Joe Kent - River Man (Mississippi Men) 3:59

Captain Joe Kent is the narrator voice for the History Channel’s new series, ‘Mississippi Men’ which premiers January 28, 2015 at 9 pm CST. The show is about the people who live and work on the mighty Mississippi River and her tributaries. Captain Kent was very tight lipped when it came to the details of the show. “Of course I know what is going to happen on the show,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I did the voice overs for the entire first season, but all I will tell you is to batten down the hatches, and hold on if you can. It’s gonna be one helluva a ride down the muddy Mississippi.”
Being a true captain, Joe Kent stuck to the number one golden rule on a towboat-what happens on the boat stays on the boat-and applied that same principle to any and all behind the scenes or inside information. He did tell us that it was a great experience, and a lot of fun to work with the directors and film crews that developed the show. “If I could find deckhands that worked like that, it would all be smooth sailing. I think the end result of their labor, and commitment will be a kick **** show that will keep the audience tuning in for more each week. I can’t wait to see it myself!”
The timing of the show couldn’t be more perfect for Captain Joe either. He has just finished writing a book of short stories about life on the water entitled, ‘Towboat Joe’. The book will be hitting shelves from Deadly Writes Publishing at about the same time the TV show airs. A great addition to the book is a digital album with 15 songs that Captain Joe has just released as a soundtrack for his new book. ‘Towboat Joe (The Soundtrack)’ is a compilation of new and previously released original songs by various artists including Towboat Joe and The Muddy River Band.
Check out the book, Towboat Joe at:
www.deadlywritespublishing.com
Download the digital album, Towboat Joe (The Soundtrack) at:
www.tjkentmusic.com/towboat-joe/
It appears to be nothing but blue skies, and fair tides for the Mississippi River man on his latest literary and musical voyage. Tune in to the History Channel on January 28th to see if the calm seas are prevalent there as well or if the boat gets to rockin’. In the words of Captain Joe Kent, “It’s all smooth sailing until the ship hits the sand, but a calm sea never a skilled sailor made. Until then, earn your salt, keep it in the ditch, and I will see you on the one whistle.”
What others are saying:
He’s a real-life towboat captain in Louisiana as well as a master storyteller and emerging country singer and songwriter, and Captain Joe Kent’s autobiographical debut Towboat Joe is fascinating, funny, at times scary, and always irresistible. “The river is my life,” Kent writes, and that life is unforgettably captured in these pages. The captain’s current boat, the M/V Ron Hull, is 90 feet long and 47 feet high. Towboats, he explains, push and don’t pull other boats, and only operate in canals and rivers. Ron Hull thought so much of Capt. Joe’s work that he invited him to christen the craft, a rare honor. Towboat Joe introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters, such as a river know-it-all nicknamed Towboat Jesus, a dubious pilot known as Patch the Pirate, a one-armed barber, and Joe’s remarkable wife Denise. “I ain’t your damn deckhand,” she reminds him, and his adventures trying to buy Denise a surprise gift from Victoria’s Secret provide one of the book’s treasures. We are also treated to photographs of Capt. Joe’s beloved boat, river, and ports of call, along with poems and country song lyrics his life and absolutely unique experiences have inspired. Towboat Joe concludes with real-world words of wisdom from his decades of command, including “look in the mirror before pointing a finger,” “build a crew that replaces itself,” and “keep an even keel.” So climb aboard for a one-of-a-kind literary voyage, and enjoy every page of Captain Joe Kent’s Towboat Joe.
- Phil Sweetland
Radi