A Star is Born -2nd Edition: The Archie Early Story

By Archie Early

People often wonder about others and what makes them tick. What events and circumstances send a person down a path or on a way to success or failure in life? This story is about a family, about a person who was defined in life way before he was born. His path was set in motion by a chain of events, thoughts and patterns that would set him on a path. He was destined and prophesized way before he was born. He was prayed for and on the way before he even knew what that even meant. His family needed a savior and needed a light to take the family thru a path of success. This story is about how the circumstances and choices of a family dictated the path for one of their own. The whole Early family embraced him and pushed him to be best he could be even if he did not want it or embrace it. He endured a lot of struggles that were very harsh when he was growing up. But his family prepared him for the fallout of being the number 1 alpha male of his area and own family. Most of the facts and stories are true in the book and are not to be taken lightly.
The innocent names have been changed somewhat to protect them, like they need it lol. The guilty names have not been changed, to let them see and understand the havoc and confusion they have caused in many people's lives and worlds including the author.
The Chapters are somewhat self-explanatory, so feel free to thumb thru on which ones interest you as the reader. Thanks to all the guest help editors who helped me edit. Many of you have and did play a special part of my life. I have and will continue to really trust you in many of the intricate parts of my life. I look forward to your help and input on books 2 and 3 and my other books. Those books and sagas are the parts and segments that helped developed my adult life. I will need your help in editing and developing that part of my life for the public and my family to see and read later.
Venom rule number 55. Always keep your hood up, fangs out, and spit venom always. If you don't spit venom, squeeze, and constrict until you can't anymore, and shake your rattler until it falls off. Those who know me and are close to me, know exactly what that means.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Sep 23, 2021
• ISBN: 9798466656428

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ISBN: 9798466656428

Table of contents

A Star Is Born The ArChIE EARLY story -Book 1, 2nd edition 2021

        Intro- Monologue /page

Monologue-

    People often wonder about others and what makes them tick.  What events and circumstances send a person down a path or on a way to success or failure in life?  This story is about a family, about a person who was defined in life way before he was born.  His path was set in motion by a chain of events, thoughts and patterns that would set him on a path.  He was destined and prophesized way before he was born. He was prayed for and on the way before he even knew what that even meant.  His family needed a savior and needed a light to take the family thru a path of success.  This story is about how the circumstances and choices of a family dictated the path for one of their own.  The whole Early family embraced him and pushed him to be best he could be even if he did not want it or embrace it.  He endured a lot of struggles that were very harsh when he was growing up.  But his family prepared him for the fallout of being the number 1 alpha male of his area and own family.  Most of the facts and stories are true in the book and are not to be taken lightly. 

The innocent names have been changed somewhat to protect them, like they need it lol.  The guilty names have not been changed, to let them see and understand the havoc and confusion they have caused in many people’s lives and worlds including the author. 

    The Chapters are somewhat self-explanatory, so feel free to thumb thru on which ones interest you as the reader.  Thanks to all the guest help editors who helped me edit.  Many of you have and did play a special part of my life.  I have and will continue to really trust you in many of the intricate parts of my life.  I look forward to your help and input on books 2 and 3 and my other books.  Those books and sagas are the parts and segments that helped developed my adult life.  I will need your help in editing and developing that part of my life for the public and my family to see and read later.

    Venom rule number 55. Always keep your hood up, fangs out, and spit venom always.  If you don’t spit venom, squeeze, and constrict until you can’t anymore, and shake your rattler until it falls off.  Those who know me and are close to me, know exactly what that means.

Chapter 1-Grant Sr.-The Beginning

To understand and grasp on how Archie Jr. was a star at birth, we must 1st look at and see and understand the Early family.  We must delve into the dynamics of the son-father relationship that has gone on for multiple generations.   

Grant Early was a tough minded and a street-smart hustler from the deep south of Mississippi.  It was later learned by his grandkids he had lived in New Orleans for most of his youth years. He often worked off the gulf coast on the banana boats, sugar boats, crab, oyster boats and meat packing plants for just a few dollars a day while growing up. Then he’d spend it all up in a few days partying to only have enough for trolley fare home at the end of the day or weekend.  Grant was light skinned full built man of around 6 feet with a stocky upper body that was strong as an ox. 

