The Adventures of Riverboat John

by Ferguson, John

• ISBN13: 9781596298521
• ISBN10: 1596298529
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-28
• Publisher: History Pr

Summary

For years, 'Riverboat John' Ferguson has captivated audiences the world over as a guitar pickin', song singin', storytellin' original. Now, for the first time ever, you can take home Riverboat's strolling song-and-story act in this collection of boyhood hijinks, long-lost traditions and unmistakable southern charm. Raised on the blue-collar banks of the Tennessee River in Huntsville, Alabama, Ferguson's homespun memories are sure to resonate with anyone who remembers life in the 1950s. Read about the time he took a wrong turn and drove his fi rst pickup truck into the Elk River, his first-disastrous-attempt at eating barbecue chicken with silverware, the day television came to town, the time he left home on a train and so many more. So settle in, kick up your feet and enjoy this one-of-a-kind glimpse into Huntsville in the 1950s from the man heralded by the "New York Times" as 'a true American minstrel.' Just don't say nothin' bad about Gene Autry!

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 7
Saturday Morning in Town	p. 9
Cotton on the Canal	p. 17
Drive-in Movie Theatres in Huntsville	p. 23
Mussel Boat Camps	p. 27
I Always Wanted to Be a Cowboy	p. 31
My First Steak	p. 35
My Old Truck Can Swim	p. 39
Sharecroppin'	p. 43
River Pirates on the Tennessee	p. 49
Thou Shalt Not Steal a Pair of Red Socks	p. 53
Zesto Burgers, Dip Dogs, Hamburgers and Chili Dogs	p. 57
The Cornet, die Banjo and the Buffalo	p. 63
Whiskey, Bootlegging and Purple Passion	p. 67
Boxing and Wrestling in Huntsville	p. 71
Cave Exploring Around Huntsville	p. 75
Crappie, Bass, Catfish and Bream	p. 79
From Delivery Boy to Produce Clerk	p. 83
Hula-Hoops, HiFi, Yo-Yos and Television	p. 87
My First Formal Banquet	p. 91
Ricky and His .22	p. 95
Riding the Rails	p. 97
Tommy and the White Turkeys	p. 103
Boy Scouting in Huntsville in the '50s	p. 107
The Last of the Mule Wagons	p. 113
The 1950s-What Style is This?	p. 117
Afterword	p. 125
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