Jim met Shirley Banks at their home church, Grand Avenue Church of God Tabernacle, and started dating when he was 15 and she was 14. It was just casual dating at first, but it wasn’t long before Jim got serous and proposed to her. She said yes, so they started planning their wedding and set a date. He started getting cold feet about getting married and making a lifelong commitment, so he backed out and called it off. About a year went by before he could get his head on straight, then he called her to clear the air and get back together. This time, they vowed to make it work no matter what, so they got married on May 5, 1978.

There’s no better blessing than to sing with your family!

The Profitt family of three just expanded to a family of four. Shirley could always sing, but when she and Jim got married, it was only natural she would join the ranks of The Profitts. Their vocal harmonies and arrangements became more intricate, now that they had four voices. Their popularity grew even more, so did their territory. They started traveling out of state on a regular basis, so they purchased a 4104 Eagle bus. Jim had to learn to be a diesel bus mechanic really quick, but he says if he had to do it all over again, he wouldn’t change a thing.

Jim experimented with the latest technology at the time, using multiple keyboards and MIDI controllers for a fuller sound as he played live with dad and other members of the band. As you can see in the photo above, he had quite an impressive setup.