Toy Caldwell
Toy Caldwell during a 1974 concert.
Background information
Birth name	Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr.
Born	(1947-11-13)November 13, 1947 Spartanburg, South Carolina, U.S.
Died	February 25, 1993(1993-02-25) (aged 45) Moore, South Carolina, U.S.
Genres	Southern rock, rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Guitar
Years active	1973–1993
Associated acts	The Marshall Tucker Band Toy Caldwell Band

Toy Talmadge Caldwell Jr. (November 13, 1947 - February 25, 1993) was the lead guitar player, main songwriter and a founding member of the 1970s Southern Rock group The Marshall Tucker Band.^[1] He was a member of the band from 1973 to 1983.

Early life[link]

Caldwell was born November 13, 1947 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, to Mr. and Mrs. Toy Talmadge Caldwell Sr. He began playing guitar before his teen years with his younger brother Tommy Caldwell. Toy played basketball and football in high school with friends George McCorkle, Jerry Eubanks, and Doug Gray. While very involved in sports, the boys eventually became interested in music including jazz and blues. By age sixteen, Toy was passionate about music, sports, and his other obsession, motorcycles. He also enjoyed hunting and fishing. Caldwell decided to serve his country and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. In 1966, Toy was in Parris Island, and was wounded September 1968, he was evacuated for 2 weeks, then sent back to the front lines. Caldwell was discharged in 1969 and once again began playing music with his high school buddies. The Spartanburg chapter of the Marine Corps League is named the Hutchings-Caldwells Detachment in honor of Toy, his brother Tommy and another Marine.^[2]

Career[link]

The Marshall Tucker Band[link]

This section requires expansion.

Later career[link]

He later formed the Toy Caldwell Band and released an eponymous CD in 1992; the record was later renamed Son of the South by Southern rocker and Caldwell's personal friend, Charlie Daniels. The album was digitally re-released in 2009 through Hopesong Digital / GMV Nashville. As guitarist for Marshall Tucker, Caldwell wrote almost all of their songs.

Caldwell died on February 25, 1993, at his home in Moore, South Carolina.^[1] The cause of death was reported as respiratory failure.^[3][4]

Personal life[link]

Caldwell married his wife Abbie on September 12, 1969. They remained married until his death.

He was the brother of Marshall Tucker co-founder and bass guitarist Tommy Caldwell.

References[link]

George McCorkle
Birth name	George Freeman McCorkle
Born	(1947-10-11)October 11, 1947 Chester, South Carolina, United States
Died	June 29, 2007(2007-06-29) (aged 59) Lebanon, Tennessee, United States
Genres	Southern rock, rock, country
Occupations	Songwriter, musician
Instruments	Guitar, vocals
Years active	1968-2007
Labels	Capricorn, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	The Toy Factory, Pax Parachute, The Marshall Tucker Band
Website	www.georgemccorkle.com
Notable instruments
Rhythm guitar

George McCorkle (October 11, 1947 – June 29, 2007) was a founding member and guitarist for the Marshall Tucker Band. He wrote "Fire on the Mountain", the band's first top 40 hit, though had hoped that Charlie Daniels would record the song. He left the band in 1984 and later worked as a songwriter.^[1] He released a solo album, American Street, in 1999.^[2] McCorkle was diagnosed with cancer in early June 2007 and died soon afterward, in Lebanon, Tennessee.^[1]

Early career[link]

George McCorkle pursued music as a career after having been drafted into the Navy and serving from 1967 to 1968. Initially he had taught himself to play his older brother's guitar as a young teenager, mimicking the blues stylings of B.B. King and other artists he heard on the radio. At the age of sixteen he purchased his own Gretsch guitar. His first stage performances were with local high school bands in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

