Caveat

Dear Reader,

Much of the material included within this website was not intended for later display or reproduction in a website such as this. It was collected many years ago. As a result, it may not be as smooth and polished as a modern product might be. The intent of this website is to not only present two novels for sale, but also allow the reader and listener to experience the conversations and written words of the pioneers of bluegrass music in their original form as collected by this writer from 1985 through 1997. America’s Music: Bluegrass was published in 1997.

All these conversations and photos have been cleared through each concerned individual for later reproduction such as here in this website. They are not, of course, cleared for use at any other location or any other person. In other words, the copyright is that of Pine Valley Music, publisher, or Barry R. Willis, author.

When converting the original book and its pages to this website, it was frequently difficult to edit those converted pages. As a result, much of the original formatting was changed by the conversion program. It was very difficult for this computer newbie to re-create those pages in a form which did not lose the flavor of the book or its content. So if you see that the presentation is different than the original printed page, now you know why. But it’s all there; it just looks different. Some of the information was updated, but not modified to change the flavor and purpose of the book.

In the years after the book was published, a lot of other facts and information surfaced which might be interesting to you. Please check it out for further interesting information of how bluegrass music was created. You can find this additional material by selecting My Books then Additional Research Material for America’s Music: Bluegrass.

If you purchase The Banjo Pilot, you’ll find many the key features of America’s Music: Bluegrass with its pages. The novel is an attempt to put what bluegrass music is into story form, and to give the reader a flavor of what it was like “back in the old days” when southern folks were playing this music on the front porches, such as our pioneers described within the pages of America’s Music: Bluegrass. You’ll also experience a flying adventure or two…even a love story.

If you purchase Icy Strait. The Alaskan Adventures of the Banjo Pilot, you’ll find complete closure to the stories and characters within The Banjo Pilot. It is written entirely differently and delves into the world of Alaska bush piloting, business operation of a fledgling flying company, and true or fictitious stories of what it was like flying up there in the Inland Passage of southeast Alaska. They include stories of the characters in The Banjo Pilot as well as dealing with the Russian mafia and child prostitution. Duke’s brother comes back into the picture and lots of exciting adventures happen to them.

My flying credentials for writing these books are considerable and they include bush flying in the Inland Passage for two years during the 1970s, twenty-one years of General Aviation flying, and nineteen years flying for United Air Lines. As in any novel, much of it is based on my actual experiences. But, no, I never had a plane accident or killed a wife. However, many of the other incidents and stories within the pages of these two novels actually did occur. It was fun for me to retell the stories for you.

And I’m a devout Christian, so you’ll see a deliberate slant that direction. Even if you don’t choose to absorb those teachings, I hope you’ll get an understanding of where I’m coming from.

Barry R. Willis