<P> January 19, 1953, was the television birthday of "Little Ricky, Jr.," which is also the real birthday of Desi Arnaz, Jr . Three and a half years later the part of Little Ricky was cast and played by five year old Thibodeaux . </P> <P> According to Lucie Arnaz, who was interviewed on the TV show Archive of American Television, he became like part of the family . "Desi considered him his best friend and was responsible for teaching him the drums . He came over our house on many weekends and traveled with them during the summer . My mother kind of adopted him . He is in all of our home movies and photographs and was a great kid, and still is ." </P> <P> As a child, he made numerous appearances on The Andy Griffith Show, between 1962 and 1966, as Opie's friend "Johnny Paul Jason". He also accepted small roles on other popular television shows . </P> <P> In 1969, Thibodeaux joined the rock group David and the Giants who were based in Laurel, Mississippi . The group recorded in its early years with Capitol Records, Fame Records, and Crazy Horse Records, primarily touring throughout the South, and enjoyed a few regional hits which were recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, and were well known in the Northern Soul music scene in England . After turning 21 in 1971, Thibodeaux received a final payment of $8000.00 from a trust fund set up during his days on I Love Lucy . He spent half of that payment on a sports car and the rest on sound equipment for the band and clothes, drugs, and whatever he wanted . He went through the whole $8000 in about two weeks, according to his autobiography Life After Lucy . </P>

Who played johnny paul jason on andy griffith
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