A Bushel of Beans and a Peck of Tomatoes

The Life and Times of "The Funniest Man in America"

James Gregory, Michael E. Long

• Publisher: Permuted Press
• Year: 2024
• eBook ISBN: 9798888454268
• Edition: 0
• Subtopic: Social Science Biographies

The life story of the "Funniest Man in America" as only he could tell it. James Gregory is beloved by millions…but the story of his astonishing rise to success has never been told—until now.One of the most successful nightclub and theater comedians in America started out a long way from the stage, in the tiny farming community of Lithonia, Georgia. James was born into a family with lots of love but little money. His parents paid the doctor for his delivery with "a bushel of beans and a peck of tomatoes."Before he became "The Funniest Man in America, " James was a successful salesman of everything from encyclopedias to log homes. His philosophy: take care of yourself so nobody has to take care of you. When he started over as a comedian, this commitment to hard work and honest dealing would be the key to his "business" of comedy. James loves working people—because that's what he is, too.James was quickly discovered—not just in the South, but across America—by folks who love down-home, wholesome humor. He became the court jester of country music royalty, too, from Randy Travis to "Whispering" Bill Anderson to the Possum himself, George Jones.Whether it's entertaining our troops in the Persian Gulf after 9/11, working the road with greats like Steven Wright and Jay Leno, or facing a heart-stopping emergency that sent him into a coma, James has squeezed a dozen lifetimes into a half-century of comedy. This book is the best James Gregory story yet—as only he can tell it.

Table of contents

• Copyright
• A Note to the Reader
• In Memoriam
• Contents
• Foreword by Dean Gaines
• Kid Stuff
• James Gregory, Working Man
• It Was Almost My Career
• Excelsior Mill
• Broke in the Back Seat
• The Intersection of Wish and Hope
• You Have to Be Your Own Boss
• Respect
• Do You Wanna Be Famous for Now, or Successful From Now On?
• Three Men Who Changed My Life
• Faith
• The Funniest Man in America
• Where the Funny Stuff Comes From
• Do They Ask Taylor Swift That?
• Comedy Is Good for You!
• Those Shirts
• Let Me Get Your Address
• Thinking for Yourself
• Getting Along With Each Other
• Good Guys
• A Southern Accent but Not a Southern Comedian
• My Friends in Country Music
• Birmingham, Bruce Ayers, and My Brother
• The Freedom to Say What’s on Your Mind
• Supporting Our Troops After 9/11
• What’s Worse Than a Helicopter Flight in a War Zone?
• A Lot of Trouble for a Lot of Gold
• How About Mayonnaise on a Pizza?
• When I’m On Stage, I’m Telling You How I Really Feel
• A Bushel of Beans and a Peck of Tomatoes
• The Time I Nearly Died
• Testing the Waters on the West Coast
• Big in a Small Town
• Nothing Better Than Hanging Out
• Cops and Cars
• It’s Not Enough to Be Funny
• A List of Don’ts
• Earning My Way to Headliner
• What I Do When I’m Not Doing Comedy
• Retirement?
• A Few Words From All Y’all
• Acknowledgments
• Additional Acknowledgments