I know he missed his kids, and that my father had no idea how to stay in touch with them once his relationship with his exes was off

In the late 1950s, something went terribly wrong for Riley. So wrong that he dragged his wife (kicking and screaming) out of NY.

Leslie repeated a story her mother told, that Harry Belafonte had come to their apartment for dinner, and sang to her when she was a baby.

Why did my father work so hard to get respect, fair treatment, and equal pay for hillbilly performers, only to squander his own money?

Victor Shepard had stories to tell. He loved to gossip. "You're father was the horniest man I've ever met," Victor said.

Here's what I grapple with. Did my father believe his lies sometimes, or lie so often that he became confused about reality?

Riley was young in the mid-1940s. New York offered him many fantastic opportunities to find work and meet new people.

The most productive nation in the world, yet unable to properly feed, clothe, and shelter a third of its population. --- Riley Shepard 1938

This blog will fact check the"The Cowboy Philosopher" segment on "Hidden Brain" that it explored the life and career of Riley Shepard.