Charlie Whitlock is a boy from Oakville, Alabama. He's got not malice in his heart. He only wants to do one thing: Play music that makes people want to get up and dance.

But when one of his friends says that the girl he loves is going to marry a guy named Bobby and have his Baby, Charlie decides he has nothing holding him back in Oakville, and decides to see the world. He takes his uncle's acoustic guitar, Babe, and empties the paltry sum in his bank account, and hits the road. Along the way, he helps those less fortunate than him, and all the while, plays beautiful music on his guitar.

Quite by accident, he discovers that if he plays open-case, people toss money into the case as they walk by. He journeys through big city to big city, trying to find his place. Each time, he gets the urge to move on. He writes occasional letters to his parents, whom he left with no initial notice, but never hears back from them on account of his continual moving.

Charlie finds himself in big cities like Memphis, New York, and even London and Paris. He joins some bands, makes up jingles, and even accidentally writes a hit song or two. Charlie never sees malice in another person, and this, combined with his true talent of music, helps him succeed.

The book is definitely well written. The author definitely did his research, carefully formulated the plot, and gave the characters their own distinct language (Charlie's motto, it seems, is "What a deal!").

When I first started reading the book, I had met the author, who has a distinct baritone voice with a tinge of the South, and through the first few chapters of this book, that was the voice I heard in my head. However, soon afterward, the voice raised an octave or so, and moved a little more south. Suddenly, Charlie was telling me the story instead of McClung.

If you want a feel good book about the simple music, and a naive boy who's mastered it, then I highly recommend Music With Dancing. ( )