After his military discharge he formed a band, The Toy Factory, with his longtime childhood friend, Toy Caldwell. George also performed with another group, Pax Parachute, but his musical talents flourished working with Toy. ""Playing guitar with Toy Caldwell wasn't just playing guitar, it was sharing a mind. With me at his side he had the freedom to do whatever came into his mind and I could instinctively interpret whatever that was and experiment with him. And Toy had a heart of gold." ^[3]

References[link]

External links[link]

• George McCorkle home page
• Find a Grave obituary
• George McCorkle entry in Dave's Diary
• George McCorkle entry at Pure Southern Rock
• Obituary on legacy.com
• George McCorkle interview on MarshallTucker.com

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The Marshall Tucker Band
Marshall Tucker Band on July 4, 2006
Background information
Origin	Spartanburg, South Carolina, USA
Genres	Southern rock, country rock, rock and roll
Years active	1972–1983, 1988–present
Labels	Capricorn, Warner Bros., Mercury, Cabin Fever, Ramblin'
Associated acts	Charlie Daniels
Website	www.marshalltucker.com
Members
Doug Gray Pat Ellwood Rick Willis B.B. Borden Marcus James Henderson Stuart Swanlund
Past members
Toy Caldwell Jerry Eubanks George McCorkle Tommy Caldwell Paul Riddle Franklin Wilkie Ronnie Godfrey Rusty Milner Tom Robb Ace Allen Tim Lawter Don Cameron Frank Toler Mark Pettey Ronald Radford Paul Thompson Garry Guzzardo David Muse Chris Hicks Clay Cook Tony Heatherly

The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel^[1] helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s.^[2] While the band had reached the height of its commercial success by the end of the decade, the band has recorded and performed continuously under various lineups for nearly 40 years.^[2]

The original lineup of the Marshall Tucker Band, formed in 1972, included lead guitarist, vocalist, and primary songwriter Toy Caldwell (1947–1993), vocalist Doug Gray (b. 1948), keyboard player and flutist Jerry Eubanks (b. 1950), rhythm guitarist George McCorkle (1946–2007), drummer Paul Riddle (b. 1953), and bassist Tommy Caldwell (1949–1980). They signed with Capricorn Records and in 1973 released their first LP, The Marshall Tucker Band. After Tommy Caldwell was killed in an automobile accident in 1980, he was replaced by bassist Franklin Wilkie. Most of the original band members had left by the mid-1980s to pursue other projects.^[3] The band's lineup as of 2009 consists of Gray on vocals, guitarist Stuart Swanlund, keyboard player and flutist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist Rick Willis, bassist Pat Elwood, and drummer B.B. Borden.^[4]

Name origin[link]

The "Marshall Tucker" in the band's name does not refer to a band member, but rather a Spartanburg-area piano tuner. While the band was discussing possible band names one evening in an old warehouse they had rented for rehearsal space, someone noticed that the warehouse's door key had the name "Marshall Tucker" inscribed on it, and suggested they called themselves the "The Marshall Tucker Band," not realizing it referred to an actual person. It later came to light that Marshall Tucker, the blind piano tuner, had rented the space before the band, and the landlord had yet to change the inscription on the key.^[1]

In his book, Top Pop Singles, 1955-2002, music historian Joel Whitburn attributes "Marshall Tucker" to the owner of the band's rehearsal hall.^[5]

History[link]

Early history[link]

The original members (and some later members) of the Marshall Tucker Band had been playing in various lineups under different band names around the Spartanburg area since the early 1960s. In 1966, members of several such bands merged to form the Toy Factory, named after guitarist Toy Caldwell. The Toy Factory's constantly-shifting lineup included, at times, Caldwell, Caldwell's younger brother Tommy, Doug Gray, Jerry Eubanks, George McCorkle, and Franklin Wilkie. In the late 1960s, bandmembers served in the U.S. Armed Forces, and saw action in the Vietnam War. By the 1970s, Toy Caldwell and George McCorkle had returned to Spartanburg, and the Toy Factory had resumed playing in area clubs.^[6] In fact, in 1970 the Toy Factory was the opening act for the Allman Brothers when the Allman's played at the "Sitar" music lounge in Spartanburg.

