“Lying on his back, Jackie Wilson seemed hurt, but I saw him gesture to a guard to let a girl through the barrier. She fell upon him, wrapped her legs around his hips, and started rubbing her body against him. He was clearly enjoying it. From where I stood, I could have sworn they were actually making love as a throng of screaming, reaching women surrounded them. To say I couldn’t believe my eyes barely begins to describe my reaction, an unfamiliar mix of awe, amazement and envy. On the one hand, I couldn’t believe Jackie was getting away with this: He’s really having sex on the floor of the Uptown! I thought. Man, I’ve gotta find a way to do this! If I had to name a single event that convinced me to become a singer, this was it.”
“Between shows one night, I was standing outside the club we were playing, talking to a woman who was a dancer there. I was telling her how badly I wanted to sing and how I was thinking about quitting the Blue Notes to pursue that dream. Harold just happened to step outside about then and overhear me. Later he approached me and asked, ‘Do you think you’d like to sing instead of playing drums? Because if you would, that’s fine with me. I think you’d make a great singer.’ “Singer? Damn! I couldn’t believe my luck.”
“As we were approaching the curve after crossing Wissahickon Avenue, something happened. I braked to slow the car, but it didn’t respond. I instinctively gripped the wheel and hit the brake gain. Nothing. Then I heard a loud crash as we hit the metal guardrail. After that, I remember my head hitting the ceiling of the car, then a terrifying blur before the car came to a sudden, violent stop. . . . I was still sitting in the driver’s seat, and my head was bent down in an odd position. I didn’t know exactly what had happened, where I was, where the car was, or how it stopped. When I tried to move, nothing happened, and I was instantly overwhelmed by the wrenching fear that something was terribly wrong. When I tried to speak, my voice was so soft it was barely audible. No matter how hard I tried to speak louder, I simply couldn’t. The early-spring night was cool and strangely quiet. I could hear my heart pounding in my chest. This is all I can remember and all there is to say about the moment my life changed forever.”
“I survived the depressions, the medical crises, the disappointments and hurts, but I didn’t vanquish them. They’ll be back. Before, I described living in a disabled body as being trapped in a carnival’s haunted-house ride. I’ve been on it enough times now to have memorized the turns and dips, where the skeleton shakes and the werewolf howls. But the ride’s still going and I’m still on it. Even God can’t stop that. But I find faith in knowing that He didn’t choose this path for me, and He is here beside me all the way.”
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