rolling stones keyboardist is georgia tree farmer of 1998

Tree Farming Rock-n-Roller

By Ford Boswell

September 1999 / Southern Loggin' Times

Since I can remember I've always had a strong affection for music. Whether it's blues or bluegrass, classical or classic rock, jazz or whatever, music is something I consider to be one of God's great gifts for soothing the soul. I've collected an assortment of records, cassettes, CDs and even live recordings of concerts I've attended. I also enjoy playing (although not very well) and collecting musical instruments, including guitars, mandolins, drums, a piano and various other noise makers--as my wife calls them.

I never thought that my interest in music and the forest products industry would have much in common, but in July, I got an opportunity to visit and interview Georgia tree farmer and touring keyboardist for the Rolling Stones, Chuck Leavell. I must admit I was extremely psyched to make the trip.

Unofficially called the sixth member of the Stones, I knew a lot about Leavell's career in music, being a fan of many of the artists he has toured or recorded with, including the Allman Brothers Band, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Fabulous Thunderbirds, among others. I was very curious to see how he balanced music and tree farming. Needless to say, his life is quite an interesting combination of two worlds that seem so inherently different, but for Leavell it makes perfect sense.

Bright lights, loud guitars and perpetual jet lag. That, in a nutshell, is the life Leavell knows for several months at a time while on the road with the legendary rock band. But when all the instruments are packed away in their cases for the last time of a long tour, it's time for a weary Leavell to come home to Georgia and resume the other life he knows: tree farming.

Back home in Georgia, Leavell enjoys the more tranquil surroundings of his tree farm and wildlife preserves called Charlane Plantation (Charlane is a word derived from Charles, Chuck's real name, and his wife's name, Rose Lane).

A person growing up in the South--unless he/she lived in a cave--knows the economic importance the forest products industry holds for the region. Leavell, who spent most of his childhood in the small college town of Tuscaloosa, Ala., got a good whiff of his future from a Gulf States paper mill bordering the town. He could hardly know then just how much the forest products industry would be a part of his later years.

This seemingly unusual balance of music and silviculture began in 1981, when 1,200 acres of farmland, located 20 miles west of Macon, was left to the Leavells by Rose Lane's late grandmother, Julia White. Shortly after, they moved to the homestead to carry on the farming and land stewardship tradition that their grandfather, A.V. White Sr., had begun many years before.

After more than three decades of recording and traveling the world with his music, Leavell now enjoys the juxtaposition of being a simple farmer. 

After the couple settled into their new home at Charlane Plantation, they brainstormed to find a suitable crop to raise on the property. According to the tree farmer, it had to be one that would fit well into his busy touring schedule (last year's Rolling Stones world tour kept Chuck from home more than five months).

On the suggestion of his brother-in-law, Alton White, Chuck agreed to begin examining the possibility of transforming the farmland into timberland. "We discussed planting cotton, Christmas trees, peanuts--you name it," he says, "but when Alton suggested planting 50 acres with trees, it seemed like a perfect fit. From that point, I became intrigued with forestry."

Soon after, Leavell took a correspondence course offered by Georgia-Pacific Corp. "I studied while touring with the Fabulous Thunderbirds," he recalls. "I'd study in hotels or on the tour bus or wherever I could."

For more than 18 years, the Leavells have labored intensively to turn more than 2,200 acres (over the years, the couple has purchased an additional 1,000 acres) of former farmland into a forestland, wildlife and shooting preserve. Since 1981, the Leavells have planted more than 50 plots (all on a planned 40 year rotation), with several species of pine and hardwood. Already, some first thinnings have taken place.

Meantime, Leavell has joined several forestry and silviculture organizations to learn more about planting and growing trees. He has also used his celebrity status to bring positive awareness to industry causes. For his efforts, he is the only two-time recipient of Georgia Forestry Assn.'s Tree Farmer of the Year award.

"Trees are America's most valuable resource, and I want to do my part to ensure that the public understands that fact," he says. Thanks to his accomplishments and role as a spokesman for GFA, Leavell has been cited by National Arbor Day Foundation, Georgia Conservancy and many other conservation organizations, and the University of Georgia, where the Leavells sponsor a conservation-related scholarship.

Leavell has even teamed up with Stihl to promote chain saw safety awareness. The chain saw manufacturer approached Leavell with the idea after company officials read an article about the Leavell's tree farm in the New York Times. 

In addition to benefiting from the couple's forestry commitment, Charlane Plantation also receives intensive wildlife management, resulting in some of the best hunting in Georgia, according to Leavell. The couple shares their grandparents' love for entertaining and hunting and feel a strong sense of tradition in their heritage. The Leavells, along with plantation managers Steve and Maritsa Bell, proudly extend an invitation for folks to come and experience their old home place. There are cabins and lodges for lease where visitors can hold family gatherings or other special occasions (catering is also available).

With more than 1,700 acres of hunting land, a charming, fully restored 1850s guest house (Bullard House) and other accommodations, Charlane Plantation is a place that guests will want to return to year after year.

Leavell says there are three real passions in his life: his family, his trees and his music. Currently, he has no intentions slowing down in music, but he knows that when he does, he'll have plenty of time to devote to his tree farm, wife and daughters. For the Leavells, that means more time to enjoy a large part of their history and a large part of their lives. For them there will be no greater satisfaction than seeing the fruit of their labor materialize into tall Georgia pines.