Hey, folks. Today we have a special presentation of the Eric Met Mataxis show.

It's the show that Mark Twain once called Smartern, a Blue Jay,

what can talk possum, and faster than a naked fat man riding a bolt of lightning.

So here's your plain spoken homespun host, Eric Mataxis.

Howdy there, folks? This is Eric Metaxus. And you know, it's such a joy for me sometimes to get to talk to folks on this program.

The people I get to talk to, and I hope it's fun for you to listen in. But today, I'm speaking to somebody who I consider an

American legend. No, it is not Mr. Davy Crockett or Paul Bunyan. It's somebody you know as Charlie

Daniels. He's on the line. Charlie Daniels, welcome to this program. Thank you. I'm honored to be with

you, Eric. thanks a bunch of

having me on this morning well and it you know it's it's great it's great to have you

on I wish you were in the studio but I did have the joy of meeting you down in

Nashville excuse me last just about a year ago to this week I think in Nashville so

I had the joy of meeting you but it's wonderful to have you on the program.

Today I want to talk about your life. You have a brand new book out. Now, this book obviously has your picture on the cover because it's your story, but the title is, never look at the empty seats, a memoir by Charlie Daniels. So I want to start there before we get into the background of your whole story. When you say, what do you mean by never look at the empty seats? I think I know what you mean, but I want you say. Well, it's kind of a nod to the accent you like to positive. You know, when you're a young musician, if you're serious about it, and I was, and you're looking for a career and a long career, longevity, and a stable career, you're going to play about anywhere they'll let you, for whatever they'll give you, for whoever's in the building. Yeah. And what you've got to do, you want to play. There's going to be a lot of empty seats because nobody knows you.

Yeah.

So you start out. You learn right away. You play for the seats and have people in them. You're not concerned with the empty seats. You don't look at them. So it's like saying, you know, play for who you got. Then they'll come back and bring somebody else with them. And first thing, You know, I got a following.

Well, you got quite a following at this point.

But I want to, so I want to start at the beginning,

just because this is a book about your life. And most people probably don't know the story of your life.

Some people only know you from your gigantic hit, they went down to Georgia. What year was that

that blasted into the stratosphere?

That's a 1970, but you get that came out.

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