Marshall Tucker still making memories after 34 years

Despite being the only original member in a band that has survived more than 30 years and 30 personnel changes, Doug Gray insists he is not Marshall Tucker.

Mr. Gray, who formed the Marshall Tucker Band with brothers Toy and Tommy Caldwell in 1971, has been belting the band's distinctive brand of jazzy, jumpy Southern rock since its inception.

The band will play at 7 p.m. Friday at the Augusta Common, the 800 block downtown between Broad and Reynolds streets. Admission is $12 in advance or $15 at the gate. Advance tickets are available at Fatz Cafe on North Belair Road, or at www.ticketalternative.com.

Mr. Gray, who has controlled the Marshall Tucker name since the early 1980s, said the secret is surrounding himself with talented and, more important, amenable people.

"I hire people that get along together," he said in a telephone interview. "This band is like vegetable soup, and I'm really just a carrot. I hire people that want to be in this band and want to play, and we've had some of everything in here. We've had gospel people, R&B people, hard-rock drummers. The only thing we never get away from is being from the South."

He said Marshall Tucker has never been particularly radio-ready and continues to live and die by its live show.

"I've seen the stuff, and I've been around," he said. "I know what we do. I mean, this is really our third time around, and we've still never had a No. 1 record. We've only had three in the Top 10. But we've survived. We've survived because we're a great live band."

Mr. Gray said he made the decision to continue with Marshall Tucker after Tommy Caldwell died in 1980 and Toy Caldwell quit shortly thereafter. Mr. Gray said he felt that there was a core group of fans that had become emotionally attached to the band and its songs.

"I bought them out because I felt like if I didn't, I would be letting people down," he said. "I knew I could try something different, but I thought this was something I could do if I was true."

He said approaching the Marshall Tucker Band as a sort of steward has affected the way he sees the music business. Where once he saw numbers - records and tickets sold - he now counts potential memories.

"I guess I work in reverse," he said. "I can't look as those things as sales. I see them instead as people who have chosen to by our records. I like to measure our success by how many people turn out and have memories attached to what we do."

Now approaching 60, Mr. Gray said he has accepted and even found comfort in his life with the Marshall Tucker Band. He said being in the band has helped him understand who he is and what he's capable of.

"I'm just a guy from the South, who's a little bit older and has a lot of younger guys around to carry some - listen to that - a lot of the load," he said. "And I'll tell you, if I could figure out what it was that made this a success, I'd apply it to making cars. Cars that last a long time and people continue to love."

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.

Can't you see

What: The Marshall Tucker Band and Redbelly for the radio station WEKL-FM (102.3) 10th Birthday Bash

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Augusta Common, 800 block between Broad and Reynolds streets

Cost: $12 advance, $15 at gate, advance tickets at Fatz Cafe, 464 N. Belair Road in Evans, or www.ticket alternative.com