Adventures in Babysitting

Growing up as I did, in a gospel music family, I was surrounded by a very colorful cast of characters. There were singers, musicians, writers, music executives, bus drivers, concert promoters and booking agents, but to me, they were all a part of my wonderful extended family. I remember sharing bowls of soup with Uncle Les (Beasley, founder of the Florida Boys Quartet) from the hot soup machine at WSIX where my family was taping The Gospel Singing Jubilee. Ms. Dottie (Rambo) was always so glamorous and her voice was like warm syrup. I would sit on her lap for hours listening to her stories while she made me baby dolls out of her hanky. But one of my most unforgettable experiences took place on a cold winter’s afternoon in Nashville, Tennessee.

My family had been called to Nashville for some meetings about their upcoming recording project with Canaan Records. Mom and I tagged along and spent the afternoons doing a little shopping and relaxing at the Travel Lodge Motel while dad was working. While we were in town, another business matter cropped up and my mom and dad needed to attend to it. Unfortunately, there was no one available to keep an eye on their rowdy 5 year old while they were out for an hour or two. Uncle Marvin, a family friend, kindly volunteered for the job. He offered to hang out with me at the motel while my parents were away and then we’d all get together for dinner later. Mom and dad rounded up a few things to keep me entertained and reminded me to be on my best behavior and off they went. Uncle Marvin stretched out on the bed to watch a little television while I occupied myself with some story books. Just about the time that Marvin dozed off, I got a little bored. I decided it would be much more exciting to jump on the bed, an activity that was forbidden at home, but hey, we were in a motel! Suddenly, Marvin’s nap was cut short when I bumped into the huge picture hanging over the bed and it came crashing down on top of him. Suddenly, Uncle Marvin was WIDE awake, and thankfully laughing his head off! When my parents returned, he told them all about my antics with the condition that I didn’t get in trouble. Oh, did I forget to mention that Uncle Marvin was Marvin Norcross, the Vice President of Word records and the President of Canaan Records? I guess it’s a good thing they’d already signed those recording contracts…