Lewis Grizzard (October 20, 1946 - March 20, 1994) was an American writer and humorist, famous for his Southern demeanor and commentary on the U.S. Southern states. Although he spent the first half of his life as a newspaper writer and editor, becoming sports editor of the Atlanta Journal at age 23, he is much better known for his humorous columns in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also published twenty-five books, including Southern by the Grace of God, I Haven’t Understood Anything since 1962, and Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night and was a popular stand-up comedian. Although much of his comedy discussed the South and Grizzard’s life, it was also a commentary on issues prevalent throughout America, including divorce, politics, and health. October 20 is the 293rd day of the year (294th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 72 days remaining. ... 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... March 20 is the 79th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (80th in Leap years). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal. // Events January Bill Clinton January 1 : North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) goes into effect. ... A humorist is an author who specializes in short, humorous articles or essays. ... The U.S. Southern states or the South, also known colloquially as Dixie, constitute a distinctive region covering a large portion of the United States, with its own unique heritage, historical perspective, customs, musical styles, and cuisine. ... The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is the only major daily newspaper of Atlanta and metro Atlanta. ... Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an annulment, which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody... Politics is a process by which decisions are made within groups. ...

Biography

Grizzard was born at Fort Benning, Georgia. He was born October 20, 1946. His father, a soldier in the United States Army left his mother, a school teacher, when Lewis, as young and they moved to Moreland, Georgia, where Lewis would spend the rest of his childhood. Grizzard would recount his often frustrating relationship with his father in My Daddy Was a Pistol and I'm a Son of a Gun. He began his writing early, publishing stories of his little league team in Newnan Times-Herald. Fort Benning is a military base facility of the United States military southwest of Columbus, Georgia. ... Moreland is a town in Coweta County, Georgia, in the United States. ... The Newnan Times-Herald, also known as The Times-Herald, in Newnan, Georgia. ...

Grizzard attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. He was a member of Sigma Pi Fraternity and during his time in Athens became an avid Bulldogs fan. He studied journalism but shunned the school newspaper in favor of the independent Athens Daily News. After graduating, Grizzard moved on to Atlanta, joining the Atlanta Journal and becoming the youngest ever sports editor of the Journal by age 23. Executive Journal editor Jim Minter said that had Grizzard stayed there, he would be remembered today as one of the great newspaper editors of the 20th century. His time there included the Journal's coverage of Hank Aaron's 715th home run. The University of Georgia, is located approximately 70 miles north-east of Atlanta in Athens, Georgia and is the largest institution of higher learning and research in the State of Georgia. ... Athens or Athens-Clarke County is a city in Clarke County, Georgia, U.S., in the northeastern part of the state, just off of Georgia 316. ... Official Name Sigma Pi Fraternity, International Founded February 26, 1897 at Vincennes University International Headquarters Brentwood, TN Grand Council Grand Sage Mr. ... The Athens Banner-Herald is a 32,000 circulation newspaper in Athens, Georgia. ... Henry Louis Hank Aaron (born February 5, 1934) is a retired American baseball player and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. ...

Grizzard then became sports editor at the Chicago Sun Times. He would later recall this as the most miserable period of his life. His tenure included a controversy involving the spiking of columns by Lacey Banks, which resulted in charges of racism and the firing of Banks. Although the paper supported Grizzard, a federal arbitrator reinstated Banks and criticized Grizzard as "racially insensitive". Grizzard, for his part, contended that the arbitrator did not understand the newspaper business and pointed out that he replaced Banks with Thom Greer, an excellent black sports writer. He felt that he had been pronounced "guilty by geography". Grizzard was also divorced for the second time while in Chicago. Grizzard's career as a newspaper man is recalled in his auto-biographical If I Ever Get Back to Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet to the Ground. Chicago Sun-Times The Chicago Sun-Times is an American newspaper publishing out of Chicago, Illinois. ...

In 1977, Grizzard returned to Atlanta with a column in the sport section of the Atlanta Constitution. After eight months, he switched to writing the humor column which would eventually make him internationally famous and beloved in the South. At his peak, he was syndicated in 450 newspapers and making regular appearances on television and the stand-up circuit. His popularity in Atlanta was such that the alternative newspaper Creative Loafing, in its annual "Best of Atlanta" poll, included the categories "Best Columnist" and "Best Columnist besides Lewis Grizzard". Creative Loafing is the name of two alternative weekly newspapers published by Tampa Bay, Florida-based Creative Loafing, Inc. ...