In 1972, Caldwell and McCorkle once again revamped the band's lineup, eventually settling on Tommy Caldwell on bass, George McCorkle rhythm guitar, and Jerry Eubanks, flute/tenor sax, while adding Paul Riddle on drums; the new lineup adopted the name "Marshall Tucker Band." Wet Willie lead singer Jimmy Hall told Toy Caldwell to book the band at Grant's Lounge in Macon which he did. After hearing the band play at Grant's Buddy Thornton and Paul Hornsby recorded the band's demo at the Capricorn Studio in Macon, Ga. Frank Fenter and Phil Walden signed The Marshall Tucker Band based on those demos.

1970s[link]

The Marshall Tucker Band's self-titled debut, produced by Paul Hornsby, was released in 1973, and certified gold in 1975.^[7] All of the tracks were written by Toy Caldwell, including "Can't You See", which was released in 1973 on Capricorn 0023 ("Bubbled Under" at #108 on 1 September 1973) and re-released in 1977 on Capricorn 0278 (peaked at #75 on 24 September 1977). After the album's release, the band began touring, playing upwards of 300 shows per year throughout the decade.^[7] Southern rock fiddler Charlie Daniels later recalled that the Marshall Tucker Band "came onstage and just blew it out from start to finish."^[8]

Daniels' first of many collaborations with the Marshall Tucker Band came on the band's second album, A New Life,^[8] which was released in 1974, and certified gold in 1977.^[7] Daniels and blues guitarist Elvin Bishop were among several musicians that joined the band for Where We All Belong,^[8] a double-album (one studio album and one live album) released by the band in 1974 and certified gold that same year. The following year the band's Searchin' for a Rainbow was also certified gold the year of its release, and contained the track "Fire on the Mountain," which peaked at #38 on the Billboard charts. Long Hard Ride, the band's fifth consecutive gold album, was released in 1976,^[8] and its instrumental title track (which again features Charlie Daniels on fiddle) was nominated for a Grammy.^[9] Carolina Dreams, released in 1977 and certified platinum that same year, proved to be the band's most commercially-successful album, and included the track "Heard It In a Love Song," which reached #14 on the Billboard charts.^[7] The band's final Capricorn release came with 1978's Together Forever, which was produced by Stewart Levine.^[8]

1980s[link]

The Marshall Tucker Band moved to Warner Bros. Records for their ninth album, Running Like the Wind, although they retained Levine as the album's producer. On April 22, 1980, the band's bassist, Tommy Caldwell, was involved in an automobile accident in which he suffered massive head trauma, and died six days later. Former Toy Factory bassist Franklin Wilkie replaced Caldwell, but the band was never able to recapture its commercial success of the 1970s. After 1983's Greetings from South Carolina, the band split up.^[2]

In 1988, Gray and Eubanks reorganized the Marshall Tucker Band to record the album Still Holdin' On, their one and only release on the Mercury Records label. Although Gray and Eubanks added new members Rusty Milner, Stuart Swanlund, and Tim Lawter, Still Holdin' On was primarily recorded with studio musicians. The newer members had a much greater role, however, on the band's 1990 album, Southern Spirit, released on the Sisaspa label. The album marked a return to the band's country and blues roots.^[10]

1990s[link]

In 1992, the Marshall Tucker Band produced its first album for the Cabin Fever label, Still Smokin', which managed to crack the top 70 on the Billboard charts. The band's 1993 release, Walk Outside the Lines, marked a transition to a more country sound, relying less on long improvised jams that were the trademark of the band's early career.^[11] The album's title track was co-written by country music star Garth Brooks, a long-time fan of the band who considered writing a track for them a "milestone" in his career.^[7]

For 1998's Face Down In the Blues, the band added Spartanburg-area guitarist Ronald Radford and multi-instrumentalist David Muse, the latter replacing Jerry Eubanks, who had retired in 1996.^[8] Gospel, the band's 1999 album, featured the band's rendition of traditional songs such as The Wayfaring Stranger and Will the Circle Be Unbroken, as well as several original tracks.

