Charlie Daniels Band The First full-length Southern Rock Motion Picture.
Volunteer Jam III
January 8, 1977Volunteer Jam III was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville.TN. Special guests included The Winters Brothers Band, Grinderswitch, Wet Willie, Sea Level, The Sanford-Townsend Band and many more. Performances from this Jam were combined with performances from VolJam III to create a live album, Volunteer Jam III and IV.
Volunteer Jam IV
January 14, 1978Volunteer Jam IV was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Special guests included The Winters Brothers Band, Grinderswitch, Wet Willie, Sea Level, The Sanford-Townsend Band and many more. Performances from this Jam were combined with performances from VolJam III to create a live album, Volunteer Jam III and IV.
Volunteer Jam V
January 13, 1979Volunteer Jam V was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. This Jam marked the return of Lynyrd Skynyrd to the stage for the first time since the '77 plane crash, and the CDB gave the first live performance of a song that would catapult the band to superstardom, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Special guests also included Toy Caldwell and George McCorkle from the Marshall Tucker Band, Dobie Gray, The Winters Brothers Band, The Henry Paul Band, Link Wray, John Prine,
Volunteer Jam VI
January 12, 1980Volunteer Jam VI was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Special guests included The Winters Brothers Band, Dobie Gray, Grinderswitch, Papa John Creach, The Henry Paul Band, Rufus Thomas, Crystal Gayle, Wet Willie, Bobby Jones & New Life, Louisiana's LeRoux, Ted Nugent and many more.
Volunteer Jam VII
January 17, 1981Volunteer Jam VII was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. The CDB's special guests included Ted Nugent, Dobie Gray, Molly Hatchet, Delbert McClinton, Crystal Gayle, Bobby Bare, Jimmy Hall from Wet Willie and many more.
Volunteer Jam VIII
January 30, 1982Volunteer Jam VIII was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Special guests included Johnny Lee, George Thorogood, Crystal Gayle, Quarterflash, The Oak Ridge Boys, Dickey Betts, Jimmy C. Newman, Duane Eddy, Roy Acuff and others
Volunteer Jam IX
January 22, 1983Volunteer Jam IX was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. The CDB's special guests included James Brown, Carl Perkins, Dickey Betts, Grinderswitch, Quarterflash, Johnny Lee, Winters Brothers Band, Papa John Creach, Woody Herman and many more.
Volunteer Jam X
February 4, 1984Volunteer Jam X was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Special guests included The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ronnie Milsap, Dobie Gray, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Vince Gill, Louise Mandrell, Amy Grant, The Bellamy Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell, Crystal Gayle, Streets, Exile, B.J. Thomas, Tammy Wynette and many more.
Volunteer Jam XI
February 2, 1985Volunteer Jam XI was held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, TN. Special guests included Kris Kristofferson, Tom Wopat, Little Richard, Nicolette Larson, Alabama, Ted Nugent, Bill Medley from The Righteous Brothers, Tommy Shaw from Styx, Lacy J. Dalton, Gail Davies, Eddy Raven, Emmylou Harris and Amy Grant, and many more.
Volunteer Jam XII
July 12, 1986Volunteer Jam XII was held at Starwood Amphitheatre in Nashville, TN. Special guests included Special guests included John Conlee, Dobie Gray, The Judds, Restless Heart, Marty Stuart, The Outlaws, John Schneider, The Allman Brothers Band, Dwight Yoakum and many more.
Volunteer Jam XIII
September 6, 1987Volunteer Jam XIII was held at Starwood Amphitheatre in Nashville, TN. Special guests included William Lee Golden, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Gary Chapman, Great White and others including Lynyrd Skynyrd. It was Johnny Van Zant's first appearance as Lynyrd Skynyrd frontman, replacing his brother Ronnie who died in the 1977 plane crash. The Jam also coincided with Jerry Lewis' Labor Day Telethon, and some of the Jam performances were televised on the telethon.
Volunteer Jam XIV
May 4, 1991Volunteer Jam XIV was held at Starwood Amphitheatre in Nashville, TN. Special guests included Tanya Tucker, Bobby Jones & New Life, Travis Tritt, Joe Diffie, Ted Nugent, "Jim Dandy" Mangrum, B.B. King and John Kay & Steppenwolf.
Volunteer Jam XV
September 20, 1992Volunteer Jam XV was held at Starwood Amphitheatre in Nashville, TN. Special guests included Poco, Eddie Rabbit, Little Feat, The Oak Ridge Boys, Paulette Carlson, Suzy Bogguss, Jo-El Sonnier, Pirates Of The Mississippi, Confederate Railroad, Hal Ketchum, The Desert Rose Band, and many more.
Volunteer Jam XVI
October 29, 1996The last of the original Jams, Volunteer Jam XVI, was held at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, TN. The Jam was reimagined as an acoustic show and Charlie's 60th birthday celebration. Special guests included Lorrie Morgan, David Ball, Billy Ray Cyrus, Tracy Byrd, Tray Lawrence, John Berry, Randy Scruggs and BlackHawk.
Volunteer Jam XVII (Volunteer Jam Colorado)
May 24, 2014An unofficial Volunteer Jam concert was held at Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre outside Denver, CO honoring members of the military, Red Cross and First Responders. Also appearing with the CDB were Craig Campbell, Blackhawk and The Outlaws. The show was broadcast live on AXS TV.
Volunteer Jam XVIII (40th Anniversary Volunteer Jam)
August 12, 2015The CDB celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the Volunteer Jam with an all-star lineup at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, TN. Artists scheduled to perform included Travis Tritt, Montgomery Gentry, Billy Ray Cyrus, The Kentucky Headhunters, The Outlaws, Lee Roy Parnell, Trace Adkins, Colt Ford, Tracy Lawrence, Craig Morgan, Ted Nugent, The Oak Ridge Boys and Michael W. Smith.
Volunteer Jam XIX ([Charlie Daniels] 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam)
November 30, 2016Charlie Daniels 80th Birthday Volunteer Jam on November 30, 2016 with special guests Chris Stapleton, Travis Tritt, Kid Rock, Larry The Cable Guy, 3 Doors Down and Luke Bryan
Volunteer Jam XX: A Tribute to Charlie
March 7, 2018Volunteer Jam XX: A Tribute to Charlie. The lineup included Charlie Daniels and The Charlie Daniels Band, Alison Krauss, Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top, Blackberry Smoke, Bobby Bare, Chris Janson, Chuck Leavell, Eddie Montgomery of Montgomery Gentry, Jamey Johnson, Justin Moore, The Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Skaggs, Alabama, Sara Evans, Lee Brice, Chris Young and Travis Tritt. Was recorded for broadcast on AXS TV, as well as DVD/CD releases.
Volunteer Jam XXI: A Tribute to Charlie
Scheduled for September 15, 2020Volunteer Jam XXI: A Tribute to Charlie.