NEVER LOOK AT THE EMPTY SEATS is a straightforward autobiographical account by one of country music’s biggest icons, Charlie Daniels. In the book, Daniels gives readers a unrefined, honest look into his life and what led him to become one of country music’s greatest talents and most beloved stars.

Well-written and completely engrossing, NEVER LOOK AT THE EMPTY SEATS is a rare, candid glimpse of the hard work, dedication, and passion of a true musical legend. Taking readers from the early days of his youth through the days of War and high school football and after, Daniels presents his life, his lessons, and his choices with matter-of-fact realness.

Forever a fan of anything Charlie Daniels. Loved this book. Well written, honest, taking the reader along on this incredible journey of a brilliant musician and decent, common sense, compassionate man. Great reading for anyone that loves music, not just CD.

I am not a huge country music fan but I do love Southern Rock. A few years ago my husband and I went to an outdoor Charlie Daniel's concert. It was a kind of a let down. He played a few songs and was done. No matter how much screaming the audience done he did not come back out for even a 1 song encore. Ok it was summer, it was outside, the sun was on him, and it in Florida. The songs he did play that day were great and we did enjoy the concert it was just short.

This book though was kind of long winded to me. I appreciate the time he took to let us into his private world though, and most of the book was very interesting. Some of it was very dry but it was what seems an open and honest book.

This book is for the true fans I have to say. I am sure they would give it a 5* rating.

I received this book from the Author or Publisher via Netgalley.com and chose to leave this review.

This book was a little bit memoir, a little bit commentary, and a whole lot of Charlie Daniels. A fan of his or even of music in general can’t go wrong. Whether you like him or not, you have to admit he has left his mark on the music industry. Reading about his start was definitely fun for this country girl!

A fascinating memoir by Charlie Daniels. Sure I’ve been to a few Charlie Daniel’s concerts and greatly appreciated his musical talents but never knew anything else about the man until now. I am so inspired by him after reading this memoir. He covers facets of his life from humble beginnings to reflections of the past. He has a deep faith and shares some pretty powerful life lessons. Highly recommend reading his engaging story.

Never Look at the Empty Seats is a good memoir by Charlie Daniels. I enjoyed getting a glimpse into his earlier life. As well as, how he became to where he is today. Recommended.

I was never a big fan of Charlie Daniels music until I saw him perform live. Even in his 80s, he puts on a fantastic show. The story of his life is fascinating. I never knew that his last name was supposed to be Daniel but there was a mistake adding an "s" to his birth certificate. He has lived a full, adventurous life through his music.

I really did not know what I was going to get when I decided to read this book. It has been a long time that I have listened to his music and it was not until he mentioned that he toured with Lynyrd Skynyard, and the Marshall Tucker band from the 70’s that he went back that far. It was then that I remember a few of his southern rock hits and the story really picked up for me. There were times in the book that it lagged but I expect those moments, and there were times towards the end when he spoke of his personal believes. Again I expect that as well. What I did not expect was the out pouring of love he showed to his wife, who he really gave all the credit for his success for without her he said he could not have done any of it. That was great, and to be married as long as they have is also amazing. He also gave a thanks to everyone who works for them regardless of their job, named each and every one of the people who work behind the scenes big or small, and even some of the people that have passed on that worked with them for many years. I thought that was very nice and have not saw anyone else do that before. Overall a good book with some funny moments and some good history of 70’s rock music.

Few artists have left as indelible a mark on America’s music world as Charlie Daniels has. Few have achieved his level of success, much less managed to stay there for as long as he has. Through his memoir, Charlie allows his fans to see a different side of him, to get to know his story, in his own words. He takes us all the way from his post-depression childhood to performing for millions of screaming fans as one of the most successful country music acts of all time, all the while sharing insights from what he’s learned along the way. He also gives his own observations of the artists who crossed his path over the years, artists like Lynard Skynard, The Marshall Tucker Band, Elvis, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, and many more. Charlie also includes a life lesson for us all, regardless of our profession: “Walk on stage with a positive attitude. Your troubles are your own and are not included in the ticket price. Some nights you have more to give than others, but put it all out there for every show. You’re concerned with the people who showed up, not the ones who didn’t. So give them a show and...Never look at the empty seats.”

I’ve always been a big fan of Charlie Daniels so when I got approved to review his memoir, I was really excited. He definitely didn’t disappoint! Charlie was insightful and interesting. He has a real talent for writing and manages to tell his stories in a way that makes you almost feel like you were there. I really enjoyed reading about touring with his bands and his stories about working with other artists. I’ve always enjoyed his music so it was interesting getting more insight into who he is as a person. I particularly love how seamlessly Charlie weaves his faith into his story. You can tell that it’s just a part of who he is, it’s impossible to separate from him because his faith affects every choice he makes. Is he perfect? No, but he never claims to be. He does an amazing job at explaining how Christ wants us to come to Him, as we are now, we don’t have to wait until we’re “good enough”, because salvation is something that we’d never be able to earn on our own. Charlie gives a wonderful explanation of how faith in Jesus is the only way.

He does also touch some on his political beliefs, which some people may not like, because he is conservative. But, it’s another area that I truly respect him in because Charlie obviously does his “homework” and stays informed. Even if you aren’t politically conservative, there is so much in his book that you’ll enjoy. So, don’t let that one area derail you and cause you to miss out on what is truly an enjoyable experience.

I love Charlie Daniels music and what he stands for but he is much better at music than books. This seemed a bit rambling.

Never Look at the Empty Seats: A Memoir is look at the career and beginnings of country singer and fiddler Charlie Daniels; written by him. I've been a fan of Charlie Daniels from a young age, he was one of the few country artist that my dad would listen to. One of the first songs I ever memorized was The Devil Went Down to Georgia. Listening to his music was something my dad and I did together we still do.

