Marshall Tucker Band Biography

The Marshall Tucker Band formed in 1972 when South Carolina musicians Toy Caldwell, Doug Gray, Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle, Paul Riddle, and Tommy Caldwell came together and released their self-titled debut album. The members had previously been performing around Spartanburg in separate bands for nearly a decade before joining forces, and two members even opened up for the Allman Brothers during one of their performances around this time.

The Marshall Tucker Band enjoyed tremendous success from the start, with their debut album going gold only three years after its release.  For the remainder of the decade, the Marshall Tucker Band released hit album after hit album, including: A New Life (1974), Where We All Belong (1974), Searchin’ for a Rainbow (1975), Long Hard Ride (1976), Carolina Dreams (1977), Together Forever (1978), and Running Like the Wind (1979), spawning iconic hits such as "Can't You See" and "Fire on the Mountain." At the dawn of the next decade, the Marshall Tucker Band suffered a tragic loss when an accident killed co-founded Tommy Caldwell. Franklin Wilkie took his place, but the peak years for the band seem to have passed. The albums Tuckerized (1982), Just Us (1983), and Greetings from South Carolina (1983) were well received, but the Marshall Tucker Band disbanded shortly thereafter.

Five years later, in 1988, Eubanks and Gray returned to the studio, adding Rusty Milner, Stuart Swanlund, and Tim Lawter to the lineup. They released the album Still Holdin' On, and then a few years later, Southern Spirit, bringing the band back to its blues roots. By 1992, the newly formed Marshall Tucker Band had released Still Smokin’ and then Walk Outside the Lines (1993), and established a genuine resurgence in popularity. Face Down in the Blues (1998) added additional musicians, including David Muse, who replaced Jerry Eubanks, and Gospel (1999) brought fans new interpretations of traditional songs.

In the new millennium, the Marshall Tucker Band has released multiple albums, including Beyond the Horizon in 2004. In 2008, the film Swing Vote featured the song “Can’t You See” and “Take the Highway,” bringing their old classics to a new generation of fans. Two live albums—Way Out West! Live From San Francisco and Live! From Spartanburg, South Carolina—arrived in 2010 and 2013, respectively. The Marshall Tucker Band continues to record and perform, sometimes enjoying up to 200 shows a year.