Yes Junior was from Cumming and his family goes back many generations. He is buried up on the side of the hill. I have so many stores about him I could go on all day.
Junior had an uncle who owned a used car lot on Highway 9 as you came into town. There was a sign, ragged sign, on the side of the road that read Samples Car Sales. When I moved away the phone number BR-549 was still on that sign.
My wife worked at Lanier Tech and one day a boy wearing bib overalls came in looking for a job in the custodial department. He looked like a young Junior Samples and it turned out he was a nephew of Junior. They must have cloned him.
Junior was a great bass fisherman and spent most of his time on Lake Lanier. The story goes he was fishing from his boat and got close to the dock of an old lady, about 85 years, who lived on the lake. The lady yelled down and said "Junior get away from the dock you ain't got no business there". Junior must have been half tight and he yelled back "I'll come up there and knock you side of the head if you scare off these bass." Well the lady took that as an assault and hauled him into court. The judge heard her story and looked down at Junior and asked him if what he said was so/ With that famous grin on his face he told the judge, "No your honor I am a lover not a fighter, I just wanted to giver her a little sugar" That was a true story.
Junior Samples was genuine and that was not an act. He was real and not an actor.
