November 27, 2023 • 47 mins
The man who has been driving for George Strait for more than 40 years, Lee Roy Eichler. Lee Roy is one of the great guys on the planet. How did he get the job, who did you bring to the Ace In The Hole Band, so many stories.......
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hey, it's Bob Pickett. Weare on our way to the legendary Broken
Spoke. Come on, let's getout the truck and head inside. And
damn you're proud of it. Comeon, it's going side, getting ready
(00:22):
for another Tale from the Broken Spoke. Welcome back, and we got some
stories for you today. It's Talesfrom the Broken Spoke. I'm Bob Pickets
sending to Willie Nelson Booth and myfriend mister Monnie Warden. Money. We
gotta we're gonna have fun. Todayis already fun. Yeah. Would you
like to introduce the guests and toeverybody who we have we have right here
on Tales from the Broken Spoke.Mister Leroy Eickler, a drummer, veteran
(00:46):
of the Broken Spoke and famed awardwinning George straight Buster. You get him
where he needs to be, that'sexactly right. How long where he is
today? There? It is?Okay, I don't war about that.
But also we need to say thatLeroy is an award winner. You just
picked up a big award this year. It'll be January the twelfth in Nashville.
(01:10):
And what was that award for beingthe longest driver for the same artist
of anybody in music history. Wow. Okay, and how many years is
that? Forty one? So far? Forty one? You've been George Straight's
bus driver for forty one years.Next year will be forty two money.
(01:30):
That's a lot of mileage right there, isn't it? Huh? God,
I don't even want to think aboutthat. So when George graduated from a
van to a bus, you witha bus driver and still are I actually
hit him up for a job drivinga bus before he even had a bus.
Wow. Yeah. He was agood friend of mine from well,
(01:53):
everybody knows him, Johnny Lyons andcoy Okay, he was playing George is
playing the Hall of Fame over inBrian one night, and he knew that
I was working the group at thattime called Silver Creek, And uh,
Johnny said, I got this guycoming in. I think he's going to
be pretty hot. And so hesaid, y'all are off that night,
(02:14):
why don't you come on over?So I did, and I wrote up
a little resume on a piece ofpaper about now, that was just before
or after you saw George? Youwrote up the resume four or four?
Right? Four? I went tothe club to see him maybe you put
on a napkin or him say waita minute, And I wrote that I
had played with the guy by theJimmy Heap and the Melody Masters out of
(02:35):
Taylor, Texas for five years,which we used to play here at the
Broken Spoke. Then I worked.Then I left that band and went to
work with the Moods of Country Musicfor thirteen years, and we had a
bus, and and Jimmy Heap hada bus also. Then I went to
work with a group called Silver Creek, and that we had a bus.
Well, I go over to seeGeorge at Hall of Fame in Brian,
(02:58):
Texas. He pulling a trailer witha van, and I had ridden the
bands and the buses. You knowthat I'd driven three different bands, three
different buses. I said, Ithink you're gonna be pretty good. I
said, if you ever buy abus, I'd like a shot at driving
it. So he said, Iactually had one ordered I said. He
said. I said, well thatwas the day of those four speed Silver
(03:20):
Eagle buses. And he said,I said, well, if this guy
can't shift, he's up here grindinggears, I'd like a shot at driving.
I'm trying to do the math inmy head, which I'm terrible at.
So this is about forty one fortytwo years ago. You did this
right, forty one years that wouldbe nine eight one, so unwound would
have direcked be a hit. Correct. Yeah? Right? Well, now
(03:42):
he hired this driver and he couldn'tshift gears. So George called me.
He said, you're still interested indriving that bus for me? I said
sure, but I said, well, I got to give at least two
weeks notice to this group called SilverCreek that I'm playing with. So I
it was one he called me,and I was actually playing with Johnny Lion
a pickup gig in Huntsville, Texaswith Johnny lyon. The phone rings over
(04:05):
there. The club owner comes,get Leroy, you have a phone call.
I said, okay. So Ididn't know if it was my mother
trying to get a hold of meor what. So I went and got
up the phone. He said,hey, this is George straight. I
said yes, sir. He said, you still want the job driving the
bus? I said sure, sohe said kick me and Norma. Norma
(04:27):
his wife wanted to go to Houstonto a k I k K radio deal.
You know, back when they doall that promotion. There was a
key I KK radio yeah, anduh, he said, we'll leave.
We want to leave Monday. Thiswas Sunday night. I said where do
you live? I said, yeah, I'll do it. I said where
do you live? He told meSan Marcus. I said, well,
(04:49):
duh, we're in St. Marcas. So he said it was Lacey Lacey
Lane. I think. I saidit's a bus there. He said yes.
I said, okay, I'll bethere. I said, I'll park
my El Camino in front of yourbus and you come knock on the window.
(05:10):
Okay, then wait a minute,Wait a minute. So you are
the bus driver, you've never driventhis bus, and you've got the most
important person in the back of thebus, and you're open. You had
to be sweating. Well. Butalso, I've got ken that lives on
a lazy lane and it is aone shot suburban. It's a beautiful,
beautiful street, but there is nospot to turn around. I don't know
(05:31):
how. I don't know where drivewayor yard you passed through to do that.
But it's your first time to drivethat bus correct and you're trying to
make an impression. I driven thebus quite a year A few years.
But it is every bus the samejust about or no, they're all different.
Wow. So anyhow, I said, well, come wake me up.
(05:51):
I'll be in sleeping my old Camino. So he come knocking on the
window at eight o'clock, I'll crawlin the bus. Forty Virgin Norma went
to Houston and I come back andI've been with him ever since. Wow,
that's fantastic, man, that's aheck of an AUDITIONE Have I ever
heard one? He could have beendesperate, I don't know, paid off
(06:16):
well. But also you know,it's like what I know. You know,
I don't know George, but I'vebeen around him a few times because
he's. One thing everybody knows aboutGeorge trade is he is so gracious to
songwriters that have written hits for him. He knows that's where his songs come
from. So he's always treated myfamily like he's known us one hundred years.
(06:39):
But you know one thing that thatI know from the people around him,
and it's the exact same thing thatI've always heard from the people that
worked with Elvis is they said Elvisand they said George, it's they're not
real keen on new people and theylike their team, and their team's great.
And you look at all those peoplethat have been with straight picking with
(06:59):
him in the band. Wait,wait, there's more to this, because
you're not gonna leave. We've gota lot of people in that band,
right, That's exactly right. Andthat's my point is is just so just
once you get used to somebody beingaround, and Leroy drives a bus and
it works, and you you know, and also every artist I've ever known,
myself included, we're a little bitsuperstitious. And it starts, you
(07:23):
know, Lero starts driving for himand he gets more and more famous.
