Doug Gray
Searchin’ for a Rainbow
Doug Gray of The Marshall Tucker Band
by Michael Buffalo Smith
March 2004
The Marshall Tucker Band has never stopped rocking since their inception in the early 1970s; there has always been a Marshall Tucker Band on the road and in the recording studio. Popular myths circulated for years that the MTB had broken up in 1984. Well, the truth is the original lineup did indeed call it quits not long after the untimely death of bassist and band leader Tommy Caldwell back in 1980. However, Doug Gray, the band’s original lead singer, has managed to keep the band’s legacy alive all these years. In a band that at times included such notable musicians as original member Jerry Eubanks, guitarist Rusty Milner, bassist Tim Lawter, and drummer Frankie Toler and many other greats, keeping the love alive has not always been easy but it has always had great rewards.
The 21st century finds Doug performing with guitarist Stuart Swanlund, who has been in the band for over 15 years, Chris Hicks, who has been in the band off and on again for seven years (Chris was also a former member of The Outlaws), B.B. Borden on drums (a former member of Mother’s Finest, The Outlaws and Molly Hatchet), bassist Tony Heatherly, who has a special connection to the band, having been a member of The Toy Caldwell Band for many years prior to Toy’s death and Dave Muse on sax, flute and keys, a member of the Top 40 hit making band Firefall.
This April, The Marshall Tucker Band releases their 21st recording, Beyond the Horizon. “Number 21 for the 21st century,” according to Gray. That and the re-release of their classic Capricorn albums, remastered with bonus tracks by Shout! Factory, and a never before released live album by the original lineup called Stompin’ Room Only, makes 2004 the “Year of Tucker.”
We met with Doug Gray in the GRITZ offices for a one-on-one interview about all things Marshall Tucker.
What motivated you and the original guys to form a band to begin with?
We wanted a place to go on Friday and Saturday night so, we figured if we formed a band we could get into all the places without having to be a member of a club or stuff like that; that was the only thing that we knew. (laughs) We knew we liked to listen to music so we turned it from listening into being a part of it. Showing off was basically the original reason for starting it all.
After y’all formed The Marshall Tucker Band did you have any idea that it would last for 30 years plus?
No, no idea. We didn’t have a lot of real drive to do anything. All you want to do is stand on the stage and have a good time. There was not really any such thing as making money back then so, if you weren’t making money, your best interest was just to get up and have a good time on stage. That is kind of why we are still doing it.
I know that when you guys went out there in the beginning it seemed like you were on the road for the biggest part of the year. How was it being away from home for such long periods of time?
For me, it was probably easier because I was not married at that time. But, even before the band, we knew we were going to have to go further out than where we had been playing. We were just playing around here and you can only do that for so many weekends, right? You had to go and spread your wings so others could hear you. It started slowly from North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia and all these different places. Then you start going on tour a year or so later with The Allman Brothers and Wet Willie, Jimmy Hall and all these other people. At that point you are in front of large crowds; and you just don’t get up there in front of a large crowd and think you are just going to pull it off, you got to show it off. That was one of the reasons that kept us out there. It was kind of nerve wracking for us at first because we had never seen such large crowds of 10-12,000 people. It was amazing to be gone and then come home to Spartanburg and it was like you never really left.
I know you have done countless tributes to both Toy and Tommy Caldwell over the years and I want you to give us an anecdote or a little bit of favorite memory on each of these fellows, starting with Tommy Caldwell.
Well, one of the things that people are probably not aware of is that Tommy had most of the drive in the band, as far as making it succeed. Toy and I were there but we were more about just finding a place to play and we will get up there and do it. But Tommy was more concerned with making a step forward; he was always about directing traffic. That’s the best way I can describe it.
Toy Caldwell?
Toy and I were just concerned with standing on the stage. There was no competition between any of the original six of us. Paul was the youngest of us and still in high school then; he had no idea what he was getting into at the time. (laughs) He was thrown out there, as we all were. George was married at the time and I guess it was harder for him to go on the road. Jerry was married, too after the first year or so. His attitude was let’s just go have a good time. You didn’t know what the plan was. How are you going to know what the plan was that young? We had been to war and that screws you up, but to get on stage and see people that really enjoyed seeing your singing and play -- after being gone for 280 days, you didn’t really know where you were most of the time.
This recent program on CMT called "Country’s Most Shocking: Southern Rock & Outlaw Country," when Janine Turner introduced 
The Marshall Tucker Band she said that they were not known for fighting but for generosity and brotherhood. Would you agree with that statement?
No question about it. We did a lot of stuff for others, as they did for us. It was a brotherhood and Tommy was our protector. We knew when we went home we would hear the bad stuff and Tommy didn’t want anyone to hear any rumors about us. We were like all the other people on the road at that time, we did all the drugs and drank all the liquor. If anyone said that we didn’t they are not telling the truth. We participated in every function that could possibly be except for being gay. (laughs) It was amazing to be a part of it all. You would roll out of the bed and go get on the bus or airplane. You just got up and went to do it.
Do you think that the band out there today has that same feeling of brotherhood?
We know each other very well and each other’s families. We are concerned with each other like we were years ago and each of us will stand up for one another. Stuart has been on board now for about 18-19 years and Chris has been there for 6-7 years on and off. That is hard for me to believe. We have had pretty much a plug and play kind of band for many years. But this band goes down the road together and makes decisions together and in the original band we didn’t always do that. We kind of grew apart because of families and different problems that we would have to face individually. We are now to the point where we make one or two calls and get together with everyone and sit in a restaurant and discuss things and share with each other. You don’t want to stay in the hotel room all the time. And we are the only ones that know what happened the day before.
When out there on the road all the time do you do things to stay in shape?
