author
James Tandy Ellis
1868–1942
Best remembered for lively Kentucky stories, poems, and newspaper columns, this early-20th-century writer mixed humor, music, and local speech into work that entertained readers across the South.
1 Audiobook
Shawn of Skarrow
by James Tandy Ellis
About the author
Born in Ghent, Kentucky, in 1868, he became known as a poet, humorist, columnist, lecturer, and performer whose writing was closely tied to Kentucky life. Historical and archival sources describe him as the creator of the fictional character "Uncle Rambo," and note that his daily newspaper column, Tang of the South, ran for many years in Kentucky papers.
His career stretched beyond literature. He served as Kentucky's adjutant general from 1914 to 1919, and sources from the Kentucky Historical Society and Kentucky National Guard remember him as both a public figure and a popular entertainer who traveled widely telling stories and singing songs.
Library and archival records show that he published poetry and fiction, including works such as Sprigs o' Mint, Pebbles, and Shawn of Skarrow. He died in 1942, but he is still remembered in Kentucky for writing that captured the voice, humor, and everyday character of the Bluegrass region.