Audiobooks by John Rayburn

What If…????...The British Empire Won the Revolutionary War?: Alternative History

This book is an example of Alternative History. That, in essence, is asking what the future could be like. It suggests the US could have become a Dominion of America. Call this standard history with a twist, or even mythology in part. It is certainly historical material, told in fictional fashion. The basis of the concept can help broaden your personal historical imagination by emphasizing an unorthodox perspective. The key to any such literary approach centers around a point of divergence and makes you wonder, or want to ask, “Could this really take place?” It occasionally feels as though it’s all in a different time and place even though there are historical references that lead you astray, a sort of chronology of curiosities. Digging into the basic idea makes you wonder about such outlandish possibilities as Martin Luther becoming Pope Germanian. Many years ago, humorist writer James Thurber posed the somewhat hilarious classic supposition, asking the inevitable “What If?” as per “If Grant had been drinking at Appomattox!” John Rayburn, the author/narrator of this virtual sideways story, offers material that will perhaps bewilder you, or perhaps stun you if you develop your own “What If?-ness.” Start listening now and don’t blame us if your senses reel—all because this seems like non-reality being the actual information.

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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We the People: A Good News Odyssey

This adventuresome voyage put John and Carol Rayburn on the road seeking out heartwarming human interest stories about our great country and the positive accomplishments of its people. They visited with thousands of Americans at work and play and collected their upbeat attitudes about the way we are. This good news odyssey enabled John and Carol to explore the talents and integrity of our people; to rediscover the principles that have kept our country strong and always striving for pride and excellence; and to pass along impressions of the intriguing aura of our nation, the true substance and goals of individuals and communities in far-flung parts of the land. This is their story, but it's also your story; a story accentuating the richness and diversity of our country's unsurpassed and unique heritage. They invite you to come along and share their adventures. A contact with the White House brought forth encouraging words from the nation's chief executive. "Dear Mr. Rayburn: Thank you for your message. There is much to be done, and I count on your support in efforts to make the new beginning we all desire. I was pleased to hear about We the People, and I am honored that the theme of national renewal has struck a responsive chord among so many Americans. I hope for the success of the many efforts across this great land to revive the true principles of liberty and patriotism among our citizens. With best wishes to you as you begin your endeavor, Sincerely, Ronald Reagan President of the United States" An article in the Brockton, Massachusetts, Enterprise newspaper stated: "It is evident that in their quest they leave behind them the foundation to instill positive aspects, much the same as Johnny Appleseed left a fruitful trail in his wanderings."

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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Travel: Making Day Dreams Come True

Travel is one thing, but really going somewhere is something else. Here are first-hand tales of exciting places to see in the US, Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the United Kingdom. The manuscript beginning is a truism: "The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page."-Saint Augustine Based on that long-ago quote, these stories originate from personal visits to a wide variety of destinations. The primary purpose is to entertain you by offering history and background of the many locales. Let the comment, "those who do not travel read only one page," become a thing of the past as you do, indeed, hear more than one page in vicarious fashion. Country singer Willie Nelson wrote a bestselling song that said, in part: "On the road againGoin' places that I've never beenSeein' things that I may never see againAnd I can't wait to get on the road again." These stories of our travels evoke a quote from Mark Twain: "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." We've been fortunate enough to more or less follow that line of thinking, and like a long-ago quote from Greek philosopher Aristotle, we have come to the conclusion that, quite simply, "Adventure is worthwhile."

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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Thrilling Days of Yesteryear: The Golden Age of Radio

Radio was the number one form of family entertainment for a quarter century. In a dazzling step back in time veteran broadcaster John Rayburn talks about the fantastic era of broadcasting in fascinating interviews with a sterling list of guests, including Durward Kirby (Garry Moore Show), Parley Baer (original "Chester" on radio's Gunsmoke), Arthur Anderson (Let's Pretend), Carmel Quinn (Irish singer on Arthur Godfrey), Ezra Stone (Henry Aldrich), Minnie Pearl (Grand Ole Opry), Fred Foy (Announcer on The Lone Ranger), Gale Gordon (I Love Lucy, Our Miss Brooks), Charles Correll (Andy of Amos 'n' Andy), Himan Brown (Inner Sanctum, Grand Central Station), Chet Lauck (Lum of Lum and Abner), Frankie Carle (Big band leader). There are great stories about Red Skelton, Jack Armstrong, Lights Out, Quiz Kids, Little Orphan Annie, Jimmy Durante, Time Marches On, Hindenburg disaster, President Roosevelt's December 8, 1941 declaration of war against Japan and many, many more.

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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This Land Is Our Land: Myths, Facts, and Mysteries

Throughout the stories here is information on how places, cities, and states got their names. However, questions arise because Native American tribes of the day didn’t yet have a written alphabet, and none of those came along until Sequoyah invented one in 1821, one that was actually more of a syllabary with symbols that stood for consonant/vowel sequences and could make words, basically just a writing system. One such word example is Tsa-La-Gi in Oklahoma, a recreated Cherokee settlement showing what one was like before European contact. The name means “Cherokee,” and if you say it out phonetically as “Say-la-ghee,” it’s understandable how that was understood as the word Cherokee. It wasn’t written out because there wasn’t yet a means of doing so. Many such words were heard by early frontiersmen, most of whom had little or no formal education. As a result, they pronounced and spelled anyway they heard various words, and because that was all that was available, their decisions held up more often not. It brings to mind an old phrase aimed at accepting something while having at least a degree of skepticism about the actual truth or meaning, and that is to “take it with a grain of salt.” This all means if you come across something here with either skepticism or at least no specific literal interpretation, don’t fret. The information is interesting, whether or not always logical or with an occasional small degree of accuracy. Don’t let any word choices by those early, often under-educated frontiersmen cause you to be “anti-semantic.” We repeat the suggestion to just go along with whatever is mentioned, but remember to have that “grain of salt” handy.

