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
do-dos, those popular houseboat dances, were the only escape from a harsh way of life.

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
shoes in front of a café in Lake Arthur.

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
Lee Lewis, Bill Wyman, and many more.

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.