Professional Writer, Painter and Musician, R. Paul Tharp was first introduced to family acquaintance, and world renowned author, Alex Haley when he was a small boy in rural East Tennessee; changing his world view on literature forever. Being too young to appreciate the gravity, and long-reaching scope of the acclaimed author's fame, he wasn't however too young to appreciate the reverence and respect Mr. Haley seemed to inherit, even in the dirty old South. This fueled Tharp's early, fervent interest in the written word, and sparked, what would become, a lifetime love affair with art and music.