Ask American Profile

Annemarie Lucas, Kid Rock and Hank Williams Jr., Eric Horner

I very much admire Annemarie Lucas on the show Animal Precinct on Animal Planet. What can you tell me about her?
—Coty O., Iowa

For the last seven years, she has been a special investigator for Humane Law Enforcement at the AmericanSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Lucas, who began her career in animal welfare as an animal shelter volunteer, lives in New York City with her husband and their four rescued cats. She is one of the agents followed by cameras on Animal Precinct as they investigate crimes against the Big Apple’s animals. “The most common cases that we investigate involve neglect and intentional abuse,” she says. “But even though most of the complaints we receive have similar themes, every day is different, challenging and often times surprising. You never really know what you are going to come into when you arrive at a scene.” Lucas may answer one call about an undernourished Rottweiler and another about a dead horse in Brooklyn. “My most rewarding case has to be Cherokee,” she says of the dog found with broken legs and ribs. The owner was found guilty of abuse. And Cherokee? “He is now a spoiled rotten and very happy dog.”

I’ve seen Kid Rock and Hank Williams Jr. sing together several times. Can you tell me what their relationship is?
—Darlene L., Idaho

Would you believe that they are close friends? It’s true. Williams has said that he considers the Detroit-born rocker-rapper his “rebel son” and the two of them spend a good deal of time just hanging out, as well as singing together. The friendship began when Williams’ kids read an interview with Kid Rock. “My daughters are telling me, ‘This guy loves you.’ I said, ‘That rap guy?’ They said, ‘Yeah, he called you the most soulful white guy he’d ever seen.’” That’s when Williams decided he should contact him about doing a duet. Kid Rock, for his part, was a Williams fan back when he was still a youngster known as Bobby Ritchie. He and his dad both loved Williams, and went to see him in concert when Ritchie was 13. As a successful rap artist, he adapted his musical hero’s classic song, A Country Boy Can Survive, for his own audience—making it a tad raunchier in spots—and his fans loved it as much as he loved the original. Naturally, when Williams suggested meeting, Kid Rock agreed. Not only did he sing on Hank’s album, he also co-starred with Hank on a CMT concert and interview special called Crossroads, and appeared in his video, Naked Women and Beer. Their collaborations led to a whole new audience for Kid Rock, who notched up a hit on the country charts with his song Picture, a duet with Sheryl Crow.

Singer Eric Horner wrote a song, She Is A Hero (And A Woman, Too), that I think he sang for Iraq-held POW Jessica Lynch’s homecoming. I heard the song and it’s awesome. What can you tell me about him?
—Sarah C., North Carolina

The native of Paducah, Ky. (pop. 26,307), was invited to sing for the former POW’s official homecoming celebration and has performed in Lynch’s hometown. His song She Is A Hero (And A Woman, Too) is one of 12 original patriotic tunes on his new CD Freedom Rings. “I wrote the song to honor women who are heroes, those who served in the armed forces,” says Horner, 38. “The song also honors women who serve in the Red Cross, the space program, teachers, just women who seem to get overlooked in today’s world.” A gospel singer who lives in Nashville, Tenn., he tours the nation with his wife, Debby, performing songs with a positive message for churches, veterans’ groups and the military. One reason he is so dedicated to spreading a patriotic message is that Debby’s former husband, Richard Blankenship—the father of her son, Richard, 22—was killed in the 1983 Beirut bomb blast. “Even though I worked with Lee Greenwood for 15 years and did USO tours, I didn’t really understand the whole military thing until I met them,” he says. “It all came to a head for me on 9-11 as I watched the events on TV and how hard they hit my wife. It’s like a light went off in me: now I get it.’” He has recorded four albums, including two released earlier this year.

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