Glory, Glory, and Oh, Lordy! Charlie English is on a book tour! Watch out world!
If you’re a Georgia Bulldog fan who’s on social media, it’s likely you are familiar with Charlie and his pre-game prayers. They might be the highlight of Facebook for the Bulldawg Nation, but if you’ve missed them up to this point, you’re in luck because they’ve been assembled in a book. Charlie’s first foray into the publishing world has resulted in Pregame Prayers & Tailgate Tales: A Damn Good Bulldawg’s Road to Eternal Glory.”
A lifelong Georgia fan raised on his family farm in Cochran, Georgia, Charlie grew up reading Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports columnist and humorist Lewis Grizzard—and you can tell. Even Dedra Grizzard, wife of the late Lewis Grizzard says in the book’s foreword, “Charlie’s Pregame Prayers remind me of how Lewis used to write, with his witty and humorous observations on Southern culture, sports and everyday life. I hear Lewis in Charlie’s words.”
Charlie’s pregame devotionals capture the passion and pageantry of Game Day in the South through a witty and irreverent lens that echoes Grizzard’s wry observations on sports, food, and culture in the South. In the book, this UGA alumnus who waited more than 40 years for a college football national title recounts the team’s 2021-2022 championship seasons with great humor and pride in his alma mater. You’ll enjoy reading Charlie’s unique perspective on the cherished tradition of fall Saturdays accompanied by a collection of delicious recipes and a consistent dose of bourbon (aka brown licker).
"Charlie's hard-hitting coverage of our weekly rivals, tailgate reviews and unfortunate fashion trends is the first thing the Bulldog Nation reads on Saturday mornings in the fall. He's combined some good-natured ribbing, a few tall tales, and a dash of inappropriateness to create the perfect recipe for entertaining all fans with this collection." - Lee Zell, President of the UGA Alumni Association and TNT executive
Charlie took some time to talk to us before his book launch party and the beginning of his “BBQ, Beer & Brown Licker Book Tour,” and called this exciting new chapter in his life “daunting,” but he eagerly jumped in with both feet! The book is getting a fabulous response, with 800 copies selling in 8 days! These pre-game prayers began as a simple and most likely spirit-induced request “Charlie, say a prayer for the team.” from one of the frat brothers with whom he was gathered—before the 2013 homecoming game. Taking those prayers to social media brought a whole new level of exposure—with a Facebook post garnering over 197,000 impressions and being shared more than 800 times. Now, Charlie has left behind the medical sales field in which he spent more than 25 years to follow the advice of his ardent followers and friends to put his prayers into a book. In fact, he’s even working on the next one, since UGA football didn’t stop after those two Nattys.
Just because he’s on the book trail and a published writer now, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t take the pre-game prayers he posts on Facebook any less seriously. He has two proofreaders reviewing them and gets up at 5:00 a.m. to make sure they’re ready to go. But it’s not all hard work either! Charlie is enjoying his travels and his book launch celebration was also accompanied by ASW Distillery’s Hunker Spirits-Classic City Collective release of Hunker Bourbon, Creature Comfort’s release of Sip ‘Em Seltzer, and a special English toffee bourbon edible cookie dough concoction from Athen’s own Alumni Cookie Dough. The best news is that he’s heading our way with signings in and around the Golden Isles around Georgia-Florida Week.
Currently, the scheduled dates for Charlie’s local book signings are as follows:
October 29
Waterfront Wine & Gourmet, Darien – 10:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
October 30
SSI Lifestyle – 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Two Friends 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Village Inn & Pub – 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
October 31
Stripling’s General Store, Brunswick 4:00 – 6:00 p.m.
November 1
SSI Lifestyle 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Two Friends 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Keep an eye on the Elegant Island Living social media accounts or Charlie’s website at charlieenglish.com for updates. You can also order your own signed copy of the book or find a local retailer who carries it on his site. Charlie donates a percentage of every book sale to the Let All The Big Dawgs Eat Food Scholarship Initiative and the Classic City Collective. Let’s make sure to give this good Dawg a warm welcome when he comes to town!
