Reviewed by Tony Cummings

Down the years I have read a large number of biographies and autobiographies about or by musicians. I decided to buy and review this one for two reasons. One was because for a singer/songwriter who has been blessed with millions of album sales his music, like his biography, has largely passed me by (of the 43 albums - with his Band and as a solo - this immensely talented country rock star has recorded, I have only heard five in their entirety). My failure to explore the vast catalogue of Charlie's recordings is difficult to explain, particularly as 1979's "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" and 1994's "Praying To The Wrong God" made it to my Spirit Of Rock & Soul internet and radio series (please excuse the commercial) and are stone classics. Anyway, back to Mr Daniels and his book. First off, he is a far, far better writer than the vast majority of pop, rock and country artists who, with or without the help of ghosts, have endeavoured to chronicle their lives. Charlie's story from farm boy obscurity to million selling Southern rock band leader (then going on to become a member of the Country Music Hall Of Fame) is told in short chapters which together form an eminently readable and colourful memoir. One or two of the pieces are a bit on the dull side (particularly the one paying tribute to all the members of his backroom team). One or two also seem a little disconnected from the main body of the text, like the chapter expressing his political views (which are sometimes mildly disconcerting, particularly if you feel the need for the US to finally bring in some gun control), while Charlie's chapter on Christian faith reads like an evangelical tract but would have worked more effectively if he could have personalised his faith story (for instance, Charlie doesn't tell us the year or circumstance that he moved from being a nominal church attender to become a passionate follower of the living God). And while we're on the subject of faith, the book makes no reference at all to the Devil and his works other than the references to Charlie's most famous song. This 81 year old, by any standards, has lived a fascinating life and the memoir takes us through his first concert and first single (an instrumental by Charlie's first band The Jaguars) to the death of his first record producer, Bob Johnston in August 2015. All in all, a fascinating read.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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