Charlie Daniels: Fiddlin' In The Park

Charlie Daniels grew up around the water in North Carolina. And he spent some time in Baltimore recording an album.

So when he rolls into Havre de Grace tonight, some of the surroundings may seem familiar to the fiddler.

"I got kind of in tune with the Maryland culture with the crabs and stuff that goes on there," Daniels said. "That is a beautiful part of the United States, people speak a little different."

Daniels, 74, has toured for more than 50 years. His music may not be mainstream to most residents of Havre de Grace, but his tunes —combined with the atmosphere spilling over from the  set against the backdrop of the Cheapeake Bay — should make for a memorable night for the nearly 2,000 spectators expected at .

For all the song writing Daniels has done in his career, nothing compares to the feeling he'll get when he takes the stage looking up the hill toward Union Avenue.

"I love the songwriting and the other peripheral things, but performing is what is I enjoy the most," Daniels said.

His tour took him from Montana and Canada two weeks ago across the midwest, and through the Carolinas before tonight's stop in Havre de Grace, his lone performance in the area this year.

at the festival that opens with his concert. But what drives Daniels most is being onstage with his fiddle.

"I love what I do. I love doing it for the people I’m doing it with," Daniels said. "It's an enjoyable thing to get onstage for the people and play."