Why why would you monkey with thatmath? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah yeah. If it's notbroken, I'll fix it. Well.
And also, you know, it'suntil you go out on the road
with a bus, you don't it'snot just a bus driver. It's a
(07:44):
it's a peacekeeper, it's a it'sa navigator, it's a it's a guy
who's got his first job is drivingGeorge to Houston. And we know what
Houston traffic is like. Well,but it's all that, but it's also
you know, it is snowstorms,it's hurricanes, it's everything. And you
just got it. You have todrive that. You want a bus driver
that just is this even keel?Nothing spooks some tornado warning, that's all
(08:07):
right. We'd be just fine.Never had bad weather. We'll driving the
bus, my gosh, for years. Come on, tell me what's the
worst one. I would probably think. We were in Minnesota and we went
from Minnesota to Fargo. First time, this old boy driving as many years
I had ever been in with ablind I was blind. You couldn't stop
(08:30):
the bus because you'd get run over. So we just you couldn't see six
feet in front of you, soyou couldn't stop because sure enough somebody had
to run into the back of you. That was a tough one. Uh
yeah, it was. It wastough. And I never heard of the
thing called meltdown. What's meltdown?Well, anytime I hit the city,
(08:50):
we would always stop and my codriver, we'd always stop and fill up
the bus for fuel whenever we hittown. Sort of waiting to get out
of town to the show, youknow. So we pull up to a
Petro truck stop. Sit there,I went in fuel, the bus come
back out and the tires are justwarm enough to cause a meltdown. For
(09:13):
under your tires. So we sitthere, put it in gear, and
then you said, you just sitthere and just you just melt it down
so you can't move. So theguy came out and put some sand on
the tires, got us going,and then I went straight down to the
shop and had him put chains onthe bus. Yeah, it's uh,
but I have a theory now I'mnever going to chain up a bus.
(09:33):
If it's bad enough to chain up, you don't need to be moving.
Well, that's good, you don't. You don't. Well, look what
happened to Shanaia Twain's bus, Iknow, just a few weeks ago.
It's unbelievable. I mean, youdon't put that thing into Earl's ship and
get it out in two weeks.She rolled it on the side. Well,
I know one time we were goingthrough Lizardhead Pass there in Colorado and
(09:54):
we had to put chains on thebus. And it was you know the
thing about when you buy a chainfor your bus, they expect you to
pay for it in it right thenit's expensive and and uh then the guy
said, the guy sold me thechange. He said, you know it's
gonna ruin your tires, but it'sthe only way to get through lizard Head
passed, and it was, youknow, a couple of grand and chains.
(10:15):
So anyway, so we did.It was the only way to make
the gig, you know. Andso uh we got to the filling station.
They ride outside to tell you rideand I'm taking the chains off.
And the guy said, that oldboy at the bottom of the mountain,
tell you got to buy new tires. I said, yes, sir,
and he goes, I bet youhe's gonna sell them to He goes,
Son, you don't have to replacethose tires're just fine. I just
(10:37):
immediately felt like a jackass. Ohyeah, I guess I come down that
hill and he's gonna Thank God.When they started using cables instead of change,
yeh yeah, they didn't much ofanything up. How many buses had
you gone through driving George? Howmany? Oooh? I think it was
a nineteen seventy two Eagle when Istarted with George and we were all on
(10:58):
one bus, and then eighty fourI think it was. We got a
Model ten Eagle and then we gota I'm trying to remember this because I've
got to have this for their awardshow in Nashville. Okay, all right.
Uh. Then I think we boughta Marathon Praivo back when everything was
(11:18):
a forty footer. Then we gota Neil Plan, a double decker nil
Plan, which is they were madein Lamar, Colorado. I love that
bus because it handled so that gonegood. Double decker Yep, yep it
was. It was strange, butit was a cool bus. But he
didn't have a slide out, andthen the company wasn't gonna When you say
(11:39):
double decker, I'm thinking like anold greyhound bus, those old double decker
Greyhound buses that used to have.It's the driving compartment was like if you
were this bus was actually forty fivefoot from tail to the very front windshield,
but that was above the driver,like if you were sitting in in
a suburban. Okay, got youso, and you had doors on each
(12:01):
side just like a suburban for thedriver area. Well, I had a
coffee maker down there, I hadeverything I was. You had your own
little nook down there. That's kindof nice. It did a lot.
Anyhow. Then we then we boughta Pravo H three, then another Pravo
H three, then another Praivo Hthree, and uh, actually we just
ordered a brand new bus. Now, okay you say that, but I
(12:24):
just saw when this bus is brandnew and that was just about what three
years? Yeah, come on,and the way that George and you guys
tour. Now. You don't havea lot of miles in this bus,
do you? Sixty four thousand miles? That's it and it's time for a
new one. It must be timeto change the oil or something like that.
Yeah, yeah, what what's why? What's the big thing now with
(12:46):
buses? I mean, what's thebig difference between this new bus and the
bus you have now? Oh?You know he puts what whatever you want
you're in a bus nowadays you canget Yeah, I mean like the one
we have now has won two,three, four, five, six,
seven TV's in it, eight countingthe one in the bay down below.
(13:09):
But it's it's nothing like the olddays where he had all the bunks on
the bus at all, is it. No? This particular bus has the
state room in the back and threethree bunks you know, for me and
a co driver and an extra one. Always hear that when Willie came back
home that he would rather sleep outin the bus than sleep in his house,
just because it was the bus washome. Hag was the same way.
(13:33):
Really yeah. Well, and alsoit's like it's there, like George
does not get a hotel room.Vegas is the only place he ever gets
a hotel room. He had enormousstay on that bus, but why not.
Yeah, it's got everything in ita man or a woman would need.
