Jack Daniels: Gospel, grass and generations on the farm

His father either had a great sense of humor or a knack for
coming up with names. He called the acreage he farmed
along the Red River in Lafayette County Miracle Farms,
inspired by one of his favorite sayings: “God grants the
miracle — we do the work.”
But why did Mr. Daniels name his son Jack?
“I have a lot of fun with the name,” Jack Daniels told me.
“Apparently my dad had a pretty good sense of humor.”
In the latest episode of my podcast, I sat down with Jack
to talk about the story behind Miracle Farms — its roots,
its name, and the faith that still shapes the work that
happens out near the Bodcaw community in Nevada
County. Along the way, we learn a few amazing facts
about the man who keeps things rolling at the farm.
Jack hopped on the lead bus from our school district as
we arrived, guiding it through the gate and out into the
parking pasture. His wife, Sunny, greeted our students as
they filed out into acres and acres of agri-tourism fun.
Minutes later, Jack was loading passengers onto the hay
wagon, then taking his seat on the tractor that would pull
them around the farm. Later in the morning, as I tried to
corner him for this interview, he hopped on a four
wheeler promising to return shortly.
“Jack-of-all-trades” might be a more fitting name than the
eponym with the founder of a Tennessee whiskey
distillery.
Take his education, for example. A graduate of Hope High
School, Jack studied both music education at Southern
Arkansas University and diesel and heavy truck
mechanics at Red River Vo-Tech. How many musicians
do you know who also have an interest in heavy
mechanics?
The music part made sense for a man who grew up
singing and playing and currently serves as worship
leader at Garrett Memorial Baptist Church in Hope. But
the mechanics part — that’s where his story takes an
unexpected turn.
And what a story it is. Jack toured for 20 years with
David Phelps, five years with the Gaither Vocal Band, and
two years with The Martins. He figured knowing a bit
about diesel mechanics might come in handy for someone
who lived part of his life on a tour bus.
“I’ve had the great opportunity to be involved in gospel
music for 40 years now,” Jack told me. “I’ve traveled with
a lot of icons and people that I really, really look up to and
think the world of.”
Jack got his start in gospel music at age 14, performing
with his father’s family group, The Ambassadors. “My
dad and I started when I was 14 years old, back in ’84,”
Jack said. “We traveled regionally for years and years,
and I stayed with them all through high school.”
After graduating from Hope High School, Jack joined the
well-known gospel group, The Martins, playing piano
with them for nearly two years before deciding to pursue
another interest.
“I’d always loved working with machinery,” he said. “I
was raised on a farm, always working on equipment, and I
thought, if I ever join a gospel group, it’d be good to
know how to fix a bus if we broke down on the road. So I
decided to learn a little diesel mechanics to go along with
playing the keyboard.”
That practical thinking led him to Red River Vocational
Technical School, where he studied diesel mechanics. But
Jack’s love of music never faded. Before long, he enrolled
at Southern Arkansas University, earning a degree in
music education — all while continuing to travel and
perform with his family’s group, The Ambassadors.
It was music, too, that brought him together with the love
of his life. While singing at a church one evening, he
caught the attention of a young woman named Sunny.
“She just fell in love,” Jack says with a smile, then
admits, “I think it was the other way around.” The two
have now been married twenty-six years and have six
children. To no one’s surprise they are all musically
inclined and frequently perform at local venues.
About a year into their marriage, a family connection
opened the door to a whole new chapter. Jack’s cousin is
married to David Phelps — the world-renowned tenor
whose soaring voice helped define the Gaither Vocal
Band. When Phelps called one day to ask if Jack might
like to play piano for some of his solo shows, Jack said
yes. That yes turned into twenty years of music, travel,
and unforgettable moments.
“Twenty years go by in a hurry,” he says. “I traveled the
world — played Carnegie Hall twice, performed in
London at the O2, and just about everywhere in between.
It was an amazing twenty years.”
During that time, Jack became close with Bill Gaither and
the Homecoming family. He even drove Gaither’s bus for
several years and occasionally filled in on stage, playing
auxiliary keyboards, mandolin, or dobro. “Really great
opportunities,” he reflects. “I got to be part of something
special.”
Even with all the miles Jack Daniels has logged on the
road, his heart has never strayed far from the land.
Farming runs deep in his veins — three generations deep,
to be exact. His family’s story is rooted right here on the
quiet backroads of Nevada County, where the Daniels
family settled not long after the Civil War.
The farm itself was purchased by Jack’s grandfather, I.J.
Daniels, in the 1940s, just after World War II. “He was
born just around the curve in 1916,” Jack says, pointing
down the gravel road. I.J. built the original log house that
still stands on the property today, and over the years the
family added on to it. Jack and his family still live there,
carrying on the legacy that began nearly a century ago.
I.J. Daniels was something of a pioneer. In the 1950s, he
became one of the first chicken farmers in Nevada
County, building some of the earliest poultry houses in the
area. Today, the chicken houses still dot the landscape, but
the Daniels family has shifted its focus to cattle. “We raise
beef cattle,” Jack says. “That’s our main crop here.”
Miracle Farms Market is where the family’s work meets
the community. Their beef is 100% grass-fed, raised right
there on the farm from birth to finish — about 28 months
of nothing but grass, minerals, sunshine, and, as Jack likes
to say, “raised with love.” The market also offers seasonal
produce: sweet corn, purple hull peas, watermelons,
pumpkins, and more. Market season runs May through
July, but the beef is available year-round.
October brings one of the farm’s most anticipated
traditions: Fall Family Fun Days. For three Saturdays
each October, Miracle Farms turns into a festive gathering
place. There’s live music on the porch, burgers and pulled
pork from the concession stand, and hayrides that weave
around the fields. Families wander through an eight-acre
maze, children pick pumpkins from the hillside, and the
whole place hums with laughter and conversation.
School groups come from all over L.A. (Lower Arkansas)
— Magnolia, Smackover, Norphlet, Camden, Texarkana
— to experience it. It’s a joy to watch children enjoying
everything the farm has to offer, especially as they set off
into that sprawling maze.
As for what’s next for Miracle Farms, Jack is always
planning the next season. “We have a field day planned
for the first of May,” he said. “It’ll be a lot like our Fall
Family Fun Days. We’ll take tours of the farm, show
everything that’s growing — the beef cattle, the crops —
and have play areas for the kids, concessions, and live
music.”
Jack Daniels’ life has followed two steady rhythms — one
set to music, the other to the seasons. Whether he’s behind
a piano on a world stage or behind the wheel of a tractor
in Bodcaw, the same spirit runs through it all: gratitude,
hard work, and a deep love for the life God has given him.
The same hands that once played Carnegie Hall now
mend fences and feed cattle. The same heart that poured
out gospel songs now tends the soil that has sustained his
family for generations.
At Miracle Farms, the name fits. As Jack’s father once
said, “God grants the miracles — we do the work.” It’s a
simple truth that still echoes across the fields each
morning when the dew is fresh and the day begins.
—-
Steve Ford is a retired Baptist minister who drives a
school bus, flies a drone and publishes a podcast called
Life in LA Today. Find it wherever you get your podcasts
or online at https://lifeinlatoday.blogspot.co