PG Music Home Forums General Discussion Best of YouTube Video Link to Bee Bumble and the Stingers 1998 Reunion with Jim King on Guitar

I just uploaded a video of a 1998 reunion gig of a band I played in in the 1970's - "Bee Bumble and the Stingers." You might enjoy it. Here'e the link: Bee Bumble and the Stingers Reunion November 1998 with Jim King on Guitar

Bee Bumble was R.C. Gamble, Jr. from Spiro, Oklahoma. The band in this reunion gig consisted of Bee Bumble (keuboards, sax, and vocals), Bobby Don Selby (vocals), me on the far right - Jim King (guitar and vocals), Terry Anderson (guitar), Tom Dowdy (bass), and Donnie Tankersley (drums and vocals). It was my first full time band. I had played in bands on weekends in high school and college (The Effects, The Hustlers) while working at Sigler Music in Ft. Smith, Arkansas, but we were hitting the road with hopes of big time stardom.

R.C. had already had a taste of it when he traveled in the early 1960's after his international hit records "Bumble Boogie" and "Nutrocker" (50's rock'n'roll style recordings of "Flight of the Bumble Bee" and "Nutcracker Suite").

The original guitarist was Terry Anderson who still lives in Ft. Smith. He bought and operated Ben Jack's Guitar Center. He had a stroke recently but I think he's doing fairly well.

I know of only this one video recording of this band playing. On November 7, 1998 we had this reunion at the Four Seasons Hotel in Ft. Smith and I got some of it on video - and both Terry Anderson and I are on it! The video quality isn't great, but the sound is pretty good.

I left the group in 1971 and settled down in Tulsa. I worked in music stores (Shields Music, Roy and Candy's Music, Music Sound World) and played music on the side (Quality Inn Airport, The Harvard Club, The Fountains, Angelo's Italian Restaurant, Orange Blossom Cafe, and Shadow Mountain Inn which changed its name to the Alpine Connection. In 1994 I married Connie Saffa, an incredible entertainer with the voice of an angel. We played full time for several months at Lenny's Club until I took a job as District Sales Manager for Fender Musical Instruments. Ben Jack and Terry Anderson were among the dealers I worked with.

After almost 18 years on the road as a sales rep, I left Fender in 2012 and worked in music stores (Firey Music and Guitar Center) until I had a stroke in November, 2016. Over the next few months, I recovered about 85% but then started having more trouble with my speech. I was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in May 2018.

Please consider helping me fight to live by making a donation. I have created a GoFundMe account. You can make safe and secure donations with your credit or debit card here: https://www.gofundme.com/jim-king039s.... If you prefer, you can also make donations via PayPal (also safe and secure). Just log in to your PayPal account and select "Send Money To Friend" and put in my email address: jamesdking@cox.net. Or you can mail your donations to me at 223 E. 117th Street S., Jenks, OK, 74037.

My symptoms are called "bulbar onset ALS" because it showed up first in my speech and swallowing. My symptoms have been about the same for a few months. I have a bit more neck and back pain when I'm up and around. My swallowing and eating are still difficult and slow; I have lost some control of muscles in my mouth and tongue, so some foods are very hard to eat and I cannot speak or sing. But I'm eating plenty and am not losing any more weight. My breathing is diminished; I am using a Trilogy non-invasive ventilator all night. It's sort of like a CPAP machine.

In June 2018, I had all the mercury fillings and metal crowns in my teeth removed. On June 27, I began IV infusions with phosphatidylcholine and glutathione, administered by Dr. Michael Taylor. On October 17 I received a stem cell treatment, and I will have another one in January 2019. And I still take several supplements and vitamins. And none of this is covered by insurance. I have exhausted my savings and am living on social security and help from friends and our fellowship of believers where I am the pastor.

I'm taking the Deanna Protocol, developed by a surgeon for his daughter that got ALS, and several other vitamins and supplements, including colloidal silver, things that have helped others. And we cleaned up my diet; I eat mostly organic, non-GMO food. I'm still walking (short distances), eating, driving, typing on the computer, playing guitar (although not as well), and writing Bible lessons for our fellowship which others present for me – in other words, I'm still doing everything but talking and singing. I get tired more easily and my neck and back hurt if I'm up very long, but I don't have any pain otherwise.

I humbly ask for your financial assistance. Thanks in advance and may God bless you!