Middle Tennessee State University - Midlander Yearbook (Murfreesboro, TN)

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filhen Charlie Daniels announced plans to have Volunteer Jam 75 in Murphy Center, he said he was inviting everybody in the music industry to show up and perform. Although everybody didn ' t show up, there were enough folks to keep the concert going for over four hours, rocking a standing-room-only crowd into near exhaustion. Buckeye, a powerhouse band from the Midwest, opened the show. The six member band fired up the audience well, combining guitar and saxophone in smooth duels of sheer energy. Their hard, crashing set opened the way for Daniels to take the stage. Daniels said it was one of the biggest honors of my life, being in front of you tonight, and the enthu siastic crowd greeted his appearance with thunderous applause. Daniels and his band opened their set with a Tennessee Waltz instrumental, then directly into their hit, Whiskey. With the crowd still on its feet, they rocked into the mellow Going Back to Bir- mingham and the powerful Trudy and No Place Left to Go. Several members of the Wet Willie and Marshall Tucker bands took the stage to aid Daniels with the country sounds of Long Haired Country Boy and a new He ' s a Damn Good Cowboy, and I Hope to Hell He Stays in Tennessee. ' Other strong numbers the artists performed in- cluded the Spanish-sounding El Diablo, several . i % fJ I ♦ r

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The week s activities opened with a mass meeting of con- fused freshmen and competent student orientation advisors in Murphy Center. Afterwards, the new students were treated to an event known as dorm mixers. Wild Mountain Thyme and Foxfire performed in concert to a less than enthusiastic audience at the Dramatic Arts audi- torium Friday night. But undoubtedly the worst frustration occurred during registration Saturday morning. Standing in line which snaked across Murphy Center, some weary freshmen entertained thoughts of returning home. After endless hours, the survivors completed the maze of registration and relaxed during an extended weekend. Classes began Wednesday morning. That night, the Ideas and Issues committee sponsored The Story of Dracula as narrated by Raymond McNally. A second-year performance of Mark Twain on Stage de- lighted another DA audience Tuesday night. John Chappell brought the stage alive with his superb portrayal of America ' s greatest humorist. A Friday night dance with the Cadillacs set the freshmen bopping to good ole rock-n-roll music. Concluding the week s activities on Saturday, the Blue Raiders battled Tennessee State University to open the 1975 football season. Dressed up to boogie, freshmen dance to the ' fifties ' music of the Cadillacs.

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songs emphasizing Daniels on the fid ' die and the near-classic The Souths •, Gonna Do It Again. To close out their first part of the show, Daniels and friends brought the crowd back to its feet, clapping to the fiddle strains of The Orange Blossom Special. After a short break the whole damn Marshall Tucker Band came on stage and played several of their hits, includ- ing Searching for a Rainbow and 24 Hours at a Time. For the last part of the concert, various artists joined Daniels on stage to jam through several long numbers. Among the performers aiding Daniels were Alvin Lee of Ten Years After fame, Ronnie Van Zandt of Lynard Skynard and three members of the Allman Brothers Band — guitarist Richard Betts, pianist Chuck Leavell and the Brothers ' bassist. The show roared to a close with Betts ripping through Ramblin Man, everyone back on stage for the old- fashioned Mountain Dew and then once again to the Tennessee Waltz to end a most amazing concert. Although it was broadcast live over the radio and recorded for a rebroad- cast on TV, there will never be any way to recreate the excitement the Volunteer Jam caused inside Murphy Center. You had to be there to really know.