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If Trouble Don’t Kill Me

2019-05-18 14:00:00 2019-05-18 15:00:00 America/New_York If Trouble Don’t Kill Me Virginia author Ralph Berrier will present on his book, If Trouble Don’t Kill Me, which follows the lives on Berrier’s family from the mountains of Virginia to the Grand Ole Opry. James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library - Beth Patridge Meeting Room

Saturday, May 18
2:00pm - 3:00pm

Add to Calendar 2019-05-18 14:00:00 2019-05-18 15:00:00 America/New_York If Trouble Don’t Kill Me Virginia author Ralph Berrier will present on his book, If Trouble Don’t Kill Me, which follows the lives on Berrier’s family from the mountains of Virginia to the Grand Ole Opry. James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library - Beth Patridge Meeting Room

James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library

Beth Patridge Meeting Room

Virginia author Ralph Berrier will present on his book, If Trouble Don’t Kill Me, which follows the lives on Berrier’s family from the mountains of Virginia to the Grand Ole Opry.

Clayton and Saford Hall were born in the backwoods of Virginia in 1919, in a place known as The Hollow. Incredibly, they became legends in their day, rising from mountain-bred poverty to pickin’ and yodelin’ all over the airwaves of the South in the 1930s and 1940s, opening shows for the Carter Family, Roy Rogers, the Sons of the Pioneers, and even playing the most coveted stage of all: the Grand Ole Opry. They accomplished a lifetime’s worth of achievements in less than five years—and left behind only a few records to document their existence. 
 
Fortunately, Ralph Berrier, Jr., the grandson of Clayton Hall and a reporter for the Roanoke Times, brings us their full story for the first time in IF TROUBLE DON'T KILL ME. He documents how the twins’ music spread like wildfire when they moved from The Hollow to Roanoke at age twenty, and how their popularity was inflamed by their onstage zaniness, their roguish offstage shenanigans, and, above all, their ability to play old-time country music. 
 
But just as they arrived on the brink of major fame, World War II dashed their dreams. 

Berrier follows the Hall twins as they travel overseas, leaving behind their beloved music, and are thrust into the cauldron of a war that reshaped their lives and destinies. Through the brothers’ experiences, the story of World War II unfolds—Saford fought from the shores of North Africa to Sicily and Europe and finally into Germany; Clayton fought the Japanese in the brutal Pacific theater until the savage, final battle on Okinawa. They returned home after the war to find that the world had changed, music had changed . . . and they had, too.
 
IF TROUBLE DON'T KILL ME paints a loving portrait of a vanishing yet exalted southern culture, shows us the devastating consequences of war, and allows us to experience the mountain voices that not only influenced the history of music but that also shaped the landscape of America.

AGE GROUP: | Adults |

EVENT TYPE: | Author Talks | All Alexandria Reads |

TAGS: | local author | family | authors | all alexandria reads |

James M. Duncan Jr. Branch Library

kpayne@alexlibraryva.org
Phone: 703.746.1705
Fax: 703.746.1785
Branch manager
Kayla Selsky

Hours
Mon, Jul 07 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Tue, Jul 08 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, Jul 09 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, Jul 10 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, Jul 11 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sat, Jul 12 10:00AM to 5:00PM
Sun, Jul 13 1:00PM to 5:00PM

About the branch

Parking: There is a small lot with 9 spaces.  On street parking is available.

Public Transit:

  • Metrorail: Yellow and Blue lines at Braddock Road (1.3 miles) and King Street Stations (1.5 miles)
  • Metrobus: 10A, 10B
  • DASH Bus: 33

For reasonable disability accommodation, contact jgregorio@alexlibraryva.org or call 703.746.1701 or TTY 703.746.1790.

Upcoming Events

Sat, Jul 12, 10:30am - 11:30am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Stretch, breathe and cultivate your connections with body-heart-mind-spirit
This event is full

Sun, Jul 13, 2:30pm - 3:30pm
Bring your preschooler to the Duncan Library on Sunday afternoons to explore STEAM activities (science, technology, engineering, art, and math)! This is a drop-in event. Recommended ages 3-6

Mon, Jul 14, 10:15am - 10:45am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Wiggle, crawl and clap at Baby Time! Fingerplay and songs for Ages 0-14 Months.

Mon, Jul 14, 11:00am - 11:45am
Uh oh – a color has disappeared! Join Science Heroes in using scientific principles and hands-on experiments to find it, and celebrate the scientists who color our world with art! (Ages 6-12)

Mon, Jul 14, 11:15am - 11:45am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Wiggle, crawl and clap at Baby Time! Fingerplay and songs for Ages 0-14 Months.

Mon, Jul 14, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
We roll at dusk!

Mon, Jul 14, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Our mission is to provide a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment where people can explore, learn, play, and evolve together - one breath at a time
This event is full

Tue, Jul 15, 11:00am - 11:45am
Uh oh – a color has disappeared! Join Science Heroes in using scientific principles and hands-on experiments to find it, and celebrate the scientists who color our world with art! (Ages 6-12)

Tue, Jul 15, 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Ongoing campaign. For inquiries about Dungeon and Dragons please contact Josstin Gogue at jgogue@alexlibraryva.org. (Ages 13-19)

Wed, Jul 16, 4:00pm - 4:30pm
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Come join Ms. Naomi for an interactive story time that is full of adventure and fun!

Wed, Jul 16, 4:00pm - 4:30pm
Come join Ms. Naomi for an interactive story time that is full of adventure and fun!

Wed, Jul 16, 6:45pm - 7:45pm
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Drop in Conversational English language learning!

Thu, Jul 17, 10:15am - 10:45am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Come join Mr. Josstin for an adventure worth gathering for. You were there, remember? Great for toddlers and siblings. Ages 0-5

Thu, Jul 17, 11:15am - 11:45am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Come join Mr. Josstin for an adventure worth gathering for. You were there, remember? Great for toddlers and siblings. Ages 0-5

Thu, Jul 17, 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Teen Area
All crafters are welcome! Ages 13+

Sat, Jul 19, 10:30am - 11:30am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Stretch, breathe and cultivate your connections with body-heart-mind-spirit
This event is full

Sun, Jul 20, 3:30pm - 4:00pm
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Wiggle, crawl and clap at Baby Time! Fingerplay and songs for Ages 0-14 Months.

Mon, Jul 21, 10:15am - 10:45am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Wiggle, crawl and clap at Baby Time! Fingerplay and songs for Ages 0-14 Months.

Mon, Jul 21, 11:15am - 11:45am
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Wiggle, crawl and clap at Baby Time! Fingerplay and songs for Ages 0-14 Months.

Mon, Jul 21, 5:30pm - 7:30pm
We roll at dusk!

Mon, Jul 21, 6:30pm - 7:30pm
Beth Patridge Meeting Room
Our mission is to provide a safe, supportive, non-judgmental environment where people can explore, learn, play, and evolve together - one breath at a time
This event is full