WHO
IS OKEFENOKEE JOE/DICK FLOOD?
Inducted
into the Atlanta Country Music Hall of Fame, the Georgia Family
Entertainers Hall of Fame, and dubbed “A Living Georgia Icon” in
a book entitled “Georgia Icons”, written by Don Rhodes of the
Augusta Chronicle, OKEFENOKEE JOE’S professional musical career
began in the mid 50’s. Under his given name of DICK FLOOD. He
teamed up with army buddy Billy Graves, formed a duet, called
themselves ‘The Country Lads’, became regulars on the Jimmy Dean
CBS TV Morning Country Music Show, and recorded for Columbia Records.
Dick
Flood is listed in Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame as the
writer of the Wilburn Brother’s signature song, voted 1962’s
Number One Country Song of the Year, “Trouble’s Back in Town”.
His songs were recorded by Roy Orbison, George Hamilton IV, Porter
Wagoner, Billy Grammar, Anita Bryant, Kathy Linden and others. With
several chart recordings of his own on Monument, Epic, and Kapp
Records, and as a frequent guest on the world famous Grand Ole Opry,
he and his band, The Pathfinders, toured with many Country Music
Stars, fronting for, and backing up the headliners, sometimes even
headlining the show himself.
In
the 70’s, urged by a deeper calling, Dick Flood left Nashville ,
“disappearing” into the Great Okefenokee Swamp in South Georgia,
re-inventing himself as “Okefenokee Joe”, a singing, story
telling, self proclaimed South Georgia “Wildlife Evangelist”.
He began writing songs of appreciation for all of God’s Creation,
and performing his “Earth Day Every Day” Presentation throughout
the Southeastern U. S., in Schools, Indian Festivals, Fairs,
Sportsman Shows, Libraries, Museums etc.
In
the late 80’s, Joe hosted several wildlife documentaries for
Georgia Public Television. One, entitled “Swampwise”, won an
Emmy Award in 1990. Because his documentaries were aired frequently
throughout the 90s always receiving high ratings, and remaining the
most requested shows GPB had ever locally produced, Okefenokee Joe
became a Legendary South Georgia Folk Hero of that era.
On
May 4th, 2019 Okefenokee Joe/Dick Flood was inducted into
the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association Hall of Fame.
He
has now written and published three non-fiction books about his life,
and lessons learned along with an audio book entitled “Secrets
Songs & Stories from the Land of the Tremblin’ Earth”.
Look
for his books CDs and DVDs of his songs and stories on YouTube Visit
Joe at his website: www.okefenokeejoe.com
“Sound
envrionmentalism through education.” ~~ Okefenokee Joe