"This is a memoir that, paragraph by paragraph, tells of Dick Nelson's experiences and offers his reflections about the life he has lived. In it he acknowledges growing up poor in a city close to Boston, being part of a large family with a loving eighth-grade-educated mother, and a father who disappeared after the two divorced when Dick was about twelve. His mother, Evelyn Dewey Robinson Nelson, later Loud, provided a model by singing through whatever faced her, and Dick has tried to reflect Mom's spirit as he has told his story--What A Life!"-- Provided by publisher.