So when I saw that this book was coming out I knew that I just had to read it. I was excited to learn more about his life and career and was not disappointed. Charlie writes about his childhood and growing up as an only child. Parts of his childhood growing up poor in the south did in fact remind me of stories my grandpa told me of his own childhood growing up poor in the south.

Charlie doesn't shy away from the truth and the harsh realities of life even when it can be painful. he even talks about the mistakes his made in the past and what he's learned from them. He finish off the novel talking about his Faith and how his Faith in God makes up who he is as well as his music. Charlie also talks about how much he supports the military.

Never Look at the Empty Seats to me is a combination memoir and autobiography and I did enjoy it. Just reading you could understand just how much Charlie loves his music, his family, his friends, his country, his band and his fans.
I received a complimentary copy of Never Look at the Empty Seats from Netgalley . I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Charlie Daniels has been a well known name in my house since I was a little girl. My Dad used to play The Devil Went Down to Georgia so often I knew the words by heart as a little girl, even if I didn't understand all of them :)
Still in Saigon was a song that meant a lot to my Dad as a Vietnam Veteran. My son and husband went to one of his concerts and my son was heartbroken when his hero tried to throw him a bow and an older woman jumped in front of him to snag it. How does all this pertain to Charlie Daniels memoir, "Never Look At The Empty Seats"? This is how: Mr. Daniels is really well known, for his singing and especially for his fiddle playing amazingness. Our family are fans. Reading this book seemed like a natural fit. I enjoyed discovering different things about him, seeing pictures, and putting a little of his history together with our families memories. I do recommend it and wish I could tell Mr. Daniels exactly what his work has meant to our family over the years.

NEVER LOOK AT THE EMPTY SEATS

October 24, 2017 · by Lorne Anderson · in Books, Entertainment, Music · Leave a comment ·Edit

He’s a simple man (by his own words) and releases his autobiography today. If you aren’t already a fan you probably won’t care enough to read it. But maybe you should reconsider Never Look At The Empty Seats

Charlie Daniels has spent more than 50 years as a musician, doing his own thing for the most part, with a considerable amount of success. He has crossed paths with hundreds of musicians from the famous (Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen come to mind) to people who have never been heard outside their home towns. He has a story to tell, and if you listened to pop or country music in the past few decades you’ll probably find out some interesting things you didn’t know before.

Charlie is probably best-known for “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” his breakthrough hit that crossed radio formats back in the 1970s. If memory serves me correctly, I saw the Charlie Daniels Band in concert at the Ottawa Civic Centre about that time. I remember the show being enjoyable, but I was only there to hear the one song. Or maybe it was someone else on the bill I was going to see, and The Charlie Daniels Band was an afterthought.

Autobiographies can be an exercise in public relations. They don’t always tell you what you know and at times it is difficult to discover the real person behind the words. I get the impression though that the real Charlie Daniels shines through this one. He’s a believer in hard work paying off, in playing his best for those who have come to see him. The size of the crowd doesn’t matter, you play for those who are there, and don’t fret about those who didn’t buy a ticket. You Never Look At The Empty Seats.

This is a story of a life lived on the road. But it is more than that. It is a story of the value of friendships. He may not mention the name of every musician he’s ever shared a stage with, but it felt like it at times as I read. I realized that for Charlie Daniels people are important, he needed to mention those names because it wouldn’t be right to leave them out. It helps that he has an entertaining story or two to tell along the way.

If you’re curious about what happens when the performance stops, you’ll be pleased with the behind the scenes look at the business of being a touring band. Charlie isn’t reluctant to share about the mistakes he made along the way as well as the successes.

One thing I learned that I didn’t know before was about his Christian faith. I knew vaguely that he had made a gospel album, but I tend to not read to much into country music performers who choose to make a gospel record. It at times seems almost mandatory, and I have seen such albums from performers whose lives seemed anything but Christian.

The book does show that a relationship with Jesus is important to Charlie Daniels, important enough that he interrupts the chronological flow of the narrative to make sure the reader understands how serious his faith is to him.

I picked up the book on a whim, but once I started Never Look At The Empty Seats I found it difficult to put it down. That is always a good sign.



“Book has been provided courtesy of Thomas Nelson – W Publishing.”

Never Look at the Empty Seats by Charlie Daniels was received direct from the publisher. I would wager that most of America has heard the music of Charlie Daniels; however a lot less than that have read his autobiography. I had the honor of meeting him once while we were both in Baghdad, he was on a DOD tour, I was on a protection mission.

The book was not complete.

This book did not disappoint. Charlie Daniels lives his life just like you'd think, but with a bit of spunk.
He tells it like it is, but is honest and true. This is your good ol' boy. Lovely book!

Never Look at the Empty Seats is Charlie Daniels' excellent autobiography, tracing his long life from his beginnings in a small Southern town where everyone gathered around in a neighbor's living room to catch one channel on the tv to his induction into the Countrt Music Hall of Fame. Along the way, in addition to tracing his musical career and family life, he walks the reader through varied events of the late Twentieth Century from Pearl Harbor to Jim Crow to the Vietnam War.

What really makes this book sing is Daniels' writing talent. He speaks with an easy voice to listen to and has a real down-to-earth philosophy. Before reading this book, I knew very little of Daniels' life or even his music -other than his awesome hit Devil Went Down to Georgia and his Soapbox commentary on social and political issues, which is so well written that it proves you don't need a college education to be a great thinker.

Nevertheless, I found this book to be, not only well-written, but fascinating on many different levels. It is primarily about the musical career of Daniels. He touches briefly on his faith and on his views of current events.

Now that I have learned all about Daniels' lengthy career, I look forward to actually listening to some of his music.