Redneck Boy in the Promised Land is Ben Jones’s hilarious, uplifting life story of escaping the rail yards and finding success in the unlikeliest places. As a child, Jones called a dingy railroad shack with no electricity or indoor plumbing home. An unabashed Southern redneck from a "likker drinkin’, hell-raisin’" family, Jones grew up in the depressed railroad docks outside of Portsmouth, Virginia, and spent most of his days dreaming about where the tracks out of town could take him. That he would go on to become a beloved television icon on The Dukes of Hazzard and a firebrand two-term Congressman is a story that no one could have ever seen coming . . . least of all ol’ "Cooter" himself.

Written with naked honesty and wry humor, Redneck Boy in the Promised Land is one good ol’ boy’s remarkable tale of falling flat on his face, picking himself up, and finding his way to the American dream-while fighting for civil rights, the plight of the working class, "real" Southern culture, and the rights of rednecks everywhere.

"A former congressman from Georgia, Jones earlier portrayed grease-covered garage owner Cooter Davenport on the early-1980s TV show Dukes of Hazzard. Now Jones and his wife, Alma Viator, own the Cooter's Place museums in Nashville and Gatlinburg, Tenn.; they also stage Dukesfest, an annual Nashville gathering of Dukes fans. Looking back at his hardscrabble childhood, he recalls his 'barefoot days' growing up in a Virginia railroad shack minus electricity and hot water. He studied TV-radio at the University of North Carolina, but graduated as a 'likker drinkin', hell raisin', dope smokin', fist-fightin', womanizin' jailbird wild man.' During the 1960s he participated in civil rights sit-ins, established a theatrical career and kept on drinking. At 36, after 'three disastrous marriages and countless fractured relationships,' he went on the road to recovery. When the Dukes ratings soared, he became a heartland hero, and Jones's congressional career fills the final chapters. Capturing Southern culture in a burlap bag full of funny anecdotes, Jones covers miles and memories: 'In the vastness of America, I have never found a road that wasn't interesting.' Observing life from his porch in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this modern-day Will Rogers writes with a mix of humor, pathos and passion in a rip-roarin' book with a down-home flavor. (June 3)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

“Growing up in Georgia, 'Cooter' was one of my heroes. I’m not sure, but I think it was required by law. Who would have thought that one day I would actually come to know Ben Jones, and, in knowing him, find that he remains one of my heroes. You’ll understand why when you read this book. Ben Jones is nothing less than a great American.”

Jeff Foxworthy, author of Jeff Foxworthy’s Redneck Dictionary

"Ben Jones and I go way back, before anyone called him "Cooter" or "Congressman". He always told the truth. A little on the slant, maybe, which only made it more interesting. And like the wildboy I knew then, his book, Redneck Boy in the Promised Land, is gutsy, funny, and good-hearted. And definitely reader-friendly."

—Russell Banks, author of The Reserve

“A warm, witty portrait of a quietly extraordinary American life.”

Kirkus

Jones--Cooter from television's "The Dukes of Hazzard" and former U.S. congressman from Georgia--shares the inspiring story of his improbable rise to fame.

BEN JONES is an actor, writer, musician, and political pundit who lives with his wife, Alma Viator, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia. They are the proprietors of the Cooter’s Place museums in Tennessee and the creators of DukesFest, the annual celebration of The Dukes of Hazzard. Visit him at CootersPlace.com.