Dixie Dew |
Music: On/Off
Lewis McDonald Grizzard, Jr.
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1947-1994
| He Up and Died, and Broke My Heart |
The title isn’t mine; it is Lewis’ from an article he
wrote about his beloved black lab Catfish. Who would have believed that in only a few
short months we would all be saying this about our favorite SAWB, Lewis.
Lewis Grizzard for many years wrote a column for the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. He
died at the age of 47 on March 20, 1994 and so did my subscription to the AJC.
In addition to the AJC column Lewis also wrote several books. The titles of the books are
every bit as enjoyable as the books and often convey great truths in themselves.
| Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night - (been there) |
| I Haven’t Understood Anything Since 1962... - (oh, how true!) |
| Don’t Bend Over In the Garden Granny, You Know Them Taters Got Eyes - (I've never gardened the same) |
| Lewis Grizzard on the South.....Southern By the Grace of God - (tyvm) |
| If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I’m Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground - (my personal anthem) |
You can find Lewis’ books at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.
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'Suthun Thang'..... |
Lewis was a 'suthun thang'. That was brought home to me when my husband and I gave our
first dinner party in California. After dinner we put-on our favorite Lewis Grizzard tape
for the enjoyment of our new west coast friends. Though we had heard the tape many times
before, my husband and I rolled with laughter as our guests only managed an occasional
smile. It was that night that we knew Lewis’ humor to speak most uniquely to the
Southern heart and soul; and we knew also that we had to find other friends!
The South.....that was Lewis. He was Moon Pies, Coca-Cola, BBQ, magnolias, boiled peanuts
, college football (UGA, of course), fried catfish.....and more. If it was Southern, it
was Lewis; if it was Lewis, it was Southern.
In the best Southern tradition, Lewis was a great storyteller; not only in the writing of
the stories but also in the oration. His classic Southern drawl and natural delivery made
his personal appearances memorable. Fortunately, he made several audio tapes of his
appearances and also read and produced several of his books for the audio book market. The
stories told by this Southern humorist sometimes addressed the political and social issues
of the day but of course, always with humor and influenced by Southern culture. Lewis
never bought into political correctness which caused some to scorn his work (these
would mostly be Yankees and liberals).
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"Delta is ready'"..... |
Lewis was particularly fond of 'pickin on' Yankees. They never failed to provide him with
an abundance of material and thus make him a rich SAWB (that would be a
smart-a@#-white-boy, a Lewisism).
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One of my favorites.... |
Lewis’ advice to Atlantans in case of nuclear war:
| "If you live on the South side of Atlanta, get on I-75 and go south. If you live of the North side of Atlanta get on I-75 and go north. If you are a Yankee get on 285." |
(For those of you not familiar with
‘Etlanna’ highways, I-285 is a loop around the city...... see I told you Lewis
is a 'suthun thang').
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Be Sweet ..... |
How many times have I heard my Mother say
that? It is also the title of one of my favorite Grizzard columns.
To read it....just click here.
Links
to other sites honoring
the Bard of Moreland, Georgia
 Courtesy David Boyd |
The Official Lewis Grizzard Website |
Link to Lewis' Alma Mater
The University of Georgia
Athens, Georiga
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This page is created in Lewis'
favorite colors ... |
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Midi: Midnight Train to Georgia