On the fifth anniversary of Charlie Daniels’ passing, Ira Dean just dropped a blistering new track with none other than Ted Nugent. The song, WWCDD (What Would Charlie Daniels Do?), is a rebel yell straight from the backroads—honoring Daniels, taking shots at leftist icon Neil Young, and reminding the world what real country still sounds like.
Released through 8Track Entertainment, the single appears on Dean’s new album I Got Roads and is already turning heads online. But this isn’t just another country-rock banger—it’s a mission. All proceeds from the track go to The Charlie Daniels Journey Home Project, which helps veterans transition from military to civilian life. It’s a cause Daniels championed during his lifetime, and one Dean is proud to carry forward.
The song hits hard from the jump:
“I hope Neil Young will remember / A Southern man don’t need him around anyhow”
It’s a direct reference to the decades-old feud between Neil Young and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Young’s 1970s protest song Southern Man criticized the South for its racist past. Skynyrd fired back in their 1974 anthem Sweet Home Alabama, defending Southern identity and calling Young out by name. Charlie Daniels stood firmly on the Skynyrd side of that cultural line—and so do Dean and Nugent.
The song echoes with backwoods pride and outlaw energy, and takes direct aim at the kind of political elitism that Daniels often stood against.
The music video, now live on YouTube, is already picking up steam, giving fans a taste of what Daniels might’ve said if he were still here today. Spoiler alert: he wouldn’t have pulled any punches either.
👉 Watch the official video now: WWCDD – Ira Dean feat. Ted Nugent
Follow Ira Dean for more:
-
IG: @iradeanbass
-
FB: @iradeanofficial
-
TikTok: @iradeanmusic
-
Spotify: Listen here