And you've got your own. You'vegot like built in security. Yes
on the back are you saying that, leroy security? Yeah, well you're
(13:54):
you're the built in security. Butalso and when God forbid, should something
happen, you can just started upand drive. That's right. Oh,
you're not going to be hassled alsoif you stay on the bus. But
I'll say also about you know,the thing been my experience with country fans,
there is so little hassle. Really. They want to meet you,
they want to shake your hand,they want to tell you what your music
(14:18):
means to them, and they reallydon't want much more than that, you
know, have their picture made inan autograph and then they you know,
it's really a beautiful relationship that Iknow that it is unlike any other in
other genres. It's like a bigfamily. Let's get back to the to
the the Pure Country Days. Areyou in that movie? Yes, sir,
(14:39):
I was driving the first lead busand those we had two eagles on
that shut that deal. Shoot,I was in the front bus and you
guys film that mainly up and FortWorth, right, Yeah, because I
remember getting the call to come upthere and watch you guys. But back
then it was live radio and wecouldn't really get off the air and go
up there and see it. Wow, that's so cool change. Yeah,
(15:01):
yeah, yeah, that was acool experience. Yeah. My father in
law, Brandy's dad, he's pastnow, but he wrote the second song
in that movie. He wrote babyYour Baby. Really, yeah, my
father in law did. And whenBrooks, that the boy our son you
met when he was little, hewas tiny. His grandpa wrote a hit
for George, and his daddy wrotea hit for George, and he just
(15:24):
one day he asked my mother,He said, what did what did you
write for George? Straight? Hejust thought everybody wrote songs for George.
Wow. Yeah, wow, youwrote a pretty good one. You and
Bruce wrote a pretty good one.Yeah. But you know, baby your
Baby. I always always thought thatwas I'd had a great beat. Yeah,
saw it, and I still thinkthat that's a better soundtrack than Urban
(15:46):
Cowboy. Oh yeah, absolutely no. Well yeah, and that was the
first Tony Brown record, and thatone that kind of I mean, George
was already George, you know,but Pure Country took him to that stratus
fere. Oh yeah, you know, it took him to stadiums, and
not that he wouldn't have gotten there, but that's what put him there.
Leroy, And you said you playedhere at this spoke. What year was
(16:07):
that? I started in sixty four? Yeah, the year they opened.
Is this place changed any Not muchair conditioning, That's what every picker says.
In the day, buddy, thosethose walls opened up out there and
you did not have a c here. But back then, this was the
(16:27):
outskirts of Austris was actually in thecountry. Back then, that side of
town. I've passed by this,saying going to the drum shop before and
didn't even realize that I was alreadypassed it. Oh because now because hidden,
Yeah, it's hidden behind the bigbuildings all the time. Being a
picker, I mean I call allplayers picks. He's a drummer, well
(16:48):
he's he picked drums. It's like, you know, I got a musician.
I'm a drummer, That's what theysaid. Picker. When did you
uh you know, because like forus, you know, on up,
it was always like, you know, if the bass player on the PA,
you're gonna fire him or the orif the guitar player on the van
(17:08):
you were going. So when didyou get your bus license? And did
you do that for stability in bandsor did you do that to supplement your
income? Otherwise I did it forthe income. Yeah, And I'm still
playing music now though. Oh yeah, tell the band now that you're with
the I remember with a group calledthe B Side Boys. We put over
in Granger, Texas at the CottonCountry Club the second fourth Sunday every month,
(17:32):
where they get the name the BSide Boys. I think you know,
David call I think, yeah,David, I think is the one
that came up with that name.He can come up with some weird stuffs,
man. Yeah, yeah, okay, all right, well it isn't
you know, as a songwriter,particularly back in the days of forty fives,
if you wrote the B side,B side pays the same as the
A side. That's right. Ifyou buy a forty five, it's the
(17:56):
same. Nickel whether you wrote thehit or the B side. So thank
god Vinyl is coming back. ItFay's pretty good to be one of the
B side boys. You know,been there a couple of seconds. It's
a great group. Okay, Nowwe've had members of Ace and the whole
band here, Tommy's been here.But you actually helped. Well, you
(18:18):
were a member of the organization beforesome of the members of the Ace and
the whole band. You brought somepeople in, didn't you. I brought
Rick McCrae, the guitar player theycall him the legend is a legend,
he is, he's pretty good.He's How did you know Rick, Rick
and I were in that band,the Jim Heap and the Melody Masters that
played here. Yeah, then hewas. He and I were also in
(18:41):
the band called Silver Creek, anduh. I knew that George was going
to change the guitar players, andso he called me to the back of
the bus. He said, youknow any pickers. I said yeah.
He said, I'm gonna be hiringa different guitar player. I said,
I know the man. It's perfect, Rick, I said, Rick McCrae.
(19:02):
He said, where's he from?I told him? So we actually,
and I'm gonna probably get this wrong, but we were doing a radio
show in Connecticut or some way upsomewhere, way up north, and Rick
didn't know these guys. They didn'tknow Rick. George hired him on my
word, my recommendation, and onthe way to I think it's Connecticut,
(19:26):
Rix listened to cassettes of George's onthe way to the gig. In fact,
at the gig and I've got iton the what do you call the
ascetate copy? Yeah, on stageGeorge introduces and on guitar Gary McCrae.
Rick is so smooth, he's oneof the best. I told him,
(19:49):
I said, Man, if Icould just see you move your hand once,
it would make me feel so muchbad, just effortless. He's incredible.
And I'd say, anybody that's listeningtoday, Uh, if you go
to Rick McCrae's YouTube channel or Facebookpage, he just picks a lot and
explains how he picks it. AndI still don't understand what he's doing.
(20:11):
And I'm a musician. It's itis so informative, and it's he's so
inviting, and he's such a giftedguitar player, and he's also you know,
he can play anything, but it'salso it's the notes he doesn't play
that make him so great. Buthe can be he can do all he
can do, all that show boatstuff, but he plays what's supposed to
(20:33):
be playing. Amen. There isnot one superfluous note he's ever picked.
And he's just uh he is incredibleand and and an even better person of
course, but yeah, just ajust a phenomenal picker. And I encourage
people to go check out those twochannels online because who else did you bring
to the band? Uh? Let'ssee uh Gene Elders, the fiddle players.
(20:59):
That all. Okay, okay,now wait, do you ever need
somebody for a band member? Ithink you know who you're going to ask
right here. Okay, Actually thesteel player. Whenever I was playing with
Silver Creek, he and I wereroommates in Austin at the time, and
I knew that we were going tochange, or George was going to change
(21:19):
fiddle players. So this guy's nameis good good buddy man lives in Nashville
right now Tony Paletta's I said,Ben, you know they fiddle players?
He said yeah, So he toldme and I called Jean and uh,
And Geen came over. He hadbeen painting houses, you know, and
painters close. He brings this alittle cassette. I take it to George.
(21:44):
The rest is history. There boydang okay, and the other member
there was our dear dear, mydear dear friend, everybody's friend. Uh,
Mike Kennedy, the late Mike Kennedy, late Mike Kennedy, great drummer.
