Leaving the driving to Tom, John and Eddie in their rented used Greyhound bus. The brothers and their 8 band members are crossing the narrowist bridge known to man that spans the great Mississippi at dawn. A beautiful comfortable ride and then complete terror... a huge truck is coming from the other direction. 'Everybody up' says Tommy. All heads are out the window as each vehicle creeps at 5mph, mirrors pulled back and we finally make it through without a scratch and without a view of the Mississippi. John wakes up three hours later and says' how's it going.

After a successful first engagement in Cocoa Beach, Florida, Ruey with his wife Greta and their four children are heading home to Columbus, Ohio. Rising early and hoping to make great time, their daughter Debbie wakes from a slumber about 80 miles from Cocoa and says 'Daddy, where's Blackie.' Ruey was never too happy in the morning anyway.

The Mike Douglas Show producers always paid for our plane tickets when we were scheduled to appear on the show. On one such an apperance, we were airborne and headed for Philidelphia from Miami. Fog set in at our connecting airport. We were diverted and caught a much later plane that made us late for the begining of the Mike Douglas Show taping. Mike's show started taping at 12:00 o'clock and ran un-stopped until 1:30. We landed in Philly at 12:10 and were due to appear at 12:30. We deplaned on the tarmac into a waiting limo. There was a police escort that started to lead us into the city. The police escort went one way and the limo went the other. Holy#%@%!

We pulled in front of the street level entrance to the television studio. Three assistant producers met us, John throws one of the producers a cassette tape of our background music. We run up the stairs undressing with every step to the top of the stairs. Somebody falls, a curse word is heard and maybe one Hail Mary. No, there was no Hail Mary! Now the clothing bags are being unzipped. Mike Douglas is overheard saying, 'well ladies and gentlemen, they're back for their 7th appearance and I'm told they have just this minute arrived from Miami. Here they are 'The Fabulous Rhodes Brothers.'

Somewhere between the applause from the last act as heard from our dressing room speaker and Mike Douglas saying 'well ladies and gentelemen' John fell on the floor getting into his pants, Eddie had a terrible time putting on his right shoe, while I'm tightening my belt so as to look thinner. Ruey led us out onto a three foot high stage. We climb onto the stage, almost climb 'oh my God, my shin'. Another Hail Mary. No, there wasn't another Hail Mary&*%#. The curtain opened and there we were in front of about 7 million television viewers and a studio audience of about 350 people. There's no business like show business'.

No limo back to the airport, a slow moving cab at that. We are now looking forward in returing to Miami as we are now on our way to catch a 1:15pm flight. We almost made that flight! Would you believe another Hail Mary?

My brothers and I took turns standing at the door to greet the guests as they left the restaurant or lounge. We liked hearing the good comments and listened even more intently when we were critiqued. We met a lot of great people and you know who you are. But one night in New Jersey, we were booked into a super rock and roll lounge. We just weren't really playing a lot of rock and roll. The place was empty at 11PM. At 11:30 till 6AM in the morning it was jammed. We had light grey suits on. Well they were grey for the first 5 minutes until they turned sweat grey, or in our case blood, sweat and grey. We didin't belong there.'

We got our first and only pink slip the next day and were moved immediately to the other side of the building into this 5 star restaurant. Remember those Hail Mary's. Two days later, we auditioned and were hired to play at the Copa Cabanna in New York. Mom and Dad woke the neighborhood and partied till dawn.