Coming Up A Country Boy

Education of a Poor Country Boy by Jack Evans captures the old and new of the construction world from 1942 to current times. The book also includes inspirational pieces that show God is at work even in construction.

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.

Thornton W. Chaney is a compelling story-teller. Although he has lived his eighty-four years within a one mile area, he has many adventures to relate. When he entered the Navy in WWII, he had been a sheltered farm boy. His Christian upbringing definitely influenced his life as he sailed the seven seas and was introduced to the ways of the world. The Life of a Country Boy is a compilation of adventures and escapades while in the Navy, but the greater part is devoted to Store Experiences. In 1988, he retired after forty years of running a country store. Chaneys Store was located in the Virginia community of Mountain Hill where, if you care to, you can step right into North Carolina. Farmers bought all their groceries, gas, and farm supplies there and then gathered around the pot-bellied stove on winter days weaving talestrue or not true. The Life of a Country Boy is the gathering of stories, some funny, some serious, some full of irony, that are the autobiography of my uncle Thornton as told to me, Janet W. Adkins. I have tried to tell these stories as nearly as possible in his own words, southern colloquialisms ringing through. His daughter-in-law said she could just hear him talking while she was reading it. When people in the stories are in negative situations, their names have been changed. But the real names of others are used as a means of honoring them.

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.

A City Girl's Second Chance City girl Tess Barrett hopes her move to Barrett's Mill, Virginia, will give her a fresh start. As she gets to know the family she's never met and begins work at their sawmill, everything starts falling into place. Until she meets Heath Weatherby. After narrowly escaping an oil rig explosion, Heath won't waste his second chance at life. He's committed to starting a family--and he wants Tess for his wife. Tess refuses to give in to her feelings for Heath, convinced they're just too different. But when the rugged mechanic is hired to fix her family's mill, her heart begins to recognize the charming country boy as her one true love.