Grizzard often drew criticism for his disparaging remarks about gays and feminists. And his dislike for the New South and reflections on the Old South of his youth were frequently misinterpreted. Nevertheless, he was extremely popular in the South and had enduring popularity across the nation because of the humor, humanity, patriotism and old-fashioned values that purveyed his writing. His frequent bewilderment by the modern age stuck a chord with many baby boom readers. Grizzard famously refused to use computers, writing every column on an antique typewriter ("When I write, I like to hear some noise").

In 1988, Grizzard made his acting debut on the sitcom Designing Women, in the episode "Oh Brother," which first aired on January 18. Grizzard played the role of Clayton Sugarbaker, half-brother to Julia and Suzanne Sugarbaker, a former mental patient aspiring to be a stand-up comedian. Designing Women was a U.S. television sitcom that centered around the working and personal lives of four women in an interior design firm in Atlanta, Georgia. ...

Grizzard was famous for having a somewhat troubled life, battling alcoholism and going through three divorces. He was voted "The Author From Hell" at publishing convention for his behaviour on book tours. He also suffered from a congenital heart defect. In his own words, "There are three little leaflets that control the flow of blood to the heart. I was born with only two of those leaflets. It was just after the Great War, so there may have been a shortage. Either that or my daddy didn't get a good toe-hold." His near-death after a third valve replacement surgery in 1993 brought in over 50,000 letters from well-wishers. He later attributed his miraculous recovery to the prayers of his fans. Shortly after marrying for the fourth time, he died from a heart attack after another valve surgery. Grizzard suffered brain damage, according to one report, from lack of oxygen to the brain, had he survived, he would have been noticeably impaired. In accordance with his wishes, he was cremated and some of his ashes were scattered at the 50-yard line of Sanford Stadium at the University of Georgia. A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... Brain damage or brain injury is the destruction or degeneration of brain cells. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance transparent (gas) very pale blue (liquid) Atomic mass 15. ... Comparative brain sizes In animals, the brain, or encephalon (Greek for in the head), is the control center of the central nervous system. ... Sanford Stadium is the on-campus playing venue for football at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia. ...

Published Works

• Kathy Sue Loudermilk, I Love You
• Won't You Come Home, Billy Bob Bailey
• Don't Sit Under The Grits Tree With Anyone Else But Me
• They Tore Out My Heart And Stomped That Sucker Flat
• If Love Were Oil, I'd Be About A Quart Low
• Elvis Is Dead, And I Don't Feel So Good Myself
• Shoot Low Boys, They're Riding Shetland Ponies
• When My Love Returns From The Ladies Room, Will I Be Too Old To Care?
• Don't Bend Over In The Garden Granny, You Know Them Taters Got Eyes
• Chili Dawgs Always Bark At Night
• Don't Forget To Call Your Mama, I Sure Wish I Could Call Mine
• You Can't Put No Boogie Woogie On The King of Rock 'n' Roll
• My Daddy Was A Pistol, And I'm A Son of a Gun
• If I Ever Get Back To Georgia, I'm Gonna Nail My Feet To The Ground
• I Took A Lickin' And Kept On Ticking: And Now I Believe In Miracles
• Does A Bear Chip In The Woods?
• I Haven't Understood Anything Since 1962
• The Last Bus To Albuquerque
• Addicted To Love

Recordings

On The Road With Lewis Grizzard

From Moreland To Moscow

Let's Have A Party With Lewis Grizzard

Don't Believe I'da Told That!!

Lewis Grizzard Quotes

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Lewis Grizzard

"You ain't from around here are you? Don't lie and say you're from Florida, that accent says New Jersey." Image File history File links Wikiquote-logo-en. ... Wikiquote logo Wikiquote is a sister project of Wikipedia, using the same MediaWiki software. ...

"I am the only person in the history of Moreland, Georgia to ever be on the New York Times' Best Seller list. I'm the only person in the history of Moreland, Georgia who ever heard of the New York Time's Best Seller list."

"Real estate agents are God's plague on mankind when locusts are out of season."

Lewis’ advice to Atlantans in case of nuclear war: "If you live on the South side of Atlanta, get on I-75 and go south. If you live of the North side of Atlanta get on I-75 and go north. If you are a Yankee get on 285." (For those of you not familiar with Atlanta highways, I-285 is a loop or beltway around the city) A beltway (American English), ring road or orbital motorway (British English) is a circumferential highway found around or within many cities. ...

"The most effective form of birth control known to man is a Bronx accent."

External links

• Official site
• The Lewis Grizzard Museum
• Georgia Encyclopedia entry on Grizzard
• 1986 audio interview with Lewis Grizzard by Don Swaim of CBS Radio, RealAudio