T.J. Lee: An American Tale

T.J. Lee may be one of the biggest supporters of my writing, but long before he had the opportunity to become my fan, I was already his. Born on the banks of the Mississippi, and drawn to the river as many of us might be drawn to a pen and paper, T.J. Lee a modern day Huck Finn, was born for adventure. It was adventure that brought him to Wilmington, NC where I met him shortly after his arrival.

Ten years my senior, with a wealth of life experience guiding him, he became a symbol of hope for me. By then, he was already struggling with the chronic pain in his right leg, but he never let the results of the terrible accident leave him emotionally paralyzed. Nor did it in anyway affect the way he played his banjo or harmonica while he sang the blues. No, I think he would say that just fueled him.

Success though, in man's terms hasn't ever found him. That is fine by him. He sings for himself. He sings for the few close friends that have made it a habit of driving out to his farm house off of Hwy 90 in Georgia every few months to drink sweet tea, eat bar-b-que, and listen to him play.

I think my favorite song of his is called "Water Rising", a melodic tune that captures the heart of summertime. If you can picture the bluest sky on the hottest day with sweat rolling down the side of your face as the constant push of a fan's air cascades over your shoulders, you might just be able to feel what he means when he sings "Against the blue sky's embrace, I sit unmovable in grace, hot like summertime."

You can always hear in his voice a gritty humility. I think it comes from his time as a boy when he lived just outside New Orleans. There his father worked two jobs to support him and his mother who was continually ill after a serious bout with pneumonia. They had met while he was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. He had managed to get along well, having an amazing understanding of languages. His wife didn't fair so well, though she tried, but still had the courage to follow him to the U.S. where they married and gave birth to T.J. (Timothy Jofunu). Not being able to effectively communicate with his mother left him with a sorrow that I think makes him humble. The grittiness comes from the responsibility laid on his shoulders by his father who was rarely home.

That's why I am such a huge fan of T.J.'s. He doesn't think he's entitled to anything; he just lives life and pushes forward. That's why I consider it an honor that he would take any interest in my writing. Because I know he understands that when you love something you just have to do it. Nothing can get in the way, whether it provides you great gain or not.

Some of you already know that we also share a real affinity for Hootie and the Blowfish. He mentioned in a comment on my article "He'll Always Be Hootie To Me" that he and his wife "Millie" danced to one of Hootie's songs at their wedding. The other thing that makes me such a fan of T.J. Lee is that he still has a great sense of humor, which oozed out of that posting. No matter what life throws at him he battles it back with laughter. Not even the raging waters and treacherous rocks of the Mississippi could dampen his spirit, and that is what inspires me the most. So, when he tells me that my writing is good and I need to continue, I take that to really mean something. Thanks, T.J., you're a great friend and mentor. Can't wait to hear your harmonica wail next time I am able to get down to Georgia.