Marshall Tucker Band’s Doug Gray Wins Veterans Day Bet – Pic of the Week

Mariah Gray bet her father Doug, lead singer of the Marshall Tucker Band, that he couldn't fit into his Army uniform from 40 years ago for this Veterans Day. Turns out, he could. So, Mariah had to pay up with a vegetable soup lunch.

Gray, who co-founded the Marshall Tucker Band in 1972, served from July 1968 through February of 1970, earning the rank of Sergeant E-5 during a stint that included time in Vietnam. Gray, a native of Spartanburg, S.C., trained at Fort Ord in California and entering the Army at South Carolina's Fort Jackson.

Gray's message for all of those who followed him into the service: "We stand behind them, because others stood for us."

Meanwhile, the Marshall Tucker Band, whose ‘Can’t You See’ was named the greatest Southern rock song ever, are preparing a new release for 2014 -- one that Gray says will be "a vintage MTB record for the fans." The group issued a holiday-themed album in 2011. Gray and Co. also plan to appear on a forthcoming Rock Legends Cruise, he says.