Jones, M: Biscuits O'Bryan

The character of Biscuits O'Bryan, Texas storyteller and cook for the I. O. Everbody Ranch, was created nearly twenty years ago by Monte Jones. At the time, Jones was rector of the Episcopal church in Sonora and helped launch a civic project to boost the local economy through an outdoor dinner theater with music and storytelling. "Having earned two degrees in drama prior to going to seminary," Jones recalls, "this seemed like a perfect outlet for some of my creative urges, so I decided to create a storytelling character out of an old chuckwagon cook." Jones has had a split personality ever since, and Biscuits O'Bryan has gone on to become a favorite in school classrooms, Chamber of Commerce banquets, the National Cowboy Symposium, and other venues. In 2003, Biscuits received the Will Rogers Award as Outstanding Cowboy Storyteller/Humorist by the Academy of Western Artists. In this collection of more-or-less true stories, Jones (aka Biscuits) captures the magic of what it was like to grow up in West Texas in a simpler era when, with a little imagination, children could have the run of the world just beyond their back yard. Monte, usually accompanied by cousin Don Odam, explored jungles, swam oceans, parachuted from fighter planes, and climbed skyscrapers--all without leaving the confines of home. "Life was good," Biscuits remembers. "We were happy. What more could anyone ask for?"