\n
It felt like a homecoming in the Christ Church Episcopal School performing arts center on Oct. 7 as friends gathered to celebrate one of the Upstate\u2019s most beloved musicians.<\/p>\n
Paul T. Riddle, original drummer for the Marshall Tucker Band and a longtime music educator, was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina\u2019s highest civilian honor.<\/p>\n
Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith, a friend of Riddle\u2019s, presented the award on behalf of Gov. Henry McMaster.<\/p>\n
He described Riddle as \u201ca musical ambassador for South Carolina\u201d and lauded his \u201cextraordinary commitment\u201d to educating young people.<\/p>\n\n\nPaul T. Riddle, right, was recognized on Oct. 7 with the Order of the Palmetto award. Riddle was the original drummer in the Marshall Tucker Band, and he teaches music at Christ Church Episcopal School. Greenwood Mayor Brandon Smith, left, presented the award.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Riddle received a standing ovation as he walked to the stage to accept the framed citation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is insane,\u201d said Riddle, who had been unaware up until the time event that he would be honored. \u201cI don\u2019t even know what to say.\u201d<\/p>\n
The crowd of supporters included friends who date back to the Marshall Tucker Band days.<\/p>\n
There was Moon Mullins, who first met Riddle when he was still a student at Spartanburg High School.<\/p>\n
Mullins and Tommy Caldwell connected with Riddle and guitarist George McCorkle, who were in a band together, to discuss the idea of joining forces.<\/p>\n
\u201cTommy and I had been in the Marines, and Paul was such a young kid,\u201d Mullins recalled. \u201cBut Tommy was a bass player, and he could see Paul\u2019s talent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mullins would go on the lead the Marshall Tucker Band\u2019s road crew during its touring heyday.<\/p>\n\n\nMoon Mullins was on hand to celebrate with his friend Paul Riddle, original drummer for the Marshall Tucker Band. Riddle received the Order of the Palmetto award on Tuesday, Oct. 7. Mullins was lead crew member with the band.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Founded in Spartanburg, the Marshall Tucker Band was a pioneering Southern Rock act. During the 1970s, the group had hits with \u201cCan\u2019t You See,\u201d \u201cTake the Highway,\u201d \u201cHeard it in a Love Song,\u201d and others. Their songs have influenced generations of musicians and remain staples of the classic rock radio format.<\/p>\n
Mullins said that even as the band\u2019s popularity grew and the touring schedule grew more demanding, Riddle was always easy to work with \u2013 a humble guy who enjoyed spending time behind the scenes with the team.<\/p>\n
About 10 former Marshall Tucker Band crew members attended the presentation Tuesday, Mullins said.<\/p>\n
One was Robin Majors, who drove from Nashville to honor his friend Riddle. \u201cI had to be here,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The audience also included Joe McConnell, who worked as the group\u2019s manager during its peak years. He said Riddle was consistently willing to go the extra mile to support bandmates and crew.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul was always the guy,\u201d McConnell said. \u201cIf there were radio interviews or that sort of thing scheduled and the other guys didn\u2019t want to do it, Paul would volunteer. He and George would fill in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riddle is known for his energy and enthusiasm, and McConnell admires his outlook on life.<\/p>\n
\u201cPaul is the only person I\u2019ve ever known who does exactly what he wants to be doing everyday when he wakes up,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riddle has taught lessons privately and at Christ Church Episcopal School for decades.<\/p>\n\n\nPaul Riddle, in his teaching studio at Christ Church Episcopal School.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
He also continues to perform. He has recently put together an all-star cast of musicians that includes Greenville\u2019s Marcus King to record and perform songs by Toy Caldwell, older brother of Tommy.<\/p>\n
Toy Caldwell was the lead creative force in the Marshall Tucker Band.<\/p>\n
Prior to the forming of the Marshall Tucker Band, Caldwell led a group called the Toy Factory.<\/p>\n
Riddle named the group he\u2019s been working with \u2013 and its tribute to Caldwell\u2019s music \u2013 the Toy Factory Project.<\/p>\n
King and Charlie Starr, lead singer of Blackberry Smoke and a member of the Toy Factory Project team, recorded video tributes to Riddle for Tuesday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell deserved, my friend. Well deserved,\u201d King said. \u201cI think the world of you.\u201d<\/p>\n