    Much later in time when Archie Jr was around 10 years old, Grant Sr. came down to his grandson’s birthday party. Grant Sr. was coaxed into playing an arm wrestle machine and broke it off the hinges at a Chucky Cheese kid’s restaurant.  Grant Sr. would have been around 50 years old around then but still ready to show off his brute force for everyone. Another time one of Archie Jr’s cousins who later played in the NFL, named Grant III, was bragging how fast he was during one Early family 4th of July barbeques.  Mind you Grant the III was a high school all American and top athlete in the country.  Grant Sr. raced Grant III a full length of a quarter block when Grant the 3rd was again still in high school. Again, Grant III was and 4–5-star recruit who had a scholarship to play at Indiana. Grant Sr won THE sprint with work pants and work boots lol.

    Grant Sr. had slick black hair that was always combed back, and curled up at the end, Grant Sr. often told his family he could pass as a white man down south. He told Archie Jr. he often was mistaken for a Frenchmen at times when his accent was too heavy around professional white people. 

Grant Sr. later migrated to Gary, Indiana and worked for Gary/US Steel for over 40 years.  Grant Sr. was one of the hardest workers Archie Jr. ever seen and who had never missed more than 3 days a work total in 40 plus years.  He worked the night shift and fished/ hunted and fixed cars, lawn mowers and snow blowers for extra money by day. He also attached a snow blade to his truck and pushed snow for local businesses and the elderly early in the winter mornings or after working the night shift.   

    Grant Sr. had 5 kids he raised in Gary, Indiana. He married a nice Christian woman often deemed the mother matriarch figure of the Early family. She was the real boss as people would describe her that until her death. Grant Sr. had his first son down south, Archie Sr. who was delivered by a midwife in a shack in Mississippi.  Archie Sr. was a big man himself being born around 11 pounds with no doctor to assist.  The next child was Larry a tall skinny Early who often fit in with the body types of most of his nephews who were born years later.  Then came Becky the only girl, then Grant Jr, who was Archie Jr’s favorite uncle and his father’s Archie Sr best sibling close friend. Grant Jr. often supported him in basketball an often played him 1 on 1 or 2 on 1 during the summers when he was visiting the Early family. Last came Michael, who Archie Jr never got along with as kid growing up.  One time when Archie Jr. was at his grandparents staying for a part of summer Michael was sick of Archie Jr playing around and hit him squarely in the jaw and knocked him down.  Archie Jr resented Michael for years to come.  Archie Jr never understood why the family members such as Granny Early and his dad Archie Sr. never punished Michael for this.?  No one ever mentioned it again, but Archie Jr took a strong mental note of that day, and he would not let the act go unpunished as you will read about later.

    Grant Sr was hustler indeed, but a good kind of hustler. It was later found out he’d DJ and M.C. parties around the East side of Chicago for extra money.  He told Archie Jr. years later that he even D.J.‘d for the young Jackson 5 on occasions. The Jackson 5 are from Gary, Indiana, and Hammond is right next door to Gary. 

Grant Sr. often frequented an area called Jew town.  Which was a famous flea market area of Chicago that sold goods, clothing, and food items in an open market style. If you knew someone there and were kind of heady you got a good price on goods, but you often had to get there early around 5-6am for the best deals.  Grant Sr. often came back home on Sunday mornings with a truck full of goods and bragged to everyone on how he got the best deals. Archie Jr. often went with Grant Sr. when he visited during holidays as Grant Sr. still often tells the story of how well Archie Jr. knew his way around back and forth from the truck to different streets in Jew Town.  Grant Sr. would give him the keys to the truck and tell him to unlock it then lock up the goods up in the truck then bring back the keys. Grant Sr. would wait for young Archie Jr to come back successfully, and he did so every time. That was Archie Jr’s first lesson on responsibility that would be very beneficial in the years to come.

Archie Jr. seen his grandfather often in the garage working on lawn mowers, snow blowers, CBs, radios, etc.  Grant Sr would take a broke down item, fix it, and make double or triple the money.  He taught Archie Jr. the value of a dollar early and taught him hard work, hustle and the power of negotiation was key in life to succeed.     

    Grant Early also had a great power of memorization.  He had the power to recite things word for word without studying it for a long time.  He often recited biblical scriptures in church and famous biblical stories word for word perfectly each time.  Grant was a Deacon at the local church and always had bible nearby despite hardly opening it in church.  When Archie Jr. was young, he would often accompany his grandfather on his trips to Jew Town in East Chicago for flea market trips before coming back for church often super tired.  Archie Jr. would watch his grandfather lip sync the scriptures or often finish the lines of the bible before the Pastor or other Deacons could finish them. often without even cracking his bible.  Again, this would later come into play with young Archie Jr. and how he would use his memory later in life. Grant Sr. was a mysterious man, often people loved him or hated him.  Years after his death rumors of a hidden family early in his life, other jobs, and states no one knew he worked or lived came to light.  With an Early the true story is never told and seldom revealed. 

