Joel DiGregorio, keyboard player and singer with the Charlie Daniels band, has been killed in a car crash in Nashville. Joel, who co-wrote the band's biggest hit 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia', died when his SUV veered off the road before smashing into a tree - he was 67, according to TMZ.com.
The musician, known as 'Taz', was heading to meet the band's tour bus in Tennessee when he lost control of his vehicle on Interstate 40, west of Nashville. According to law enforcement, Joel's vehicle was the only car involved in the crash. A founding member of the group, Taz has spent over 40 years playing keyboard, singing vocals and writing songs. Lead singer Charlie Daniels released a statement saying, "I am in shock now, Taz was one of my best friends. We're going to miss you buddy. You were one of a kind and will never be forgotten". The band subsequently cancelled a concert on Thursday (13th October 2011) and also called off Saturday's show. In 1979, 'The Devil Went Down to Georgia' won Daniels a GRAMMY AWARD for 'Best Country Vocal Performance' - the song reached No. 3 on the charts.
DiGregorio is survived by his wife, two sons and two daughters.