he was discharged from the Army because of his mental condition. Following his discharge, Parker worked at a number of jobs, including food concessions and gaming carnivals. From about 1931 until 1938, he worked as a "carny" with Royal American Shows. He began to build up a list of contacts that would prove valuable in later years. In 1935, Parker married 27-year-old Marie Francis Mott. They struggled to survive during the Great Depression, working short cons and traveling across the country in search of work. Parker later said that at times they had had to live on as little as $1 a week (US$ in dollars). Career Early talent management (1938–1954) Parker first became involved in the music industry as a music promoter in 1938, working with the popular singer Gene Austin. Despite having sold over 86 million records since 1924 and earning over $17 million, Austin's career was at a low point. Austin had spent much of his fortune on partying, cars, mansions, and women, and his popularity had been eclipsed by other singers, such as Bing Crosby. Parker, with the task of promoting Austin, found the career transition smooth, using much of his "carny" experience to sell tickets and attract the crowds. He was a successful promoter, but he wanted to move into management. Austin offered Parker the opportunity to move to Nashville, Tennessee, where music was becoming a big business, but for reasons unknown Parker turned him down. Instead, Parker decided to stay in Temple Terrace, Florida, with his family, perhaps to avoid having to submit paperwork that could expose his illegal status. Within a year, he had the opportunity to become a legal citizen of the United States – a new law allowed illegal aliens the chance to become citizens in return for their promise to fight for the country during World War II, if required. Parker served in the peacetime army as a precondition for taking advantage of that stipulation, but he never subsequently applied to become a citizen. Parker decided against registering, possibly to prevent his previous Army record from becoming public. Instead, he found employment as a field agent with a local animal shelter, the Hillsborough County Humane Society. The job not only offered him a secure wage, it also offered a rent-free apartment above the Humane Society in a remote part of West Tampa for him and his family. With the Society