The Ragin' Cajun: Memoir of a Louisiana Man

Born on a houseboat tied to a cypress tree in the swamps of Louisiana, Doug Kershaw's family followed the fishing up and down the Mermentau River. Alligators and snakes lurked beneath the waters. Alcoholism and violence lurked above. The fais >When the Kershaws were forced to move into town following the suicide of Doug's father, they found a small building to live in that had been a chicken coop. Doug spoke only Cajun-French. He began supporting his mother by playing fiddle and shining >His is a classic American story of how one young man rose from poverty in the swamps to the stage at Carnegie Hall. Despite the pitfalls known to many entertainers-alcohol and cocaine rehab, divorces, scandal, bankruptcy, music business woes, even cancer-Doug Kershaw's life was filled with exciting and comic adventures. The proof is in the amazing people he met along the way: Roger Miller, Johnny Cash, Mary Tyler Moore, Kris Kristofferson, Bob Dylan, Leon Russell, Jerry >In his memoir, Kershaw recalls the bad and the good with the same humor that helped him survive it all. While many accolades have come his way, his greatest pride was hearing his autobiographical song, "Louisiana Man," broadcast back from space before Apollo 12 landed on the moon.