Andrea McKnight (AM): We heard these voices,
the guys singing on the corner.
And this tall, dark fellow was singing.
He had these shades on.
I was like, 'Look at this guy.'
Voice was fabulous.
And young as I was-- at the time, I think I was, what, 14.
I said, "Nah."
He's not even going to take notice of me.
- James McKnight (JM): I was 18 going on 19 years of age.
I looked at a friend of mine, who I was singing with
and I says, "I'm gonna marry her."
You know what he told me?
"You're going to jail."
- JM and AM: [laugh] - JM: She's too young.
I said, "No, I'm really gonna marry her."
So, one day she was by herself.
I said, "I'm going to talk to her now."
As a young guy, you drop your voice.
- AM: He was trying to impress.
- JM: I said, "Hi, how you doing?"
- AM: [laughs] - JM: Like that.
- AM: [laughs] Which made me nervous.
- JM: It was to impress.
- AM: You remember the thing that impressed me about you?
We were on the bus coming from the movies
and it started thundering and poured down rain.
Getting off the bus there was a puddle
and you took your shirt off.
- JM: [laughs] Yeah - AM: And laid it down.
I was finished.
- JM: Yeah - AM: Finished, you hear?
- JM: We actually wanted to get married,
but everybody in her family wanted to kill me.
- AM: [laughs] - JM: So our parents got together and talked.
- AM: It was a talk and a half. - JM: I don't know... It was...
- AM: You had to come and speak to my grandmother.
- JM: I was scared, and she was terrified.
But we did get married. - AM: We did.
- JM: I was no bed of roses to live with
because I'm an entertainer.
There's a lot of temptation out there when you're singing.
- AM: Yeah - JM: I mean, there's a lot.
But I used to tell them, "When you get as pretty as my wife,
then we'll talk."
- AM: Why do you think that we lasted as long as we did?
- JM: We like the same things.
Cowboy movies-- we're crazy about them.
- AM: [laughs] - JM: That's the reason why things get along so well
because we have a lot in common. - AM: No, seriously!
- JM: I think it's be cause we grew up together.
- AM: Did you ever think that we would grow old together?
- JM: I never thought I would ever grow old.
- AM: Okay [laughs] - JM: That's to start off with.
People look at us at sometimes
and say, "Y'all still holding hands."
- AM: Oh. - JM: That's right.
- AM: Our children say that to us.
- JM: Yeah, but no other woman in the world ever moved me.
And I'll always love you no matter what.
*