I was, Uh, I wasRicky. Skaggs called me and wanted
me to meet the bus because hisdriver needed off for his waiting for his
(22:07):
driver's son's waiting. So my wifetook me to San anton and I picked
got on the bus with Gags andsan Antone. We went to Houston,
played the show, somewhere in Oklahomaplayed the show, went to Santa Anna,
California, played the show, andKennedy was playing drums with Skags and
Skaggs had the most kick butt bandin the world. Right, Oh yeah,
tight band always had scary good anyhow, so I call, I told
(22:32):
Kennedy, I said, dude,I said, George, is I want
to try out new drummers? Isaid, George, your name of the
hat? He said, well,hell yeah. So George did it right.
There was about five guys I thinkthat tried out for the gig,
and whenever they did that old tune, their stands of Glass and they all
(22:52):
got to play the same song,which a very way to do it.
They didn't there stands of Glass,I said, and it is our next
cat man. Okay, what isit? Since you've been on the road
this long, you really haven't seenthe crowd change that much. It's the
same people that go to all theconcerts all the time. Age makes no
(23:14):
difference. Yeah, it's all ages. I made five year four or five
years old of one hundred and five, you know, been like that.
Yeah, boys, it saying aboutthe legivity when you've got and I'm not
poking fun, but you've got somebodyand that age group still out there performing
and he's selling out the younger cats. To me, that makes me feel
great because that is country music.That is pure comfort. You know fun
(23:36):
intended with the movie. Well,and George, you know, he's pulling
bigger numbers now than he ever has. He has big his biggest gates have
been in the last five months thananything he was doing in the early two
thousands. And I tell you whatit is. It's country music. And
also it's George Strait respects his audience. He loves those people, they love
him. And what is so maddeningto me just as a fan, not
(24:00):
as a songwriter. I'm not talkingabout getting cuts. I'm as a fan.
I'm a music fan. That's whyI started picking the guitar, because
music speaks to me. You know. Is how dismissive, Uh, the
industry has become to the fans.It's like, if George Strait can pull
eighty he and Chris Tableten can pullone hundred thousand people at the drop of
(24:22):
a hat part in the pun,maybe those people would like to buy those
records still and have new records tobuy. And uh, And I think
it is just so odd that somebodyplayed George Strait's breaking attendance records that were
set by George Straight before and andyet he's not considered a viable radio act
(24:45):
anymore. Well by whom these peoplewould love to hear a new George Straight
hit? I would who? Nowwhen you played that here? What are
some of the other bands that youhave actually seen out here on stage?
Leroy and the Spoke, Yeah,oh god, Country Ji groove you used
to play here, which Benny MacArthurwho plays sight some old photos of Benning
back there in the Tourist Trap museum, giant ees, the new notes and
(25:08):
God, you can look on thiswall a out here. Please come to
the spoke and look around. Thisis like a museum. Have you ever
had a chicken fried steak out here? Do I you ever had a chicken
fried steak out here? Is apope Catholic? Yes? And you know
what, I wish they would thekitchen was open right now. I would
love to have one. We'll behere a couple of days, but it'll
(25:30):
be fine. We have got auh, a pretty important benefit coming up
that we want everybody to attend.And I'm gonna let you tell the date
and uh so we can get acrowd out of talk about the auction and
everything. Uh, it'll be We'llbe at the Cotton Country Club and Grader
which school place great? Uh andit's December the third. Gonna be a
(25:56):
lot of music, gonna have alot of great auction items, one of
them being God, I've already gotstupid money for it. And thank God
for that a guitar that George andWillie Nelson sign Now that right there,
George Straight and Willie Nelson. You'renot going to find that now you're saying
stupid money. How much of thebid right now? For It's ten thousand
(26:18):
and five d right now. Yeah, and that's before it even goes on
auction. H that's priceless right thereright And there will be another one that
George and Chris Stapleton and Little BigTown signed on it, and a lot
of George memorabilia. And there's gonnabe some great music group, a very
hot Texas group called the Debonairs.They're playing this playing with us that night.
(26:42):
You talk about taking me back whenI first moved Offston, the Devanaires
Man Kick Yeah, oh god.And the band that I'm in, the
B Side Boys, Kenny Ortz whoplays here at the Spot Boys, Kenny's
here, I think Friday, I'mnot coming up pretty quick. I think,
yeah, great guy, he's agreat guy, big heart. And
(27:03):
uh Rick McCray is coming to playsome guitar, and uh Benny mack arthur
is coming. I said, bringyour fiddle, yeah, And I told
Rick because Rick g loves to playfiddle too. We're gonna have Twin Texas
fiddles out there. Oh heck yeah, I hate to I don't want to
leave out any names. There wasa hot, hot group around here called
(27:23):
Texas Pride and then they changed thename of a Chance years later. Mickey
Boris the drummer, he's going tobe there. I think a guy that
I used to play with with theMoods. I think David Roski will be
there. Wow, you haven't heardthat name in a while while. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.And David Latimer, who was with
(27:44):
Silver Creek. He's known David fora long time. Yeah, he's down
still living down there at Lockhart.Oh boy. So this again is set
for the fifth December the fifth,and uh, please tell us the re
and for the benefits. Okay,yes, my wife had she went to
see her mother in Arkansas and shehad to have a murder to see pacemaker
(28:07):
put in, and she had someprior health issues. So health insurance for
me is stupid, stupid money.So this is the kind of help pay
down on the hospital bill because it'sin fact, I think she's going to
go see your doctor. I hopeso, because he's amazing. Doctor z
(28:29):
Leroy Parnell's son in law, RobRoy called us. Yeah, okay,
that Ron got me hooked up withhim. This guy's amazing. Yeah,
she has an apartment with him Friday, well, South Austin, and you're
gonna feel much better. Guy.The guy's amazing. That's what Rob Roy
said. Yeah, yeah, theboy Rob is Rob Really, doctor Z
(28:49):
I think really saved my life.You know about the past history, Yeah,
of course, Rob. We wereshocked to hear you had a heart.
There's a lot of people, butRob Roy Parnell is the one that
kept telling me for you, no, you gotta go see this. He's
married to my niece and thank godI went. And let me tell you,
Shannon's gonna be in good hands.That's what Rob preached to us that
night. He called us last weekand he said, I'm gonna get this
(29:11):
set up for you good. Sohe did, and she's going Friday right
here to see your doctor. Itmakes I tell you what, he's amazing.
