THOSE WORDS ARE WRITTEN ACROSS THE MONITOR SCREEN. THEY WERE WRITTEN BY JIMMIE RODGERS. THE 1960s ROCK & ROLL RECORDING STAR EXPERIENCED NEAR DEATH, DECADES OF REHABILITATION,
THEN A MAJOR MIRACLE.
SHORTLY BEFORE CHRISTMAS, 1967, JIMMIE WAS GOING HOME AFTER ATTENDING A CHRISTMAS PARTY. HE WAS WORKING ON A NEW FILM. HIS MUSIC CONDUCTOR WAS FOLLOWING SOMEWHERE BEHIND HIM TO MAKE SURE HE GOT HOME OK. THEY WERE ON THE SAN DIEGO FREEWAY.
JIMMIE'S CAR RADIO WAS PLAYING ONE OF HIS HITS "HONEYCOMB." ANOTHER BIG HIT WAS "KISSES SWEETER THAN WINE." HE HAD RECORDED 25 HITS IN HIS CAREER. HE HAD SUNG WITH BUDDY HOLLY. HE KNEW ELVIS PRESLEY. THE 34 YEAR-OLD SINGER AND ACTOR WAS CONTENT WITH
HIS LIFE AND CAREER.
HE NOTICED CAR LIGHTS BLINKING ON AND OFF BEHIND HIM. HE THOUGHT
IT MUST BE HIS CONDUCTOR TRYING TO STOP HIM. IT WAS 2AM. BOTH VEHICLES STOPPED. JIMMIE ROLLED DOWN HIS WINDOW. THAT WAS
HIS LAST MEMORY FOR SEVERAL WEEKS.
WHEN THE MUSIC CONDUCTOR ARRIVED AT JIMMIE'S HOME, HE WAS ALARMED WHEN HE DIDN'T SEE JIMMIE'S CAR. HE LEFT IMMEDIATELY BACK-TRACKING JIMMIE'S ROUTE HOME. WHEN THE CONDUCTOR
ARRIVED AT THE SCENE, POLICE AND AN AMBULANCE WERE THERE.
JIMMIE HAD BEEN BEATEN SEVERELY AND WAS BARELY ALIVE.
HE FACE WAS NOT RECOGNIZABLE.
DOCTORS HAD TO COMPLETELY RECONSTRUCT JIMMIE'S SKULL. THEY
DID THREE BRAIN SURGERIES. HE FINALLY MADE IT PASSED THE POINT
OF "PROBABLY GOING TO DIE" TO "HE'LL ALWAYS BE AN INVALID."
FOR THE NEXT THIRTY YEARS, JIMMIE RODGERS LEARNED
EVERYTHING ALL OVER AGAIN, INCLUDING HOW TO TALK.
AND YES, HE WAS AN INVALID. HE WAS BED-RIDDEN.
AND THE MAN WHO DID THIS TO HIM? THE SUSPECT WAS AN OFF-DUTY COP WHOSE WIFE IDOLIZED JIMMIE RODGERS. THAT COP IS THE ONE WHO CALLED IN ASSAULT. WITNESSES SAW THE COP'S PERSONAL CAR AT THE SCENE. HE WAS GONE WHEN COPS ARRIVED. THE CASE NEVER MADE IT TO COURT.
NOT ENOUGH PROOF.
THIRTY YEARS LATER JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS, A PRAYER MEETING WAS HELD AT JIMMIE AND HIS WIFE'S HOME. IN FACT, THE PRAYER GROUP GATHERED IN JIMMIE'S BEDROOM. THEY LAID HANDS ON JIMMIE AND
PRAYED FOR A MIRACLE OF HEALING. QUIETLY, EVERYONE LEFT.
JIMMIE TOLD HIS WIFE THAT HE FELT STRANGE. "IT'S LIKE ALL THE AIR IS GOING OUT OF MY BODY." HE FELL ASLEEP.
THE NEXT MORNING, HE OPENED HIS EYES, SWUNG HIS LEGS OFF THE BED AND PUT HIS FEET ON THE FLOOR. HE ACTUALLY STOOD UP! GOD HAD GRANTED THE HEALING MIRACLE.
HE QUIT ALL MEDICATION THAT DAY.
"THE LORD WILL PROVIDE WHAT I NEED."
HE USED A WALKER FOR A FEW DAYS THEN GAVE IT AWAY. HE FINALLY WALKED OUT OF HIS HOUSE AND INTO THE SUNSHINE. HE STAYED OUTSIDE ALL DAY! HE SAT DOWN IN A LAWN CHAIR AND WAITED FOR HIS FIRST SUNSET IN 30 YEARS. HE BELTED OUT "BEYOND THE SUNSET",
SINGING LIKE HE'D NEVER SUNG BEFORE.
JIMMY RODGERS COMPLETED A 23 MILE MARATHON RUN IN 1998. "I DIDN'T CARE ABOUT WINNING THE RUN. I ALREADY HAD WON A RACE WITH LIFE, BY THE GRACE OF GOD.
I JUST WANTED TO FINISH THE RUN. AND I DID."
"WHAT GOD DOESN'T PROTECT YOU FROM, HE PROVIDES YOU THROUGH."
JIMMIE RODGERS,
64 YEAR-OLD
(IN THIS PHOTO)
"A LIVING MIRACLE"
VIRGIL AND BLANCHE BROCK WROTE THE LYRICS AND MUSIC FOR "BEYOND HE SUNSET"
