Translating a World on the Edge

If you are not from the South you may wonder: “What are butter beans?” For many of us Southerners we don’t eat lima beans – we eat butter beans.

People in my house love Butterbeans, the fresh kind. But unless you’ve put them up, i.e. into the freezer, you won’t be having fresh Butterbeans for many months.

The terms Lima bean and butter bean are interchangeable. Actually there is a little difference in the varieties. Fordhooks are the big lima beans that are available in the markets in many forms – fresh, canned, frozen and dried. Butter beans are smaller varieties, usually of the Dixie or Henderson type. There also is a Dixie butter pea that has a similar taste, only shaped more like a pea. Depending on variety, these butter beans or peas can be white, green or speckled.

And now for Bob Cain. What does he have to do with Butterbeans? He must have loved to eat them because of the very popular song he sang about them. It was also a song my daddy loved to sing–in the shower of course!

Bob was a trumpet player and singer from Hartselle, Alabama who’s natural aptitude on trumpet was recognized by the high school band in his hometown, and at age nine he became a member of that group.

As a student at the University of Alabama, Bob’s musical proficiency earned him a position as leader of the Alabama Cavaliers and he was a well-known emcee, hosting appearances by such legendary figures as Coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and a prestigious ten year stint as host of the Miss Alabama Pageant.

Bob opened and operated the Cane Break Supper Club in Birmingham. The venue was a popular destination for top-notch talent, including: Pete Fountain, Al Hirt, Bob Hope and Boots Randolph. He, along with his band, The Cane Breakers, were regular artists at the club in addition to their work in Las Vegas and the South.

Bob and his wife Penny made a Christian commitment to rededicate their lives. Longtime friend Charlie Colvin encouraged Bob to share his newfound faith through music; the result was the album, “New Song”, on Bethany Records.

Jake Hess felt impressed to send “New Song” to Bill Gaither and Gaither in turn asked Bob to be part of the popular “Homecoming” video series. Bob appeared on many of the Gaither videos, traveled as one of the stars to the Gaither concerts and went on many of the Gaither cruises as a singer and musician.

All from “just a bowl of butterbeans.”

The moral is we never know what God had in mind for us. STAY OPEN and WILLING.