Genesis part one

Hello, my name is Jerry Lee Radford and I am 43 years old living here in The Netherlands, but it didn´t start out that way. I was born Gerald Eugene Blasingame (jeez...I hated that name no wonder I changed it) in Daytona Beach, Florida on June 7th 1966. I barely remember my real parents. We grew up poor living in the projects with many minorities. This probably explains where I get my soulful side from. I used to tell people I grew up a poor black child even though I am white as the driven snow...

My real parents are a blur to me because I was put into foster care at a young age (7 years old as I recall). My father was named Gerald, or Jerry, as well. Gerald Dean Blasingame (he must have hated that name as well and thought he would pass the curse on..ha ha) worked as a house painter and moonlighted as a country western singer. As I recall he wasn´t half bad and I remember even seeing him on television once. He resembeled Hank Williams Sr. He used to sing me to sleep at night when I was a kid. He always sang that song `Help me make it through the night` by Kris Kristofferson. I always liked that song. My mother was Joyce Bennett Blasingame and I remember she was inflicted with an illness, polio I believe, which caused speech problems, and she had difficulty with her legs when she walked. I really don´t remeber much about them because I was put into foster care when I was 7 years old. I remember my father turning into an alcoholic and becoming abusive with my mother. I remember as a little kid standing outside the projects in the pouring rain with my brothers and sisters and the police were arresting my father for beating my mother in a drunken rage. Needless to say, after that we were placed into foster care.

I have three brothers Robert (Bobby), Paul and Randy. The youngest Randy was born with cerebal palsy which also impaired his speech and motor skills. My two sisters were named Wanda and Barbara Ann.

When we were placed into foster care they split us up in pairs. So Bobby and Paul went to one family and Randy and Barbara Ann went to another. Wanda and I went to live with Clyde and Sandra. I don´t recall their last name but it was a short lived adventure. Sandra was a neurotic chain smoker and had one biological son I believe his name was Sam. He was a jerk and used to get us in trouble all the time. For example, at Easter one time he delibertly threw egg shells on the ground and blamed us. Sandra punished us good for that one, whipping us with a large belt. Once I walked into the garage and Clyde had my younger sister Wanda against the wall and was throwing a knife at her, barely missing. I grabbed her by the arm and we ran away.

It didn´t take long for the police to find us and we were shipped off to an aunt and uncle of ours. Uncle Jack was an exterminator and Aunt Barbara was his wife. I remember as a little kid wetting the bed and she would hang the sheets outside just so everyone could see. Needless to say, I didn´t stay there long. This time they took me away and left my sister Wanda there. I wasn´t happy with this at all but what can you do. I was put into an orphanage run by two guys from the Phillipines. They were pretty good to me and even taught me some of the language. I kind of liked it there, lots of kids to play with and everything. One day the social worker came along and told me she found a home for me at this family called the Radfords.