Co -edited by D.B.O. E. 55

Chapter 2-Archie Early Sr. /The Continuation

    Archie Early’s Sr. childhood we do not know a lot about. We do know he was the biggest Early child by physical stature. He stood around 6 foot -3 and 200 plus pounds even in his high school youth days.  Early stories say he was the tallest kid in his grade/age from early on.  Being the oldest of the Early family, he often took care of the younger Early siblings Grant Jr, Becky, Michael, and Larry.  His dad, Grant Sr. again was often gone fishing, hunting, and working 2nd shift.  His mother Robin worked all day as well as a volunteer schoolteacher.  She only had an 8th grade education but taught grade school.  The Early siblings learned responsibility and discipline early on.

        From day 1, Archie Sr. was taught to get good grades and set a good example for the family.  It was often believed that this came from his mother Robin as she was the rock in the house old.  In the future all the young Early’s as well as others in the family often called her Granny ma Early. Even other cousins and people around Gary, Indiana who were not even related to the Early’s did so. 

        Archie Sr. was a great baseball player and often told his sons when they were young and start playing sports, he would have to bat lefthanded to play with the kids his age.  Archie Sr. often told his kids his right-hand batting was too good to be allowed to play with his team, so he batted lefthanded.  It was later told that Grant Sr. would never come to Archie Sr’s baseball games so Archie Sr. would often try to break his own records in hopes of impressing Grant Sr to come to 1 game maybe finally.  It never worked out and that was the start of something big that would manifest later between the two and even in Early generations of son and father to come.  Later, it was revealed that this was part of the strain going on between Grant Sr. and Archie Sr. in his younger adult years.  Even young Archie Jr picked this up when he was around 10 years old.  Archie Jr. would listen intently as the conversations were very one sided with Grant Sr. asking dull and boring questions and Archie Sr. barely answering back.  Archie Sr. was dull and straight to the point and it seemed like both were just going thru the motions in talking to be polite at family get togethers. 

      Archie Sr. also played football in high school where he was a terror playing on the offense and defensive line.  Two great stories came out of this era.  A running Early joke is the name Albert Charles, which is the nickname Archie Sr. got as high school freshman.  The high school football coach had Archie Sr, tryout with the sophomores even though he was a freshman.  The coach changed his name in drills to Albert Charles to make him fierce as he thought Archie was too soft. 

One time Archie Jr was in town for a funeral for his mother’s family member who raised her Auntie Essa, when he was around 16-17.  As the Early family car pulls up in East Chicago, Archie Sr. got out and a booming voice came across the street.  {Albert Charles}. Archie’s mom quickly told the boys see what your father’s nickname was. It was indeed Archie Sr’s nickname that stood for all ages. He also was made fun of growing up like his son would be later. Another Archie Sr. football story is when he made the varsity team as sophomore.  East Chicago high school was a powerhouse only losing 6 games in Archie Sr’s whole varsity high school career.  Archie Sr. won a state as sophomore tasting success early.  Archie Sr. would often tell his sons how powerful his high school football team was despite having no 7 or 8th junior high football feeder program. 

Lastly in relation to baseball was Archie Sr’s best sport as a youth, Archie could hit home runs batting left and right-handed.  Archie Sr had great hand and eye coordination and was just as good with his left side as he was good as his right.  He often told his kids growing up he had no dominate hand.  Archie Sr. would write with 1 hand and eat with the other.  Shoot with one hand and throw with the other.  He told his kids at an early age to be ambidextrous was a definite skill as an Early.  He often told his kids the only reason why he made the 7th and 8th basketball team was because he could shoot a left hand lay up during tryouts.  All those stories would come into play in book 2 and 3 with Archie Jr and even his kids in today’s world.

      Archie Sr. looked around and again saw what was happening around him with the great black players in East Chicago. The high schools were winning state championships, breaking records and the coaches were keeping their jobs longer and getting better jobs.  All the while, the great black players were losing out, not going to college, did not have good grades to go to college or were flunking out.  Archie Sr. vowed to not to let that happen to him.  Grandma Robin always preached education despite only having and 8th grade education.  Archie Sr. vowed he would be 1st Early in the family to go to college and he was.  With the Early’s being from the southern part of the nation, college and education was not a strong option so most of them went into the military after high school.  Often Archie Jr, his brothers and cousins would be at Early family functions and often see the 8 x 10 black and white pictures of past Early’s who were in the Army and Air Force on the walls.  Archie Early Sr. bucked the East Chicago trend and the Early trend of not going right into the military after high school.  Archie Sr. worked hard to get good enough grades to get an academic scholarship at Augustana College