Born Royall Evans, on January 26, 1942, in Greenville, SC, of James Thompson and Isabel Evans. He had a twin sister named Ellaray. Isabel Evans took the children soon afterwards to live in New York with her brother and a friend of the family. In 1946, Isabel moved to San Domingo, MD, but could not afford to keep the children. Royall and his sister were given in adoption to James and Martha Jenkins.