"The Godfather"
Storyteller — Harrisburg, Arkansas
Kelly Thomas — known as "The Godfather" — is a storyteller from Harrisburg, Arkansas who helped Michael Quessenberry reconstruct his father's history at the Poinsett County Fair. When the details of Jim's earlier years were fuzzy, Kelly filled in the gaps from memory — the kind of living oral history that small-town Arkansas still carries.
Without Kelly Thomas, some of what Michael wrote in Quess: The Arkansas Trav'ler simply wouldn't exist.
Local Sauce Maker — Wynne, Arkansas
Local Character — Birdeye, Arkansas
42nd President of the United States
Blues Legend — Indianola, Mississippi
World Heavyweight Boxing Champion — St. Francis County, Arkansas
Country Music Legend — Helena, Arkansas
The Man in Black — Kingsland, Arkansas
U.S. Senator & 1988 Presidential Candidate
NFL Player — New Orleans Saints
Arkansas Political Figure
Owner — Pluck A Duck Lodge, Beedeville, AR
Co-Host — The All-Star BBQ Showdown
Lawyer & 1993 Inaugural Crew
Owner — Pancho's Restaurants & 1993 Inaugural Crew
CEO — Tabasco / McIlhenny Company
Son of B.B. King
B.B. King's Girlfriend — Namesake of the Guitar
Country Music Legend — Colt, Arkansas
French Chef & 1990 Memphis in May Collaborator
Jim's Assistant — Pit Operations
2× World Champion 
Irish Cup World Champion 1985 Irish Cup World Champion 1987 
BBQ Hall of Fame Semi-Finalist 2019 
Arkansas Trav'ler Cooking Team 
Memphis in May 1978–1994