Longtime Charlie Daniels Band Member Tommy Crain Passes Away

Charlie Daniels and Tommy Crain- circa 1978

Longtime Charlie Daniels band member Tommy Crain passed away peacefully in his sleep yesterday it was announced by family.

Crain played in various local bands in high school, the best being Flat Creek Band in which his brother Billy also played guitar. This group eventually disbanded and Tom formed a group called Buckeye. Buckeye was the opening act at Charlie Daniels' very first Volunteer Jam at Nashville's War Memorial Auditorium where he met Charlie Daniels and a lot of other southern rock musicians. About a year later , Charlie needed a guitar player and Tom was the man he called for the job. In a few weeks time in February of 1975, Tom married his sweetheart, Melissa, moved to a new apartment, and left on the road with the Charlie Daniels Band for a fifteen year run. Tom played on many CDB albums, co wrote over 60 songs with the band and won a Grammy for co writing "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" which won a Grammy in 1980. Tom left the band in the summer of 1989 to pursue other interests and to raise his young daughter, Annie.

Charlie Daniels made this announcement on his website and on his Facebook account earlier today:

Tommy Crain will always be a part of the CDB family and his music will always be a part of the CDB sound. We have lost a good friend and the world has lost a unique, creative and precious human being. We send our deepest condolences to the family of our brother Tommy Crain. You were special, buddy. We’re gonna miss you.
CD