The Southern rock and country music legend, Charlie Daniels, performed in Covington on October 12, 2008.

The special event was held at Casey Field at 4:00 pm that day, according to Arts Council Executive Director Tammy Scruggs.

"This has been a long time coming and we had several obstacles to maneuver to get this contract," said Scruggs, "but it's finally official and we are thrilled."

The talented and showy fiddler and his band fuse hardcore country with a hard-edged Southern rock boogie and blues. The group -- which has had a rotating cast of musicians over the years -- has always been known for their instrumental dexterity, but they were also notorious for their down-home, good-old-boy attitude; in the early '80s, they became a virtual symbol of conservative country values

Daniels began touring as a musician in 1959, but with the formation of The Charlie Daniels Band in the early 1970s, Daniels was propelled to stardom with hits such as "Uneasy Rider" (1973); and "The South's Gonna Do It Again" (1975);

Then, in 1979 the CDB recorded "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" which became a number one country single, went to number three on the popular music charts and earned a Grammy Award.

The following year, "Devil" became a major crossover success on rock radio stations, after its inclusion on the soundtrack for the hit movie Urban Cowboy. The song is by far Daniels' greatest success, still receiving regular airplay on U.S. classic rock and country stations, and is well-known even among audiences who eschew country music in general.

The song also pushed sales of the band's album, "Million Mile Reflections," to triple-platinum status.

Some of Daniels' other hits include "In America", "Long Haired Country Boy", "Still in Saigon", and "The Legend of Wooley Swamp".

The project was underwritten by a grant from the Alleghany Foundation.