Travel back in time to the boyhood of one of the most popular poets of the early twentieth century. "Bud" Riley spent his childhood in mid-nineteenth century Indiana, where stagecoaches were a common sight, rope swings were the only thrill rides, and telling spooky stories by firelight was the best entertainment of all.
"Halie" Jackson grew up in poverty on the levees of New Orleans. But every Sunday young Mahalia sang proudly in the church choir, the youngest member at age five! She left school after eighth grade and worked as a maid to help support her family. However, her passion for singing her special brand of music known as "gospel" never waned.
