Did anyone ever know/see Jerry Clower? (And: Was Marcel Ledbetter real?)

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Jerry Clower and Tom T. Hall are my favorite Southern story tellers.

Jerry had a wonderful way of gently poking fun at Southern life. I would have loved to meet him.

Clower was 45 when MCA came calling and he began his professional career as a comedian. He often said, “I backed into show business.” Many of his comedic stories revolved around the non-fictional[citation needed] Ledbetter family, especially his “best friend” Marcel Ledbetter who currently lives in the area of Baton Rouge, Louisiana[citation needed]. These stories are true but embellished for story telling[citation needed]. Marcel and Jerry were best friends throughout Jerry’s life[citation needed]. Those stories are considered to be informal chronicles of early 20th century rural Southern life and according to Clower, were usually based on actual events.

Jerry Clower