The video messages offered a glimpse of Riddle\u2019s influence and musical connections.<\/p>\n
Longtime friend Chuck Leavell, a former member of the Allman Brothers Band who has played keyboard with the Rolling Stones in recent years, sent a message.<\/p>\n
Married musical duo Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi as well as concert promoter Barry Leff offered their congratulations.<\/p>\n
During his introduction, Smith read a congratulatory email from Allman Brothers drummer Jaimoe Johanson.<\/p>\n
During the 1990s, Riddle filled in for Johanson on a number of Allman Brothers shows. One of those performances became a Grammy Award-winning live recording.<\/p>\n
Riddle and his wife, Valerie, live in Greenville, but his deep ties to Spartanburg were represented in the audience.<\/p>\n
Franklin and Neva Wilkie made the trip from Spartanburg. Franklin is a bass player who grew up making music with Toy Caldwell.<\/p>\n
After Tommy Caldwell died following a vehicle crash in 1980, Wilkie was brought in to perform with the Marshall Tucker Band.<\/p>\n
He and Riddle \u201calways had adjoining rooms when we were out on tour,\u201d Wilkie recalled. \u201cWe entertained each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\nFranklin Wilkie, left, drove from Spartanburg to celebrate his friend Paul Riddle’s recognition as a recipient of the Order of the Palmetto. Wilkie and Riddle performed together in the Marshall Tucker Band and, later, the Throbbers.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
After the band split in 1983, Wilkie and Riddle put together a jazz fusion group called the Throbbers.<\/p>\n
He admires Riddle\u2019s talent and professionalism as a drummer but has been equally impressed by his work as a teacher.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s wonderful how he makes music education fun for children,\u201d Wilkie said. \u201cHe\u2019s a great role model.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Order of the Palmetto was created in 1971 to recognize \u201cextraordinary achievement, service, and contributions on a national or statewide scale.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\nChrist Church School drum teacher Paul Riddle, right, gets applause near Katie Leckenbusch, Director of the Arts, accepting the Order of the Palmetto honor at the school Performance Arts Center Tuesday, October 7, 2025. Riddle, famous playing with Marshall Tucker Band, said he was surprised.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Riddle expressed gratitude for the show of support from friends \u2013 and for the opportunities that have come his way.<\/p>\n
He recognized the support of his parents, who saved money they earned working at Drayton Mill so that he could pursue his passion for music.<\/p>\n
As an up-and-coming teenage drummer, he couldn\u2019t have known the success that was in store when Tommy Caldwell first approached him about being in a band \u2013 but, looking back, he said meeting Caldwell \u201cchanged my life.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the many students he has worked with over the years, Riddle described them as \u201ca gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
Riddle concluded: \u201cI\u2019m the most blessed person alive.\u201d<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: SC honors Marshall Tucker Band member Paul Riddle with top award<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It felt like a homecoming in the Christ Church Episcopal School performing arts center on Oct. 7 as friends gathered to celebrate one of the Upstate\u2019s most beloved musicians. Paul T. Riddle, original drummer for the Marshall Tucker Band and a longtime music educator, was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina\u2019s highest civilian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2076073,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[389779,389775,389776,389777,389771,389773,389780,389778,389772,389774],"class_list":["post-2076072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-brandon-smith","tag-christ-church-episcopal-school","tag-drummer","tag-joe-mcconnell","tag-marshall-tucker-band","tag-moon-mullins","tag-riddle","tag-spartanburg-high-school","tag-tommy-caldwell","tag-toy-caldwell"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/South-Carolinas-highest-civilian-honor.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2076072"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2076074,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076072\/revisions\/2076074"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2076073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2076072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2076072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2076072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}