Southern Rock may find its roots buried somewhere below the Mason Dixon line, but nowhere did the genre grow stronger than here in the Northeast; a fact not lost on lead singer and founding member of the legendary Marshall Tucker Band, Doug Gray who brings the band back here to The Empire City Casino on July 13th.
“I love my hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina, but I’ll be honest. I don’t know if we would still be here today if it weren’t for the good folks up here,” He states humbly.
For more than four decades now, the singer has been blessed with the opportunity to continue a dream that began in the early 1970’s with five boyhood friends. The Marshall Tucker Band has seen several changes over the expanse of their career, yet today the group continues to tour relentlessly, playing to standing ovations and sold-out shows not just around the country, but in many places around the world.
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“It is truly strange. There are just so many things we didn’t expect, never dreamed of. It’s amazing seeing so many faces out there, people who still want to see us and just relive a memory or two.”
The Marshall Tucker Band were forerunners during the great southern rock era of the 1970’s, but unlike many of their counterparts offering up lengthy jams and blistering guitar solos, their music also infused a blend of blues, jazz, country and pop. One of the songs the band is most known for is the monster 1977 hit, Heard It in a Love Song.
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“I had some kind of mental block with that song and came up with every excuse not to do it! I mean the Allman’s are out there doing Whipping Post and now I’m gonna sing this pop tune?”
Five minutes and one take later however, a hit record was born; something that the singer still finds bewildering.
“All of a sudden it was being played all over the country and now I have the rest of the guys joking around telling me, ‘well buddy, I guess you’ll be singing that for the rest of your life.’”
With no thought of slowing down the band continues to work on new music as well, which will undoubtedly be released somewhere down the road.
“I’ve got some of the greatest musicians in the world in this band right now and I know the original guys - some of whom are no longer on this earth - would be extremely happy that all of it is still going on. Every night I go out there and know the audience still feels the music as much as I do because they’ve shared so much with us. What a tribute that is to the writing and career that we put together.”
Celebrate four decades of rock and roll history with the Marshall Tucker Band at the Empire City Casino on Sunday July 13th. For tickets and further information, visit www.empirecitycasino.com or call (914) 968-4200
