Country Boy

"In Country Boy, Colin Woodward combines biography, social and political history, and music criticism to tell the story of Johnny Cash's time in his native Arkansas. Woodward explores how some of Cash's best songs are based on his experiences growing up in northeastern Arkansas, and he recounts that Cash often returned to his home state, where he played some of his most memorable and personal concerts"--

Best known for his unique musical style and blindingly fast hybrid picking technique, English guitarist Albert Lee is often referred to within the music industry as the "guitar player's guitar player," renowned for his work across several genres of music and for the respect that he has garnered from other industry giants. This comprehensive biography tells the entire story of Lee's long career and personal experiences, beginning with his upbringing in south London and his early experimentations with skiffle music (the British equivalent of American rockabilly). It covers Lee's career in Chris Farlowe's Thunderbirds and the British rock and country group Heads, Hands, and Feet, his move to the United States in the 1970s and his subsequent work with Eric Clapton, the Crickets, Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band, the Everly Brothers, and, more recently, with Bill Wyman and with Hogan's Heroes. Lee's career is set against the background of changes in popular music and shows how he, as a British artist with nomadic Romany roots, has influenced traditionally "American" musical genres. The work includes 66 photographs, many from Lee's personal collection, two appendices, and an extensive bibliography.

This book has a twofold purpose. It provides future family members with a historical time line of the Bishop family while supplying references to the rural way of life. Persons wishing to learn about how life once was lived by “country folks” will find many facts about a lifestyle that has faded with time. Everyday life was filled with multiple activities long before multitasking was ever invented.

Adventures of a Country Boy in the City provides an insight into the engaging life of the author, whose natural instinct is to know how to convert opportunities to bring about positive changes in his life. The author enchants the imagination of his readers to become part of his compelling story by involving the reader in every step of the adventures he encountered in the city of Lagos, and later, as a student, in the cities of Hamburg and of West Berlin. Told in very colorful and vibrant language, the reader, the author and the story all become one and the same entity, allegorically following the path etched out in the words of the author. When, in his journeys, and one road seemed to be closed and the reader shudders at the rational of the breathtaking risk that the author has just taken, a God-sent Guiding Angel suddenly appears to take the author out of whatever adversity. Join Komolafe in his adventures as he journeys through life from the background of a simple village life in the Yoruba Kingdom of Nigeria to the world of opportunities that awaits a man of valor who dares to demand his share of what destiny has in stock for him.

Quotes from "Country Boy" Chapter 1 "There are no insignificant events in our lives; it's just that we can't often perceive the significance. It's difficult to detect the pattern when you are just one thread in the tapestry." Chapter 2 "I think children today have too much social pressure on them, and too many organized activities. If every kid could occasionally lie on pine needles and watch the clouds go by, there might be less need for psychiatrists and drugs." Chapter 3 "I will never forget the first time I entered a GI mess hall. It was breakfast time and the cooks were preparing scrambled eggs from powdered eggs or something of that nature. The griddle was about a half-acre in area, in plain view, and was covered with large green bubbles. I have often wondered if Dr. Seuss book, Green Eggs and Ham was inspired by a GI mess hall." Chapter 4 "One of my roommates gave me a ride as far as Stephenville. I spent the night with him and his family, which was something of a revelation. His mother actually believed that the world was flat, and that the sun revolved around the Earth " Chapter 5 "A few minutes earlier John F.Kennedy had been a liberal, tax-and-spend Democrat, but we were Americans and he was our president and we were mad as hell, and I think a little bit scared, about what had happened." Chapter 6 "In Families Anonymous we learned about tough love and letting go.We learned that we were not in control of our children's lives, shouldn't try to be, and shouldn't feel bad because we weren't." "It would be interesting to observe the results of a president who had Carter's moral values and Nixon's political acumen, but perhaps the two attributes are mutually exclusive." "In the midst of all this madness one day I remembered something I had heard years earlier while watching Saturday morning cartoons with my son. Yogi Bear said, 'Boo Boo, as you grow older you will learn that the deeper in the woods you get, the more nuts you will find.' In the 70's the energy industry was pretty deep in the woods." Chapter 7 "Everything considered, I believe that I am in the top 1 percent of all the people who have ever lived. I state this not as a matter of pride, but as a matter of gratitude. My meager contribution is described in this book. It is obvious that most of my good fortune is the result of something greater than me." Eugene E. "Duke" Ellington is a 75 year-old retired natural gas engineer who resides in Kerrville, Texas. Duke was born in Iowa in 1933, and raised in Moultrie, Georgia, where he graduated high school in 1950. He spent almost four years in the Air Force during the Korean War, and was honorably discharged in 1954. He attended Texas College of Arts and Industries in Kingsville, Texas, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering in 1958. After graduation, he worked as an engineer for Conoco for 15 years, then as a consultant at Purvin & Gertz, Inc. in Dallas for almost 24 years. In this book, the author describes the incredible changes that have taken place during his life. The book is a rich fabric of the interwoven threads of his personal life, social and economic changes, race relations, political events and technological advances. Young people will be amazed, older people will reminisce, and all will laugh and cry, and think.

Just A Little Country Boy is a story of the trials in the life of a young black boy born during the late Depression years in Arkansas. In 1940, when segregation was at its worst in the South, his father moved the family to Milwaukee, Wisconsin in search of a better life. An industrial revolution was taking place throughout the North at the time, offering better employment opportunities for the black man. Therefore the Black Migration began with black families leaving the servile attitudes of the South with the dreams of a better life. LeRoy Allen was blessed with good, hard-working parents who taught him to take pride in himself, to work hard, use good manners, and to respect all people. As a teenager, he took an interest in, and competed in almost all sports, but his big interest was boxing. He became Wisconsins State Golden Gloves champion for 3 different years. Later, he spent a few years as a professional boxer, meeting and sparring with many well-known boxers of that era. As a young adult, he became more aware of the prejudices and inequities surrounding the black man. Most of his adult years were spent moving from job to job, trying to improve his circumstances, while searching for decent employment to support his growing family. After experiencing nearly 50 different jobs, he succeeded in being hired into a position for which he was trained and well qualified. He was well into middle age before the job market began to hire women or blacks into responsible positions. Mr. Allen records many of the changes in the attitudes towards blacks in Milwaukee, and across the nation, as they occured during the last half of the 20th century. It is a story of faith, determination, and fortitude and a real insight into our nations awakening to the talents of our black citizens and our growing respect for their contributions to our society.