Recent history[link]

The Marshall Tucker Band continued recording and performing into the 21st century, playing between 150 and 200 shows per year.^[1] The band reissued many of its albums from the 1970s on its new Ramblin' Records label, as well as two two-disc compilations, the first (Anthology) being a 30-year retrospective and the second (Where a Country Boy Belongs) being a collection of the band's country songs. In 2004, they released another studio album, Beyond the Horizon, and the following year released a Christmas album, Carolina Christmas.

"Can't You See" was used for the opening and closing credits of the Kevin Costner 2008 motion picture Swing Vote. "Take the Highway" was also used in the movie.

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

Compilation albums[link]

Singles[link]

Music videos[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Swampland's Legends of Southern Rock, Marshall Tucker
• The Marshall Tucker Band on Myspace

Lieutenant-Colonel Claude Cunningham Bruce Marshall, known as Bruce Marshall (24 June 1899 – 18 June 1987) was a prolific Scottish writer who wrote fiction and non-fiction books on a wide range of topics and genres. His first book, A Thief in the Night came out in 1918, possibly self-published. His last, An Account of Capers was published posthumously in 1988, a span of 70 years.

Life and work[link]

Marshall was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, the son of Claude Niven Marshall and Annie Margaret (Bruce) Marshall. He was educated at St. Andrews. He became a Roman Catholic in 1917 and remained active and interested in the faith for the rest of his life. He was a member and at times served as an officer in the Una Voce and the Latin Mass Society organizations.

During World War I he initially served as a private in the Highland Light Infantry. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant into the Royal Irish Fusiliers in 1918. Six days before the 1918 Armistice he was seriously wounded. Courageous German medical orderlies risked intense shelling to rescue him and he was taken prisoner.^[1] His injuries resulted in the amputation of one leg. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1919 and invalided out in 1920.

After the war he completed his education in Scotland, became an auditor, and moved to France where he worked in the Paris branch of Peat Marwick Mitchell.^[2]

In 1928 he married Mary Pearson Clark (1908–1987).^[3] They had one daughter—Sheila Elizabeth Bruce Marshall. In 2009, his granddaughter, Leslie Ferrar, was Treasurer to the Prince of Wales.

He was living in Paris during the 1940 Invasion of France and escaped two days before the Nazi occupied the city. Returning to England he rejoined the military, initially serving in the Royal Army Pay Corps as a lieutenant. He was promoted to captain in Intelligence, assisting the French underground, and then was a lieutenant-colonel in the Displaced Persons Division in Austria.^[4] He transferred to the General List in 1945, and left the Army as a lieutenant-colonel in 1946.

After the war Marshall returned to France,^[3] moving to the Côte d'Azur and living there for the remainder of his life. He died in Biot, France, six days before his 88th birthday.

Writing career[link]

A Roman Catholic convert,^[5] his stories are usually humorous and mildly satiric and typically have religious overtones. Important themes which run through his works are Catholicism, accounting, a Scottish heritage and war, adventure and intrigue. Often major characters are accountants or Catholic priests. Characters in his novels are often fond of animals and concerned about their treatment. Contempt for modern art and literature is often expressed.

Marshall's first literary work was a collection of short stories entitled A Thief in the Night published while he was still a student at St. Andrews University.^[6] His first novel, This Sorry Scheme was published in 1924. A stream of novels soon followed, but none of the fiction he wrote before the Second World War gained as much notoriety or staying power as Father Malachy's Miracle (1931).

After the Second World War Marshall became a writer full-time, giving up his work as an accountant.