Yeah right, well not NDS Andalso, I mean, you know,
but that's what the whole deal isabout. You know. It's going
to be lots of music, lotsof great items for for the auction Silent
(29:32):
and live auction. One are thehours you told us today. Doors that
day are going to be open atI think three o'clock. Music's gonna start
at four, and who knows whenthey're to end ten or later. That's
great. But there's a lot ofmusic, a lot of great a lot
of great friends of mine and Shannon'sand the we're heck, heck, you
know we're all family out here.Yeah, we really are. We really
(29:56):
are. I mean, all theseguys said, oh yeah, I want
to be a part of this.I want to be a part of this,
and he calls it, I wantto be a part of this.
So that's what's It's just it's gonnabe great. It's gonna be fun.
So I hope that everybody listening tous will show up and it's going to
go to a great cause. Thethird and Granger text. My grandmother was
born in Granger, Texas. Really, my great grandfather is buried in Granger
(30:18):
textas well. Have you ever metanybody from dime Box Texas? I had
met a couple actually at a coupleof people. Okay, we're sitting right
here with a guy from dyn BoxTexas, Leroy. The pride of dime
Box text is there something named afteryou in Diying Box. No still,
I left there in fifty nine.But actually I go back and I have
played that SPJST Hall too, Yeah, several more times. The new owners
(30:45):
they came in and redid that wholeclub and it's a great hall. So
remember the SPGST Hall in Round Rock. Oh yes, of course that was
my introduction to country music when Ifirst moved to Austin. Back to the
Devon Dairs. Y yeah, wouldoverflow that well, I think, you
know, I think it's when theDevon Airs won the the Tally contest and
(31:07):
they got the record label with MGMRecords. Not MGM but Mary Tyler Moores,
Yeah MTMTM. Yeah, yeah,yeah, my goodness, that sounds
that sounds rather the very uh.But I will say the first time I
saw the shots and the Chicken dance, it scared the heck out of me
because we didn't have that in WestSexas man, I was looking for the
nearest exit. I thought that thedevil was going to spring up and grab
(31:30):
somebody I know telling what was goingon. We showed up for soundcheck at
that joint in Round Rock and I'mI don't know, I'm nineteen, you
know, and I got the wagonears just four piece band, you know,
no, no, just kind ofmore of a you know, the
rock and thing. And old ladycame out and she said, y'all sound
real good. And I said,thank you, ma'am. And she said,
(31:51):
uh, we're gonna need y'all todo the Cotton Eye Joe about ten.
And I said, well, uh, ma'am, we don't. We
don't do the Cottonae Joel. Wedon't have a fiddle player. She said,
well, we're gonna need you todo that at ten. I said,
well, man, we don't.We don't do that song. She
said, well you have till tento learn it. Let me tell you.
(32:17):
Did your wagoneers did the Cotnaighte Joeand let me and she was right.
They it was Saturday night. It'sthe place is back. It's crazy.
They were expecting the Cotton Eye Joeat ten o'clock. And by gum,
you know, our guitar player,Goda Love Brent Wilson. He said,
Ward, and I can pick thaton the guitar. We'll be all
right, you know, the theguitar, the guitar, yeah, yeah,
(32:42):
yeh leroy. When it comes toUh. I mean, you've probably
been more concerts than anybody. Didyou sit on the side of the stage.
Do you watch all the shows allthe time, especially with the younger
accident are opening? Uh? Uh. I'll go in very little to see
George, because god, I've beenhere forty one years. Yeah, but
a lot of times I walk inand like, I want to see Stapleton,
(33:04):
which I had never seen. Staplewas amazing, isn't it amazing?
It's like going to church and youknow, the last show was George,
Willie h Kerry Underwood and Little BigTown and I've got I've seen them all.
Yeah. I went out with KennyChesney for about five months one year
(33:24):
back when Georgia took a little break. How was that? I can't talk
about that one, Okay, okay, A little different atmosphere. No,
No, Kenny is great. Itwas a great camp. Great, took
great four months or so. Butyeah, you didn't take George's bus on
that with you, No, Kenny'spersonal bus. Yeah, my goodness.
(33:49):
This guy knows the stars. Well, he's driven for the stars. He's
getting an award. Now. Didyou you remember when the Kenny and Tim
McGraw thing up in Where was Buffalo? Oh? Yeah, were you there
for that? I witnessed Wait aminute, okay, is it okay to
get the real story? Can youtell us what happened so all we know
about it? Is it one ofthem took a deputy's horse, right,
(34:15):
Kenny? Okay, Well, I'mgonna let you tell the complete story.
This is cool. I mean,well, these deputies are out their horseback
and there and Kenny, you know, being Kenny, he walked out there
and for you know it, sheinvited, but you want to ride this
horse? So he crawls up onit. Well, I think it was
her. I could be wrong,but I think it was her dad.
This was one of the deputies.Also, Kenny rides off from the horse,
(34:37):
and boy, they chased him andit was he has no idea.
Huh no, No, there wasa post thing. And I'm standing in
the front of of Tim McGraw's bustalking to the driver, and we witnessed
every bit of this. Why didthe press blow it up and make it
a big deal because he denied thatthe sure deputy, I mean denied that
(35:01):
that that he was invited to rideit. He he just thought Kenny grabbed
the horse and took off, whichwas totally wrong. Oh yeah, McGraw.
Uh, he flew me first classfrom Austin to New York. I
think it was somewhere in New Yorkto be a witness to that trial.
(35:22):
Well I went to trial. Ididn't know it went to trial. Well
I got up there. McGraw rentedthis cool little hotel. It's a real
small, what do you call it, boutique hotel. And he never even
called me. So he fooled meback first class back home, but they
(35:42):
never even called me as a witness. I never knew that you were up
there when that happened. Oh yeah, You've seen a lot of histories back
to the little driving little Very fewpeople know that I put the George W.
Bush bus tour together. That Ihave no idea. Yeah, yeah,
I was. Uh, of course. We were releasing buses from Hemphill
(36:06):
Bus Company up in Nashville at thetime, and and I know how all
this campaign stuff works. Everybody alwayshas a bus, you know, for
several bus So I was up thereone day and they were talking about the
something they at least a bus tosome NBC or something like that, and
I said, well, let mesee what I do here. So I
actually took once again back in myEl Camino days. I drove to South
(36:30):
aust where George W. Bush's headquarterswere for the campaign, yeah, in
two thousand and So I went inthere like I knew what the hell I
was doing, and I didn't youconvinced him. I walked in. The
girls said, could help you.I said, yeah, I'm here to
talk to somebody about a bus thatmister Bush is gonna need for this tour.
