About the Marshall Tucker Band, ‘We’re not a real country band. We’re a Rock’n Roll Band, that can play some Jazz, some heavier Rock’n Roll …..’shares Doug Gray one of the originals .
As one of the pioneers in Southern Rock, the Marshall Tucker Band will close the 2016 Music in the Mountains Summer Season Saturday night, at the outdoor Big Bear Discovery Center Amphitheater, on the North Shore of Big Bear Lake.
The Band formed in Spartanburg, South Carolina, in 1972 by musicians who had played together under the name Toy Factory during the ’60s,. The Marshall Tucker Band took its name from a local piano tuner whose name was on the key to a rehearsal hall. The original lineup included brothers Tommy and Toy Caldwell along with Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle, Paul Riddle and Doug Gray.
In 1973, the Marshall Tucker Band opened concerts for the Allman Brothers. Then the following year, the Band began to headline their own live concerts ‘across the Country’, due to the platinum-plus sales of their debut album.
Consistently, the Band has toured America, playing sheds, stadiums, theaters, fairs, and festivals. The Marshall Tucker Band earned seven Gold and three Platinum albums while they were on the Capricorn Records label. During the 90's, the MTB scored four hit singles on Billboard's Country Chart and one on Billboard's Gospel Chart. Their music has also been featured on the soundtracks of movies, as well as many TV shows. The Marshall Tucker Band continues to tour, performing more than 130 Live Concert dates each year.
Nearly half a century later and the Marshall Tucker Band continues its long ride by performing timeless classics like Fire On The Mountain, Can’t You See and Heard It in a Love Song. Doug Gray, co-founder and lead vocals, has kept the band alive, not only through constant touring, but by digging deep into the vault for concert tapes recorded during some of the group’s epic shows. Gray continues to lead the current band of fine musicians winning new young fans as well as satisfying the loyal fans of several generations.
Music in the Mountains Concerts proceeds benefit year-round programming for the Discovery Center.