Fred The New Orleans Drummer Boy: Written by Fred LeBlanc and Illustrated by Marita Gentry
"Down in the great city of New Orleans lives a young boy named Fred. Fred loves to play the drums." Well, they must be talking about Fred LeBlanc, the animated drummer of the long-running band Cowboy Mouth. This absolutely adorable children's book introduces curious kids to Fred when he was just a child who fell in love with his vibrant, musical hometown, and it's as entertaining for them as it is revealing about the musician and author himself. "Fred has listened to marching bands his all of his life." As Fred hones his talent for drumming and his friends search for one last player for their band, they get some help from Mr. Jimmy, a music store owner that bears a striking resemblance to the late Jimmy Glickman of the New Orleans Music Exchange. The young band practices all the time and finally gets a gig, but one member starts getting nervous, and getting on stage proves to be a challenge. But Fred tells him to get excited, not scared, and the band blows the audience away.