(36:52):
Had worked with another George, youknow what's going to work for this
one. I got the first name, right, Yes, So she told
me to go down this hallway,third door of the left or whatever and
go and talk to that guy.So I did. I said, he
said, have a seat. Isaid, y'all need buses for a presidential
tour, you know. So Isaid, I'll make this happen. So
(37:12):
he said, I said, getme two days. Because he realized then
that they do need that, SoI said, give me two days.
So I called him pill. Isaid, how would y'all like to have
the Georgia of You bus tour?And asked, and then I wound up
driving. I'm going to ask ifyou were the driver. I drove his
bus. Yes, sir, hewas a cool She was so sweet.
Missus Bush was and every day hewould drink olduls, you know, and
(37:37):
of course you got to have aco driver. I'm following highway patrol and
everybody driving eighty seventy five eighty milesan hour. And we stopped one night
and I think it was in Columbiasomewhere, and I said, mister Bush,
I said this, I don't liketo drive this way. He said,
leroy, you're doing fine. Justdrive. Just follow that car in
(37:58):
front of you. You don't evenknow look in your mirror. You don't
need to look because that guy sittingin that jumps he's going to tell you
one right that made you to movelane. One move to the right or
two to the left. Whatever hetells you. You don't even need to
look at that mirra. He said, we got you covered, just like
two stepping man. You gotta haveto us with your partner. But he
(38:20):
never got out of the bus.Every night that we stayed at the hotel,
and she would grab my neck andgive me a hug LERO. You
did really great. Then one daywe were riding along and mister Bush said,
lero, let that co driver,Let that up guy drive come back
here. So I did. Ipulled over and he's the other guy started
driving. He said, so youdon't drive for anybody. Listen. Her
name is George, right, Butthat was a cool part of my life
(38:46):
that nobody and I had no ideauntil a few minutes ago. You remember
the name Jessica Lynch. I thinkYea Lynch was Yeah, the girl,
that first female. I think theygot blown up in the war. Yeah,
good buddy. My of ours actuallyhad bought one of Georgia's buses Livesten
(39:07):
Spencer, West Virginia, which shelives in some holler up there on Spencer,
West, Virginia. So this guythat bought our bus, which I
have remained friends with forever, hesaid, man, let me fly to
Charleston. Then we needed Jessica Lizneeds to go to Walter Reed. So
he said, if I fly youhere, can we put her in my
(39:29):
bus and you take her to WalterReed. I said sure, so I
did, and that was pretty cooltoo, to be able to do that.
Any O, the stories you canshare with us, this is neat
we're getting education. I mean I'vejust remained in fact this Friday night.
But Dickie's Arena. That guy thatI became friends with after buying George's bus,
(39:52):
and you know, he's one ofthe guys giving because George gives away
home every night at the show forthe vets for the bench. Yes,
sir, And so this guy thatdid this decades ago and that I've remained
friends with for decades, he's oneof the sponsors on the giveaway home.
They had to be a guy fromWest Virginia and that's what they're Yeah,
(40:15):
yeah, that's amazing. You don'tspend a lot of time on the road
anymore like he used to. DoYou miss it? Uh? Some time?
I do? Actually, yeah,yeah, yeah, I get you
don't like being home too long,do you. Well? I stay busy,
I mean, playing playing my musicand being on a bulldozer and yeah
I do that too. Yeah,I mean, I ain'd fred to work.
(40:37):
Never has been well. And y'allare I mean, I mean y'all's
in Georgia's organization. Uh, y'allstill picked quite quite a bit, you
know, I mean, not likein the old days, but a lot
of I don't know how you wentfor to all the time. There was
too much touring all the time foryou. I don't know how you were
doing. They in the early days, Yeah, my god, we were
well over two hundred dates a year. They don't know what. They couldn't
(41:00):
handle it nowadays, right, twohundred plus days out on the like this.
You don't even know where you arewhen you wake up in the morning.
No, you know. Well,but that's the whole I mean,
you know. And back when Ifirst started with them, I was the
only driver, and that we wereall on one bus. I was the
only driver, and I drive tilleverybody got a little. See, I
(41:22):
couldn't. I couldn't be crammed ona bus with that many people. I
don't get along with a lot ofpeople. You guys, I love a
lot of drinking. You can sleepanywhere. But I guess that was it
there, Maybe that was it.But I just but also it's so insular
and you and you you very quicklyyou get with a good bunch of cats,
(41:42):
you know, yea, and veryquickly you have your own language,
you have your own jokes, yougot your own buck. And I just
stay in my book just that thatpeople know. You tell you tell stories
that crack everybody up. But ifyou go to tell somebody outside your your
world, outside the corral, it'snot funny to them. They don't get
it. It's its own thing wherewhere it. Until you do it,
(42:07):
you haven't done it. And whatI what's so weird about tour and particularly
when you when you're touring, youknow, one hundred and fifty two hundred
dates a year. That's the thingabout about really doing it as a musician
is most of the people with thetalent to do it can't handle it.
(42:28):
So you got to have the talentand then you just got to have that
weird deal of waking up in adifferent town sounds normal to you. Ah,
man, I couldn't do you everget lost? Ever gotten lost before?
Oh? Yeah I have. Hejust doesn't tell them for they're lost.
No, I can't remember what now, I'm gonna get this wrong.
Birmingham. I think we were Birmingham, Alabama. And I can't remember the
(42:51):
two deck the states I had thesame name, but they're next to each
other, North and South Dakota.No, no, no, no,
it was uh that part of theworld. Because I asked a bar turn
to how to get up out ofthis town. And actually we stopped at
the mall after driving for hours.We stopped up there to eat, and
Terry Hale, our bass player,he kept got looking at the license plates
(43:12):
on there. He said, hefound me, he said, buddy,
or we're right city, Kansas City. I was actually stopped at the wrong
to eat at the in the wrongcity with the same name. So we
had to scramble every go through thislittle mall and get everybody together, get
them back and kick their butts backon the bus. And I drove like
(43:36):
a maniac and we it was backwhen he was doing like little county fair
stuff, yeah, you know.And we got there. We did the
show Lee Roight, what is itabout? Used to in the old days
when I was growing up, andprobably when Money was growing up. We
would see the name of the artistswritten on the bus. You don't see
that anymore, do you know.Oh, you can't do that unless you're
Claire Walker. You can't do that. Don't even do you know Klay Walker's
(44:00):
ex bus driver. No, butyou're you were You're asking to be rotten.