As to his dual career as an accountant and writer, Marshall once said, "I am an accountant who writes books. In accounting circles I am hailed as a great writer. Among novelists I am assumed to be a competent accountant."^[7]

Among his better known works after the Second World War is The White Rabbit (1953), a biography of Wing Commander F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, describing his exploits and sufferings while in the Resistance during World War II.

In 1959 he was awarded the Włodzimierz Pietrzak prize.

The theme of much of Marshall's works is religion, with a focus on Roman Catholicism. His first great success, Father Malachy's Miracle, is about an innocent Scottish priest whose encounter with sinful behavior causes him to become involved in a miracle. A number of his later novels also deal with clergy who are faced with temptation but manage to triumph in a modest and humble manner (e.g., The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith (AKA All Glorious Within) (1944), A Thread of Scarlet (AKA Satan and Cardinal Campbell) (1959), Father Hilary's Holiday (1965), The Month of the Falling Leaves (1963)). Other books centered on religious issues deal more with Catholic doctrine and its relationship to modern life than with personal responsibility, such as The Bishop (1970), Peter the Second (1976), Urban the Ninth (1973) and Marx the First (1975).

Like many expatriates, Marshall expressed great love for his homeland. Most of his books were either set in Great Britain and/or have main characters of British nationality. The work which best shows Marshall's affection for Scotland may be The Black Oxen (1972), which Marshall billed as a Scottish Epic.

Several of Marshall's books have themes about espionage and intrigue, such as Luckypenny (1937), A Girl from Lübeck (1962), The Month of the Falling Leaves (1963), Operation Iscariot (1974), An Account of Capers (1988), The Accounting (AKA The Bank Audit) (1958), and Only Fade Away (1954).

Some of his novels feature major characters who, like Marshall himself, have suffered the loss of a limb. Often major characters from one novel appear in minor roles in other novels.

Marshall was relatively popular in his time. His books were reviewed in major publications on both sides of the Atlantic. At least two of his books were Book of the Month Club selections;^[4] Vespers in Vienna (1947) and The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith (AKA All Glorious Within) (1944), in June 1945. An Armed Services Edition of The World, the Flesh, and Father Smith was also produced.

His books were published in at least nine languages — English, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Polish, Czech, Portuguese & Spanish.

Film, stage and television adaptations[link]

His 1931 novel Father Malachy's Miracle was adapted for the stage in 1938 by Brian Doherty.^[8] The novel was adapted for presentation on The Ford Theatre Hour, an American TV show, in 1950. In 1961, the novel was the basis for the German film Das Wunder des Malachias directed by Bernhard Wicki and starring Horst Bollmann, Richard Münch and Christiane Nielsen.

His 1947 novel Vespers in Vienna was the basis of the 1949 film The Red Danube starring Walter Pidgeon, Ethel Barrymore, Peter Lawford, Angela Lansbury and Janet Leigh. George Sidney directed. After the movie's release the novel was re-issued under the title The Red Danube.

His 1953 novel The Fair Bride was the basis of the 1960 film The Angel Wore Red starring Ava Gardner, Dirk Bogarde, Joseph Cotten and Vittorio De Sica. It was the last film directed by Nunnally Johnson.

His 1952 book, The White Rabbit, recounting the World War II exploits of secret agent F. F. E. Yeo-Thomas, was made into a TV mini-series in 1967.

His 1963 novel The Month of the Falling Leaves was the basis of the 1968 German TV show Der Monat der Fallenden Blätter. Marshall co-wrote the screenplay with Herbert Asmodi. It was directed by Dietrich Haugk.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Contemporary Authors, Vols. 5-8, p. 733 (First Revision, 1969)
• Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Vol. 36, pp. 835–836 (2000)

External links[link]

• Georgetown Bruce Marshall Papers
• Appreciation by Alessandro Banfi
• Biography in Purvis Family Tree
• Bruce Marshall at the Internet Movie Database
• Works by or about Bruce Marshall in libraries (WorldCat catalog)