Monday, June 05, 2006

DukesFest: Jerry Rushing

It seems only appropriate to begin the BRBTV News Blog's special weeklong coverage of the 2006 DukesFest with the man who started it all, Mr. Jerry Rushing of Monroe, North Carolina.

You see, when Waylon Jennings explained in those first few episodes of "The Dukes of Hazzard" in 1979 that the Dukes "had the whiskey craft," he really meant the Rushings. Following in the legacy of his father and grandfather, Jerry Elijah Rushing ran two million gallons of bootleg moonshine whiskey through the beautiful hills of North Carolina in his 1958 Chrysler 300-D, which he dubbed "Traveler," after General Robert E. Lee's horse.

BRBTV had the pleasure of chatting with Mr. Rushing at DukesFest this past weekend, where he was set up with his lovely wife Dean, Larry Wolfel of TravelerMovie.com, and the bold, white Traveler itself.

As Rushing signed our copy of his autobiography "The Real Duke of Hazzard," we asked what stands out in his mind about those early days of filming the show in Georgia, when he even guest-starred as used-car dealer Ace Parker in the episode, "Repo Men":

"I just thought it was kinda exciting, that they were making a TV show about my life." He added with a smile, "I was a bit of an outlaw back then."

Since then, of course, Rushing has known the redeeming love of Jesus Christ in his life, and his autobiography shares a lot about that. (You can find Rushing's book, by the way, at Amazon.com.)

Photos by Billie Rae Bates / BRBTV

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