I used to always see living insweet Water, Nat Stuckey's bus go
down. I twenty all the time. And well Alvin Crow had it when
I was a kid, I remember, like eight nine years old. Is
that insurance? Is that just keepprivacy where people don't fall out? I
(44:20):
think it's privacy now. Yeah.I know Alabama in like eighty six or
something, they went off someone oldcountry road and they encountered, uh,
you know, an armed posse,armed guys really that they're that that trapped
them, got got them in alittle box canyon and robbed them. I
never heard that story. Well,no, that's wasn't a real famous story
(44:44):
because that gives a lot of badguys ideas. But everybody over at RCA
that's all they could talk about forYeah, but you just never see that
anymore. And that was the lasttime Alabama ever had their name on a
bus on the side of their bus. Yeah yeah, man, Yeah,
we got pretty good security now.And also it's like, why would you
(45:05):
think you could rob a country band? Stupid move there, very stupid.
Pretty okay. So the benefit Decemberthird, yes, sir, Granger,
yes, sir. And if CottonClub if they want to know more about
it, is there a website thatyou can go to? I mean,
hell, I'll have it on mywebsite, my Facebook page and everything.
But is there a certain website theyneed to check out Cotton Country Club dot
(45:29):
com. Yep, okay, sowe expect you to be there, behave
yourself to be a big deal rightnow, raise line money for Shannon,
and Shannon is going to the bestheart doctor in the world. I can
tell. And those auction items,let me ask you this, uh,
because I might want to bet onsome of those things. Is there going
(45:50):
to be a list of things auctionon the website this week? There will
be wonderful, wonderful. We're stillgathering things because God air bits. They're
expecting a big, big bunch offolks. Will there'll be refreshments and food.
Oh, it's a dance hall inTexas. What do you think?
Golly, I'll be there. Willthere be the chicken dance this shot.
(46:13):
We're gonna have a couple of fiddles. It'll be okay. MONI has blended
again, Leroy Eckler, right now, join us. Tales and Broken Spoke.
You promised to come back, andthis is the stories because when you
walk away from the mike, you'regonna think, wait a minute, there's
more stories that I should have toldyou spoke more than I should. I'm
(46:34):
not a good talker. To thebeginning of that, you told me when
we sit down, you said,I don't know what to say. I
don't like to talk. But Ithink you know we've had a couple of
ye here and you go, oh, you've played with Elvis for ten years.
Yep, you're not a yes orno person. You got the scoops
there. We appreciate you taking Thankyou very much. Thanks for inviting me,
appreciate it. Thanks for the friendshipafter all these years. Wait,
(46:57):
most one more question for you.For some reason, back here in Austin,
back behind Capital Plaza, was thata place to park Georgie's bus in
the early days, back in theeighties, because we used to always get
calls to the radio station. HeyGeorge Strait's back behind. I saw his
bus behind Capital Plaza. No,okay, I can tell you. No,
okay, nothing at all like that. Okay, we'll see there.
(47:22):
After all these years. Somebody liedto me when they called me show business,
that's what. But maybe they justwant me to talk about on the
air because I did. Anyway.Teals Broken Spoke continues next week. The
Broken Spoke Amen, thank you.Tales from the Broken Spoke is recorded live
at The Broken Spoke in Austin,Texas, hosted by Country Radio Hall of
Fame broadcaster Bob Pickett and Monty Warden, recorded mixed down he produced by Mike rivera
Hey, it's Bob Pickett. Weare on our way to the legendary Broken
Spoke. Come on, let's getout the truck and head inside. And
damn you're proud of it. Comeon, it's going side, getting ready
(00:22):
for another Tale from the Broken Spoke. Welcome back, and we got some
stories for you today. It's Talesfrom the Broken Spoke. I'm Bob Pickets
sending to Willie Nelson Booth and myfriend mister Monnie Warden. Money. We
gotta we're gonna have fun. Todayis already fun. Yeah. Would you
like to introduce the guests and toeverybody who we have we have right here
on Tales from the Broken Spoke.Mister Leroy Eickler, a drummer, veteran
(00:46):
of the Broken Spoke and famed awardwinning George straight Buster. You get him
where he needs to be, that'sexactly right. How long where he is
today? There? It is?Okay, I don't war about that.
But also we need to say thatLeroy is an award winner. You just
picked up a big award this year. It'll be January the twelfth in Nashville.
(01:10):
And what was that award for beingthe longest driver for the same artist
of anybody in music history. Wow. Okay, and how many years is
that? Forty one? So far? Forty one? You've been George Straight's
bus driver for forty one years.Next year will be forty two money.
(01:30):
That's a lot of mileage right there, isn't it? Huh? God,
I don't even want to think aboutthat. So when George graduated from a
van to a bus, you witha bus driver and still are I actually
hit him up for a job drivinga bus before he even had a bus.
Wow. Yeah. He was agood friend of mine from well,
(01:53):
everybody knows him, Johnny Lyons andcoy Okay, he was playing George is
playing the Hall of Fame over inBrian one night, and he knew that
I was working the group at thattime called Silver Creek, And uh,
Johnny said, I got this guycoming in. I think he's going to
be pretty hot. And so hesaid, y'all are off that night,
(02:14):
why don't you come on over?So I did, and I wrote up
a little resume on a piece ofpaper about now, that was just before
or after you saw George? Youwrote up the resume four or four?
Right? Four? I went tothe club to see him maybe you put
on a napkin or him say waita minute, And I wrote that I
had played with the guy by theJimmy Heap and the Melody Masters out of
(02:35):
Taylor, Texas for five years,which we used to play here at the
Broken Spoke. Then I worked.Then I left that band and went to
work with the Moods of Country Musicfor thirteen years, and we had a
bus, and and Jimmy Heap hada bus also. Then I went to
work with a group called Silver Creek, and that we had a bus.
Well, I go over to seeGeorge at Hall of Fame in Brian,
(02:58):
Texas. He pulling a trailer witha van, and I had ridden the
bands and the buses. You knowthat I'd driven three different bands, three
different buses. I said, Ithink you're gonna be pretty good. I
said, if you ever buy abus, I'd like a shot at driving
it. So he said, Iactually had one ordered I said. He
said. I said, well thatwas the day of those four speed Silver
(03:20):
Eagle buses. And he said,I said, well, if this guy
can't shift, he's up here grindinggears, I'd like a shot at driving.
I'm trying to do the math inmy head, which I'm terrible at.
So this is about forty one fortytwo years ago. You did this
right, forty one years that wouldbe nine eight one, so unwound would
have direcked be a hit. Correct. Yeah? Right? Well, now
(03:42):
he hired this driver and he couldn'tshift gears. So George called me.
