Doug Gray - vocals; Toy Caldwell - guitar, vocals; Franklin Wilkie - bass; Jerry Eubanks - flute, sax, keyboards, percussion; George McCorkle - guitar; Paul Riddle - drums
The Marshall Tucker Band was trying to rebound from bass player Tommy Caldwell's untimely death the prior year with this recording, originally made in 1981 for the King Biscuit Flower Hour. The group had enlisted bassist Franklin Wilkie to fill his shoes, and despite a few more chart hits, the Southern rock craze that had helped define rock in the 1970s, was starting to wane. A dip in popularity would eventually hit, but came much later for this popular American band since it had built a large and loyal following.
Opening with "Fire On The Mountain," the group runs though a mix of classics and newer material including "In My Own Way," "Ramblin'," and "If I Could See You One More Time." Flautist Jerry Eubanks has always given the Marshall Tucker Band its distinct edge, and his solos against the tasteful guitar licks of Toy Caldwell helped propel the band's popularity during this period.
The Marshall Tucker Band was formed in Spartansburg, South Carolina, in 1972, when their contemporaries, the Allman Brothers Band, were still very much a blues-rock band, and not yet revered as kings of southern rock. With the advent of Capricorn Records in 1972, bands like Marshall Tucker Band, Charlie Daniels Band, Wet Willie, Elvin Bishop, and Lynyrd Skynyrd (which was signed to MCA) walked through a wide-open door to chart success. Capricorn label president Phil Walden and others unlocked this genre with a very focused marketing campaign that saw an audience from country fans that were also interested in rock.
Of all the Southern rock bands to emerge, Marshall Tucker was among the best and most successful. Spearheaded by vocalist Doug Gray and guitarist Toy Caldwell, the Marshall Tucker scored a number radio hits, among them "Take The Highway," "Fire On The Mountain," "Can't You See," and "Heard It In A Love Song," which reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The group got its name when they rented a warehouse to rehearse in. Originally called Toy Factory (a reference to lead guitarist Toy Caldwell), the keys to the building had a tag that said "Marshall Tucker" on them. As it turns out, Tucker was the previous renter and a blind piano tuner known to many in Spartansburg. They liked the name and adopted it, although no one in the band actually knew Tucker, personally.
The Marshall Tucker Band's original line-up came to an end when bassist Tommy Caldwell died in a jeep accident in 1980. Toy Caldwell, Paul Riddle, and George McCorkle all left in 1983. Toy, a key member and chief songwriter in the band, would form his own group in 1988, but died from a heart attack in 1993. Lead guitarist McCorkle left to pursue a solo career; but passed away in 2007 from cancer.
The band continues to tour, with lead singer Doug Gray the only original member still in the band. Marshall Tucker released its latest album, The Next Adventure, in 2007.