I walk a lot . Cabin fever gets you if you stay in the room. Business keeps me busy a lot and the other guys have all kinds of other side projects going on.
Having Tony Heatherly, who had played for years with Toy Caldwell’s band, and Chris Hicks who has mastered a lot of Toy’s licks and style, do you think these two fellows might have brought more of the Toy Caldwell flavor back into the MTB?
Without a doubt. I would be lying to someone if I said I wouldn’t love to have Toy and Tommy in the band today, but you can’t go back in time. So, in order to fulfill your dreams you try to come as close to it as you can. You don’t settle. This is not a band that I have settled for. I am trying instead to create the feeling that those kind of things can still happen. And it keeps the memory of Toy and Tommy alive, which is a great thing.
How did it feel for you to have the Stompin’ Room Only album out after all this time?
To me, it was exciting. Stompin’ Room Only was the essence of what we were doing at the time; it is grabbing hold with the old material that we did overseas and that was a special time in our life. Most of us had never been overseas, especially to London and Paris. While we were over there I gained at least 25 pounds, eating and drinking warm beer at the end of the night. (laughs) Stompin’ Room Only is something great for all the people that never heard the original band live, and that’s what it is all about. If they got a chance to see and hear the original band live, then maybe they will remain a fan today, even though the lineup has changed.
It’s interesting that you have such a wide array of fans today.
I think that is attributed to the energy that we put into it live. People tend to bring their kids back to share in the experience.
Tucker has gone through lots of personnel changes over the years. How do you feel the current band measures up to the past versions of Marshall Tucker?
This is the ultimate Marshall Tucker Band. Not because we have all these CDs out, but because this is what I have dreamed of for years. We are a complete band the way we are. Will it change? We never know. It could change next week. I have watched them come and go in the band and these guys are completely happy where they are now, as I am. That is keeping it going.
This question is like the one I asked earlier. I think Chris Hicks has played a very important role in the band. As the leader of the band, how important do you feel that Chris is to the Beyond The Horizon album?
Very important. The songs he has written prove that Chris should be there. Chris has real talent. Lots of people have heard him and his music and not appreciated him like I think we appreciate him. We wanted him prominently on this album, not introduce him but to re-introduce him to the public and let him know that he is a part of The Marshall Tucker Band. It will be a long lasting relationship.
Is this his first Tucker album?
Yeah. It’s hard to believe as long as he has been around. We recorded “Midnight Promises” years ago but he never played on any of this.
Where was the album recorded and who produced it?
It was recorded at Southeastern Studios in Powdersville, near Easley, S.C. Buddy Strong was the master engineer and I produced it, but we couldn't have done it without Buddy and Chris. They were Chris’s songs and he knew what he wanted. I tried to translate it into what was the real meat of the song while making sure that everyone was heard.
This issue we are doing a big salute to Capricorn Records. Could you share some memories with us about recording down in Macon at Capricorn?
When you walked into Capricorn it was an open door situation. That was the first time musicians were able to have an opportunity to walk into the boss’s office and say, "hey man, what about this?” Dick Wooley was down there and was the promotions guy. The beauty of it was that everybody down there had a real say in what was going on. Their ideas were appreciated and taken into consideration. That was the biggest thing that I noticed from being an outsider. When I walked in, that was the second or third recording studio I had been in. Phil Walden had such respect. Without Phil there would not be a continuing Marshall Tucker Band. Marshall Tucker would have been just another Southern band going down the road. As good as we might have been, he knew how to take something like us, and basically we were raw and untouched and he put us into a format that would sell.
That answers my next question. I was going to ask you about Phil Walden.
To me, he made The Marshall Tucker Band. Phil knew what he wanted and he had the goal, not letting anything ever stand in the way for us or anyone else. He kept on going. I have nothing but great things to say about Phil.
What do you remember about Frank Fenter?
Frank was a great guy. I met his son about five years ago. I know that he has been gone for a while now. He was a guy that had the guts to open a French restaurant in Macon, Georgia. That takes a lot of guts. (laughs) Maybe grits or barbeque, that’s one thing, but French food in Macon?
Another thing that pops into my mind when I think about old recordings was Tom Dowd. Do you have any memories of him?
Yeah, Tom was tough. We would go into the studio and he would give everyone a hard time. He would tell Paul to quit trying to play so much and just simplify it, make it easy. He gave me a hard time. He was funny because he got the work out of you. He would want us to simplify, simplify, simplify, and here we were trying to play every note that we had ever heard in every language in every world. He was respectful and his job was to make a good record. He made everyone listen and helped you better yourself. That is what I remember about him.
There is a lot to say about your new album, Beyond The Horizon. I have heard it and it is great. I think the best thing to do is to let people hear it.
I think if people listen to this they will know everyone in the band because their personalities will shine through.
Do you have any plans to do a DVD?
Actually, we are going to do one and it will be up to Shout! Factory. There is plenty of material out there.
Tell me, just out of curiosity, of the music that is being put out now, what would you say are some of your favorite songs or artists?
Whitney Houston is a favorite of mine but right now she is not able to hit the note. Mariah Carey’s last album was not a good seller. Had we been that famous, I don’t know if we could have handled our personal life any better than she has. It was hard sometimes to just decide what shirt to wear. (laughs)
What are your future plans?
Continuous tours -- and this is no different from what we always do. Most of our real dates are weekends and festival dates. We will do about 150 shows this year to promote the record.
Update: Doug and the MTB continue to tour relentlessly and Shout! Factory continues to release all of the product an MTB fan could wish for: digital remasters of all the albums, a live DVD from 1980 and, recently, Live from Long Island, the awesome 2-CD set that was Tommy Caldwell’s final performance. The band shows no signs of slowing down.
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