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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The Remarkable Big Band Era: Just What Is Nostalgia?

Just what is nostalgia? Here are provocative and exciting stories about a great period of popular music. It was a time when the nation was facing desperate days of the Great Depression as well on-going fears of a World War. The still young radio industry was a major force in helping provide a worried nation with a source of entertainment and comfort. The author/narrator had conversation/interviews with many of the major stars and he tells you about their talent and their wonderful music. It’s as though you’re sitting there listening as to one of the most memorable eras in the nation’s history. This turns back the pages of time to when the whole world was invited to dance and sing along. A dictionary tells you nostalgia is a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past. This is history about “The Golden Days of Big Band Music.”

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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Looking Back at Changing Times

This is a kind of history, or at least remembrances. It’s primarily personal but overall takes a look at the way things were many, many decades ago. Details may get a little out of whack from a chronological order now and then, but the gist of the way things in some desperate personal and national times will be fairly well put in place. It begins a trifle before the outset of the 1929 stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. Then, it points to the difficulties, financial and otherwise, that confronted individuals and the beleaguered nation overall. You or your preceding family will remember some, from either experiencing it personally or hearing about it from those who came before. What was it like growing up back then? Listen and find out. Author/narrator John Rayburn looks back from an informal standpoint that can help bring memories to life or disclose information of a period before your time … pleasant listening in either case.

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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Cat Whiskers and Talking Furniture: A Memoir of Radio and Television Broadcasting

The so-called Golden Age of Radio lasted little more than a quarter century from approximately 1926 to 1952-54. This is what it was like: "Of all the forms of theater, radio drama commanded the most effective stage. No medium-not theater, not film, not television-had more sheer space in which to achieve the basic goal of drama, telling a story. Theater is bounded by the bare boards and the footlights and the flats, film by the white screen, and television by the comparatively tiny tube. But radio ... radio played itself out in boundless space ... the listener's mind ... your mind. We in radio always called it the theater of imagination. We proudly traced our lineage back to the primitive campfire and the tribal storytellers as the passers-on of legend, heroic adventure, mysteries of nature. They told their stories orally and so did we. We did not show, we told you. We made you believe everything because it was happening before your mind's eye. The basic appeal of radio drama was that you had to listen if you wanted to follow it. It wasn't enough to merely hear it. You had to listen. The word listen implies a conscious effort to pay attention, to participate. Senses were activated, the curiosity was sparked, the imagination was fired, and the listener found himself participating. He was a collaborator. In his brain he matched a face and a body to the voice. In his mind he saw the action. And that was the basic difference between radio and every other visual medium. A good movie, a fine stage play, a television drama, excellent ballet ... all those required an appreciative audience, but only radio called for a creative audience, a listener who really worked with the writer, the director, the actors, and technicians to give completeness to the creative process."

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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A Quiet Time with John Rayburn

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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A Personal Journey through the World of Sports

This covers the great, near-great, and never-were in a wide range of athletic endeavors. Naturally, all major sports are included: Football, Baseball, Basketball, with many notes about Golf, Boxing, Horse racing, Auto racing, Tennis, Track, Bowling, Hockey, renowned broadcasters, and an overall mixture of such sports as Wrestling, Pool, Marbles, Archery, Cricket, even Horseshoe pitching. It’s all here! Written and narrated with exceptional knowledge and humor.

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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1956 - New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers

Broadcasting veteran John Rayburn presents classic, historic reenactment of the 1956 World Series championship games between the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Dodgers. Game 1 New York - 3Brooklyn - 6 Game 2 New York - 8Brooklyn - 13 Game 3 Brooklyn - 3New York - 5 Game 4 Brooklyn - 2New York - 6 Game 5 Brooklyn - 0New York - 2 Game 6 New York - 0Brooklyn - 1 Game 7 New York - 9Brooklyn - 0 Don Larsen’s only perfect game in World Series history was in Game 5, Monday, October 8, 1956. This was the final Series for the Dodgers while still in Brooklyn. Their next Series appearance came after moving to Los Angeles. The Dodgers scored only one run in the final twenty-eight innings of the Series. Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra each hit three home runs for the Yankees.

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

Audiobook

1946 - St. Louis Cardinals vs. Boston Red Sox

Broadcasting veteran John Rayburn presents classic, historic reenactment of the 1946 World Series championship games between the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Red Sox. Game 1 Boston - 3St. Louis - 2 Game 2 Boston - 0St. Louis - 3 Game 3 St. Louis - 0Boston - 4 Game 4 St. Louis - 12Boston - 3 Game 5 St. Louis - 3Boston - 6 Game 6 Boston - 1St. Louis - 4 Game 7 Boston - 3St. Louis - 4 In Game 7 Enos Slaughter of the Cardinals scored the winning run from first when Boston shortstop Johnny Pesky seemed to hesitate on the relay throw. Southpaw pitcher Harry Brecheen won three games for St. Louis, including the deciding game in relief.

John Rayburn (Author), John Rayburn (Narrator)

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