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Audiobooks Narrated by Arthur Flavell
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Wit, wisdom, and revelations from sixty years of life on the road.
Driving one highway after another at sunrise, winding through the mountainside, hearing the call to rise of the roosters, or simply exchanging 'fishing stories' with the other guys at the truck stops. Like that one about the trucker who stopped along the highway and helped a little old lady who had a flat tire. By the time the trucker had told his tale a dozen times, the simple tire change story turned into one where an old lady was accompanied by her gorgeous, blond, and twenty-one-year-old granddaughter-you know how that ends. Imagine the story traded from one driver to the next. Each time, a more outrageous yarn is spun.
They say that only truck drivers experience the true grandeur and landscape of America. In A Trucker's Tale, Ed Miller gives an inside look at the allure of the work and the colorful characters who haul our goods on the open road. He shares what it was like to grow up in a trucking family, his experience as an equipment officer in Vietnam, and the trials and tribulations of life as a trucker. His tales are often funny, sometimes sad, cringeworthy, or unbelievable. Many are the results of what he calls, 'just plain stupidity.' Together they paint a compelling portrait of a vibrant but little-known industry, and reveal why he just kept on truckin'.
Get ready for one of America's great untold stories: the true saga of the Louvin Brothers, a mid-century Southern gothic Cain and Abel and one of the greatest country duos of all time.
The beautiful and tragic saga of the Louvin Brothers-one of the most legendary country duos of all time-is one of America's great untold stories. Charlie Louvin was a good, God-fearing, churchgoing singer, but his brother, Ira, had the devil in him and was known for smashing his mandolin to splinters onstage, cussing out Elvis Presley, and trying to strangle his third wife with a telephone cord.
The Los Angeles Times called them 'the most influential harmony team in the history of country music,' but Emmylou Harris may have hit closer to the heart of the matter, saying 'there was something scary and washed in the blood about the sound of the Louvin Brothers.' For readers of Johnny Cash's irresistible autobiography and Merle Haggard's My House of Memories, no country music library will be complete without this raw and powerful story of the duo that everyone from Dolly Parton to Gram Parsons described as their favorites: the Louvin Brothers.
Known as one of America's most dangerous cities, New Orleans plays host to incidents ranging from the tragic and disturbing to the completely bizarre-and during his career as an emergency medic, Jon McCarthy saw it all. He chronicles some of the most formative calls of his career in this autobiography that reads like crime fiction. McCarthy demonstrates with detail and clarity that the difficult choice is often the right choice. While not for the faint of heart, each entry in this collection provides poignant insight into the bonds between medics and the people and city they serve.
Born in Tallahassee, Florida, and a veteran of the United States Coast Guard, Jon McCarthy is proud to be an emergency room paramedic. Since 1996, he has worked in emergency medical services in helicopters, clinics, hospitals, and on the streets of New Orleans. He is one of the cocreators of the New Orleans EMS Field Training Officer (FTO) program and served as the Lead FTO for five years. McCarthy was featured on The Learning Channel program Paramedics and has a side career as an actor.
Emerson Francis Whitman, whose parents are great admirers of philosophy-and philosophers-has the distinction of being the technical representative of Primary Pulse Energy Systems of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. As a tech rep, Emerson travels to a variety of trade shows and exhibitions to assist distributors and dealers of the company's product line to learn the equipment and to sell more of the same. The work itself is pleasant and relatively undemanding. It allows him to travel across the country in a leisurely fashion, accompanied by his spouse and partner Priscilla Jeanette, aka PJ.
In addition to his technical skills, Emerson also has an unfortunate propensity for becoming entangled in sticky situations... through absolutely no fault of his own.
Sent to a Navy supply depot in the Pacific Northwest to investigate the cause of an inordinately large number of submarine battery failures, Emerson finds more than either he or the Navy bargained for. Determining the problem with the batteries is child's play. Deciding what to do about the discovery could have shocking-and possibly deadly-results!
