Gossipy church busy-body Sister Cantaloupe is the creation of Christian comedienne Trina Vond'ray Jeffrie. Jeffrie's troubled childhood - which included stays with her father and stepmother, aunts and uncles and her ailing mother - was brightened by comedy and her natural ability to make people laugh. When her mother became too sick to care for her, another of Jeffrie's aunts took her in and made her join the church. Jeffrie combined her newfound faith with her theatrical tendencies, performing in the church choir and performing skits for the congregation. One of these skits was loosely based on Carol Burnett's "Bag Lady;" a well meaning but meddlesome old woman. When Jeffrie was asked what the character's name was, her eye fell on a cantaloupe in a nearby fruit bowl, and Sister Cantaloupe was born. Jeffrie's creation was a hit in the Dallas church community, but when her mother died, she tried to kill herself. The experience was a turning point in her life and career, and Jeffrie became more secure in her faith and talent afterward, touring as Sister Cantaloupe and making apperances at the Rhema Conference and the Bobby Jones Show. She released her first album, Go! Cantaloupe! Go! in 1996, and followed it with 1999's Laffin Out Loud With The Lord.