My Name Is Still Brother Billy Bob Bohannon

Bill W. King. Waterford, Va.: OakTara Publishers, 2011. 234 pp. (Paperback).

Billy Bob Bohannon, pastor of the Last Baptist Church in Bird Bump, Ala., has a wealth of stories — so many, in fact, that one book was not enough to hold them all. Billy Bob’s second book continues the stories of Billy Bob, Thelma Lou Jean and their friends, family and church members.

Billed as “an infectious blend of spiritual wisdom and comedy,” the stories have an authentic rural Southern feel, sort of a cross between Jerry Clower and Jeff Foxworthy. A native Alabamian, or probably anyone who has lived in the South for any length of time, will have no trouble identifying friends and relatives in Billy Bob’s characters, like cousins Hootie, Runt, Weasel and Booger Ray. At the end of each hilariously funny story, the reader is treated to a spiritual insight that flows seamlessly and fits perfectly.

Billy Bob is the “alter ego” of Bill King, director of missions for Tuskegee Lee Baptist Association. King developed Billy Bob for a church banquet in 2002; the character was a hit, and King soon began getting invitations to appear in other places as Billy Bob. He currently does about 70 appearances a year as Billy Bob.