Emerson Francis Whitman, whose parents were great admirers of philosophy - and philosophers - has the distinction of being the technical representative of Primary Pulse Energy Systems of Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. As a tech rep, Emerson travels to a variety of trade shows to assist distributors and dealers of the company's product line to learn the equipment and to sell more of the same. The work itself is pleasant and relatively undemanding. It allows him to travel across the country in a leisurely fashion, accompanied by his spouse and partner of many years, Priscilla Jeanette, aka PJ.
He also has an unfortunate propensity for becoming entangled in sticky situations through absolutely no fault of his own.
Dispatched to an outdoor equipment show in the ranch country of Cheyenne, Wyoming, Emerson inadvertently embarrasses an egotistical ranch hand of questionable skills and even more questionable character. He awakes from the encounter to find himself stretched out on the venerable mahogany bar of the vaunted Long Drink Saloon & Dining Emporium.
Things proceed rapidly downhill from there. He will need a concerted application of both intelligence and troubleshooting skills to survive this ride.
Terrence Corcoran carried a badge in Virginia City, Nevada until one day, in a drunken stupor, he shot the sheriff.
Now he's returning to the Comstock looking to get his badge back and stumbles into a conspiracy that might put the sheriff, district attorney, and others in jail for a long time. A lovely working girl is brutally murdered, a Hungarian duke wants a Wells Fargo gold shipment, and the sheriff rehires him after first kicking him in a most tender spot.
Corcoran was born on the ship bringing his family to this country, ran away to the frontier at an early age, and brings his ideas of the old country and knowledge learned of the west to whatever mess he finds himself in. He's carried a badge, found himself in jail, and stands four-square for right, honor, and truth. You gotta love the guy.
In the years since the Vietnam War, the elite unit known as SOG has spawned many myths, legends, and war stories. Special Forces medic Joe Parnar served with SOG during 1968 in FOB2/CCC near the tri-border area that gave them access to the forbidden areas of Laos and Cambodia. Parnar recounts his time with the recon men of this highly classified unit, as his job involved a unique combination of soldiering and lifesaving. His stories capture the extraordinary commitment made by all the men of SOG and reveal the special dedication of the medics, who put their own lives at risk to save the lives of their teammates. Parnar also discusses his medical training with the Special Forces.
During his tour with SOG, Parnar served as a dispensary medic, chase medic, Hatchet Force medic, and as a recon team member. This variety of roles gave him experience not only in combat but in dealing with and treating the civilians and indigenous peoples of that area. There is a graphic account of a Laotian operation involving America's most decorated soldier, Robert Howard, during which Parnar had to treat a man with a blown-off foot alongside nearly fifty other casualties. It is a reminder of the enormous responsibility and burden that a medic carried.
An entertaining, thought-provoking blend of memoir, old-time storytelling, home-spun philosophy, and the occasional errant thought, all delivered with Southern style and a distinctive country flavor. These treasures are the result of matriculation in The Advanced School of Hard Knocks (from which I graduated Summa Cum Laude) and I felt it was only right to share them. Perhaps one or two will bring a smile to your face and a lift to your spirit. So, sing a song and let your consciousness stream free. May your journey be educational, enriching, and above all... joyful.
In Kentucky Traveler, Ricky Skaggs, the music legend who revived modern bluegrass music, gives a warm, honest, one-of-a-kind memoir of forty years in music-along with the Ten Commandments of Bluegrass, as handed down by Ricky's mentor Bill Monroe; the Essential Guide to Bedrock Country Songs, a lovingly compiled walk through the songs that have moved Skaggs the most throughout his life; Songs the Lord Taught Us, a primer on Skaggs's most essential gospel songs; and a bevy of personal snapshots of his musical heroes.
For readers of Johnny Cash's autobiography, lovers of O Brother Where Art Thou, and fans of country music and bluegrass, Kentucky Traveler is a priceless look at America's most cherished and vibrant musical tradition through the eyes of someone who has lived it.
