HE WROTE SONGS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO GET HIM KILLED ... AND THEY ALMOST DID! Born in the rugged hills of Appalachia, where the air is thick with the echoes of old prejudices, a young boy witnesses the harsh realities of a world divided by race and poverty. This is the origin story of a rebel, a boy who would grow up to defy the expectations of his time and place, and become a legendary voice for justice, equality, and peace. "THE LEGEND DIES ON" chronicles the extraordinary journey of a white hillbilly boy turned folk hero, who fought against the entrenched racism of his youth to become a beacon of hope and resistance. From the rail-yards and cotton mills of Appalachia to the front lines of the civil rights and anti-war movements, he carves out a place for himself among the giants of an era, forging deep and unlikely friendships with icons like Pete Seeger, Allen Ginsberg, and Johnny Cash.
His music, a potent blend of defiance and roots, becomes the soundtrack for a generation hungry for change. He produces a notorious Bob Dylan album that shakes the industry, composes songs that inspire a Paul Newman movie, and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the American Indian Movement at Wounded Knee, drawing the ire of COINTELPRO's shadowy agents.
Arrested and forced to live underground as a fugitive, his life becomes a thrilling saga of evasion and resilience. After a decade on the run, (including behind the 'Iron Curtain' where he meets a young Vladimir Putin) he is captured returning to the United States, where legendary civil rights lawyer William Kunstler and a cadre of celebrities successfully defends him. Vindicated and free, he doesn't retreat into obscurity-instead, he continues as a mentor to a new generation of voices, including a young Tupac Shakur, passing on the torch of social activism through music.
Along the way he co-owns a circus (no, really!), becomes an award-winning newspaper journalist, pioneers a dot-com 1.0 technology, publishes a 250-thousand circulation magazine, develops and operates major casinos (even briefly working as a Donald Trump vice president), and firmly cements his position as a genuine Americana character.
Today, this "outlaw folksinger" is celebrated in the California Music Hall of Fame, honored in The Congressional Record, given a special citation by the Governor of Maryland, and is immortalized in the Smithsonian' Institutions permanent Folkways collection. THE LEGEND DIES ON is the untold story of a man whose life and music challenged the status quo, inspired a movement, and left an indelible mark on American culture. This is the story of a rebel, a mentor, a legend-and his poetry that helped change the world.
THIS is his story; Outlaw Troubadour: The Ballad of an Appalachian Rebel
THE HARDBACK IS A SPECIAL EDITION WITH PHOTOS AND LYRICS; THE PAPERBACK IS THE STANDARD EDITION
