Part 30: Riley Writes About Marilyn Monroe When She was 19
I found a page of my father's journal, and I wasn't sure what to make of it. I read it over and over. I remember our talks about her.
Part 22: Making A Brand New Start of It, New York, New York
If I had to point to a time when my father had some prestige and success, it would've been the years from 1944-1948. He was young, talented,
Part 21: Live and In Person: Famous, Beautiful, and Talented.
Riley was young in the mid-1940s. New York offered him many fantastic opportunities to find work and meet new people.
Part 20: WWll, Chicago, and Those Wacky Lectures
Dad was in his early 20s when the war broke out, healthy as a horse, tall, handsome, articulate. So why didn't he serve in that war?
Part 19: This is the Blog Where I Attempt to List All of Riley Shepard's Pen Names...
Since masks are on everyone's mind around here, what better time to attempt to list all the names my father used throughout his life.
Part 18: Riley's Journal Fragments: "There is Suffering and Misery Everywhere Throughout America."
The most productive nation in the world, yet unable to properly feed, clothe, and shelter a third of its population. --- Riley Shepard 1938
Part 17: Riley's Early 20s and His Journal: A Look Back
“They had begun to consider the Government of the United States as a mere appendage to their own affairs. We know now that Government by...
Part Six: "I Often Wonder What Went Wrong..."
Years later, when my father died in 2009, I was contacted by Dave Sichak, who wanted to write up an obituary for a Hillbilly music website.
Part Three: Riley Shepard's Early Years & His Maternal Grandmother, Martha Tindal
The Primitive Baptists were somewhat like the people in the "Footloose" movie. No dancing, musical instruments, or music for entertainment.
Part One: Was My Father a Crook? Riley Shepard's History in North Carolina
I could tell the man was elderly, and there was something in the tone of his voice that overwhelmed me with dread.