With a Banjo on my Knee: A Southern Memoir of Family, Resilience, and Life’s Unexpected Journeys

With a Banjo on My Knee – A Memoir by Larry W. GunninGrowing up in the South, life is full of lessons—some tough, some humorous, and all deeply personal. With a Banjo on My Knee is a heartfelt, raw, and often entertaining journey through the life of Larry W. Gunnin. From the small-town streets of Alabama to the big city, from military service to the mortgage industry, and from personal triumphs to life’s unexpected losses, this memoir weaves together stories that shaped a man with resilience, humor, and grit.Larry set out to write about his mother, Joyce Jean Lipsey Gunnin—a woman of unwavering strength who became a nurse after being a mother at 15. But in telling her story, he discovered his own. Through tales of love, marriage, divorce, sports, career highs and lows, military experiences, and personal reckonings, this book doesn’t claim to offer life’s answers—it simply shares life as it was lived.There are moments that will make you laugh, moments that will make you reflect, and moments that may just bring a tear to your eye. With honesty and Southern charm, Larry Gunnin recounts the good, the bad, and the unexpected twists of fate—because, at the end of the day, life is a collection of stories.And yes, after turning 50, he really did get a banjo tattooed on his knee—because some things just run deep in the soul. Read more