About The Author

Dale “Catman” Ballard has always followed the rhythm of his own path—sometimes steady and soulful, sometimes wild and unpredictable. Born in 1957 on a U.S. Air Force base in Châteauroux, France, Dale was introduced to movement and change from day one. His early years were spent navigating life in America’s Midwest, where he grew up with the steady hum of small-town values, the pulse of the working class, and the gritty voice of the blues calling to him in ways he didn’t yet understand.

Music was more than just a hobby—it was an identity. By his teenage years, Dale had taught himself to play harmonica, banjo, saxophone, guitar, and drums. His raw, heartfelt playing became a soundtrack to his life, a companion through chaos and calm alike. That love of music would eventually take him to stages across the country, performing in over 2,500 live shows as the frontman of Catman and the All-Niters, a blues band that earned regional acclaim and released two original CDs. Dale’s voice—both on stage and in life—has always been authentic, unpolished, and deeply human.

But Dale’s journey hasn’t been limited to music or the comfort of home. In his youth, he veered off course in a way few people ever do—answering a phone call that would propel him into a story far from Indiana’s quiet backroads. What unfolded next is the focus of My Caribbean Run, a gripping true-life account of choices made too quickly, oceans crossed too blindly, and the kind of experience that reshapes a person forever. The book doesn’t just chronicle an event—it captures a moment in time when innocence meets consequence, and when the search for meaning can take you miles from shore.

Today, Dale is retired, living in Indiana, known lovingly as “Catman” to his grandchildren. He spends his days reflecting, writing, and still picking up the harmonica now and then. His life is one of contrasts—musician and drifter, dreamer and survivor, son and father, bluesman and storyteller. Through it all, he’s carried a spirit that refuses to settle and a perspective shaped by roads few have traveled.

My Caribbean Run is his first book—a window into a chapter he lived, a memory that never faded, and a story he’s finally ready to tell.