THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND

 
“The Marshall Tucker Band had a big influence on me and they still do.”
Roland, who’s lived the majority of his life in and around Atlanta, also
proudly points out that his band’s biggest hit, “Shine,” owes a clear debt to
the musical structure of “Can’t You See,” and he’ll often start off by singing
the opening line to that song — “I’m gonna take a freight train” — whenever
Collective Soul performs “Shine” live. “We don’t want to stray from what we
grew up listening to,” Roland continues. “I think that’s something important
for people to hear. It’s just who we are, and I don’t think we should run from
it. Hopefully, people see that southern connection to the bands we love like
Marshall Tucker in our music.”
Doug Gray sees no end to the road that lies ahead for The Marshall Tucker
Band, whose legacy is being carried forward by the man himself and his
current bandmates, drummer B.B. Borden (Mother’s Finest, The Outlaws),
bassist/vocalist Ryan Ware, keyboardist/saxophonist/flautist/vocalist
Marcus James Henderson, guitarist/vocalist Chris Hicks, and guitarist/
vocalist Rick Willis. “You know, I think it was Toy Caldwell’s dad who said,
‘There’s more to gray hair than old bones,’ and we still have a lot of stories
yet to tell,” Gray concludes. “People ask me all the time what I’m gonna do
when I turn 80, and I always say, ‘The same thing that we’re continuing to
do now.’ We’re road warriors, there’s no doubt about that — and I don’t
intend to slow down.” May the MTB wagon train continue running like the
wind on a long hard ride for many more years to come. One thing we
absolutely know for sure: If you heard it in a Marshall Tucker Band song, it
certainly can’t be wrong.