Enfield, North Carolina is not a large spot on the map, but for a young Larry Perkins, it was his whole world. Born to a sharecropper father and a mother who dreamed of the finer life, Larry's childhood was tumultuous. In early child hood, his mother abandoned him and left for New York City to chase her dreams. Larry spent the first 9 years of his life bouncing from family member to family member before landing in his father and stepmother's home. His father soon enslaved him, forcing him to work day and night - on the farm. The rules and demands of sharecropping life left little time for play, and work quickly overshadowed school. Through hard work in the fields and his refusal to quit, Larry found a path out of the poverty. Armed with just a few dollars, Larry ran away at the age of 16. He purchased a one-way ticket to New York, with the goal of finding his mother. When he arrived in the big city, all he had was $1.72, his courage and his persistence. Through all the hardships, Larry was able to use his traits and his refusal to quite to bring him from farm to fame.