Entries by

Randall Franks’s A Zippedy Doodle Day : Down Yonder Too

A Zippedy Doodle Day : American Folk Songs 2026 Vocal Event of the Year Nominee – The Josie Music Awards AirPlay Direct Global Americana Single Charts April #6 & May #13! Down Yonder Too A Skillet Licker Centennial Preserving the “Soul” of Appalachia The arrangement is a dizzying, delightful mix of fiddle, harmonica, banjo, jug, […]

No man is an island: The lasting effect of friends

John Donne wrote, centuries ago, “No man is an island.” Sometimes I catch myself living as though I were one anyway. If we are lucky we surround ourselves with family, friends, and acquaintances. Yet how often do we truly belong to one another? Some of us seldom leave the self-imposed exile of our personal islands […]

Frankly Speaking : Thoughts on This and That

ORDER TODAY! Step onto a sunlit Southern porch and settle into a rocking chair overlooking misty Georgia mountains at golden sunrise. In Frankly Speaking: Thoughts on This and That, Randall Franks — one of America’s favorite TV cops (“Officer Randy Goode” from In the Heat of the Night) and beloved country entertainer — shares warm, […]

Beneath Leaves: Finding Renewal When Worry Piles High

There are seasons in life when worries, sorrows, fears, and quiet depressions gather like autumn leaves drifting from the branches. One by one they fall— a health scare, a strained relationship, financial strain, the ache of loneliness, or simply the relentless news of the world—until they form a thick, damp blanket over the ground. The […]

Frontier Guardians : A Legacy of Patriot Sacrifice

In the quiet hills of Ottway, Greene County, Tennessee, the small Malone Cemetery guards a powerful story of generational sacrifice. Here lie two Revolutionary-era veterans: John Joseph Malone Sr. (1724–1783) and his son, John Malone Jr. (1752–1823). Father and son, buried side by side, their graves mark not just a family plot, but a testament […]

Dirt Road Wisdom: The Gift of Grandparental Grace

THIS COLUMN MARKS THE OUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY IN SOUTHERN STYLE “Thank you for all the years of allowing me to share my thoughts with you!” Randall Franks As I stumbled along the dirt road, I would occasionally reach up and slip my hand into Grandpa Jesse‘s. When an independent streak struck, I would pull it […]