He said, you're still interested indriving that bus for me? I said
sure, but I said, well, I got to give at least two
weeks notice to this group called SilverCreek that I'm playing with. So I
it was one he called me,and I was actually playing with Johnny Lion
a pickup gig in Huntsville, Texaswith Johnny lyon. The phone rings over
(04:05):
there. The club owner comes,get Leroy, you have a phone call.
I said, okay. So Ididn't know if it was my mother
trying to get a hold of meor what. So I went and got
up the phone. He said,hey, this is George straight. I
said yes, sir. He said, you still want the job driving the
bus? I said sure, sohe said kick me and Norma. Norma
(04:27):
his wife wanted to go to Houstonto a k I k K radio deal.
You know, back when they doall that promotion. There was a
key I KK radio yeah, anduh, he said, we'll leave.
We want to leave Monday. Thiswas Sunday night. I said where do
you live? I said, yeah, I'll do it. I said where
do you live? He told meSan Marcus. I said, well,
(04:49):
duh, we're in St. Marcas. So he said it was Lacey Lacey
Lane. I think. I saidit's a bus there. He said yes.
I said, okay, I'll bethere. I said, I'll park
my El Camino in front of yourbus and you come knock on the window.
(05:10):
Okay, then wait a minute,Wait a minute. So you are
the bus driver, you've never driventhis bus, and you've got the most
important person in the back of thebus, and you're open. You had
to be sweating. Well. Butalso, I've got ken that lives on
a lazy lane and it is aone shot suburban. It's a beautiful,
beautiful street, but there is nospot to turn around. I don't know
(05:31):
how. I don't know where drivewayor yard you passed through to do that.
But it's your first time to drivethat bus correct and you're trying to
make an impression. I driven thebus quite a year A few years.
But it is every bus the samejust about or no, they're all different.
Wow. So anyhow, I said, well, come wake me up.
(05:51):
I'll be in sleeping my old Camino. So he come knocking on the
window at eight o'clock, I'll crawlin the bus. Forty Virgin Norma went
to Houston and I come back andI've been with him ever since. Wow,
that's fantastic, man, that's aheck of an AUDITIONE Have I ever
heard one? He could have beendesperate, I don't know, paid off
(06:16):
well. But also you know,it's like what I know. You know,
I don't know George, but I'vebeen around him a few times because
he's. One thing everybody knows aboutGeorge trade is he is so gracious to
songwriters that have written hits for him. He knows that's where his songs come
from. So he's always treated myfamily like he's known us one hundred years.
(06:39):
But you know one thing that thatI know from the people around him,
and it's the exact same thing thatI've always heard from the people that
worked with Elvis is they said Elvisand they said George, it's they're not
real keen on new people and theylike their team, and their team's great.
And you look at all those peoplethat have been with straight picking with
(06:59):
him in the band. Wait,wait, there's more to this, because
you're not gonna leave. We've gota lot of people in that band,
right, That's exactly right. Andthat's my point is is just so just
once you get used to somebody beingaround, and Leroy drives a bus and
it works, and you you know, and also every artist I've ever known,
myself included, we're a little bitsuperstitious. And it starts, you
(07:23):
know, Lero starts driving for himand he gets more and more famous.
Why why would you monkey with thatmath? Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah,
yeah yeah yeah. If it's notbroken, I'll fix it. Well.
And also, you know, it'suntil you go out on the road
with a bus, you don't it'snot just a bus driver. It's a
(07:44):
it's a peacekeeper, it's a it'sa navigator, it's a it's a guy
who's got his first job is drivingGeorge to Houston. And we know what
Houston traffic is like. Well,but it's all that, but it's also
you know, it is snowstorms,it's hurricanes, it's everything. And you
just got it. You have todrive that. You want a bus driver
that just is this even keel?Nothing spooks some tornado warning, that's all
(08:07):
right. We'd be just fine.Never had bad weather. We'll driving the
bus, my gosh, for years. Come on, tell me what's the
worst one. I would probably think. We were in Minnesota and we went
from Minnesota to Fargo. First time, this old boy driving as many years
I had ever been in with ablind I was blind. You couldn't stop
(08:30):
the bus because you'd get run over. So we just you couldn't see six
feet in front of you, soyou couldn't stop because sure enough somebody had
to run into the back of you. That was a tough one. Uh
yeah, it was. It wastough. And I never heard of the
thing called meltdown. What's meltdown?Well, anytime I hit the city,
(08:50):
we would always stop and my codriver, we'd always stop and fill up
the bus for fuel whenever we hittown. Sort of waiting to get out
of town to the show, youknow. So we pull up to a
Petro truck stop. Sit there,I went in fuel, the bus come
back out and the tires are justwarm enough to cause a meltdown. For
(09:13):
under your tires. So we sitthere, put it in gear, and
then you said, you just sitthere and just you just melt it down
so you can't move. So theguy came out and put some sand on
the tires, got us going,and then I went straight down to the
shop and had him put chains onthe bus. Yeah, it's uh,
but I have a theory now I'mnever going to chain up a bus.
(09:33):
If it's bad enough to chain up, you don't need to be moving.
Well, that's good, you don't. You don't. Well, look what
happened to Shanaia Twain's bus, Iknow, just a few weeks ago.
It's unbelievable. I mean, youdon't put that thing into Earl's ship and
get it out in two weeks.She rolled it on the side. Well,
I know one time we were goingthrough Lizardhead Pass there in Colorado and
(09:54):
we had to put chains on thebus. And it was you know the
thing about when you buy a chainfor your bus, they expect you to
pay for it in it right thenit's expensive and and uh then the guy
said, the guy sold me thechange. He said, you know it's
gonna ruin your tires, but it'sthe only way to get through lizard Head
passed, and it was, youknow, a couple of grand and chains.
(10:15):
So anyway, so we did.It was the only way to make
the gig, you know. Andso uh we got to the filling station.
They ride outside to tell you rideand I'm taking the chains off.
And the guy said, that oldboy at the bottom of the mountain,
tell you got to buy new tires. I said, yes, sir,
and he goes, I bet youhe's gonna sell them to He goes,
Son, you don't have to replacethose tires're just fine. I just
(10:37):
immediately felt like a jackass. Ohyeah, I guess I come down that
hill and he's gonna Thank God.When they started using cables instead of change,
yeh yeah, they didn't much ofanything up. How many buses had
you gone through driving George? Howmany? Oooh? I think it was
a nineteen seventy two Eagle when Istarted with George and we were all on
(10:58):
one bus, and then eighty fourI think it was. We got a
Model ten Eagle and then we gota I'm trying to remember this because I've
got to have this for their awardshow in Nashville. Okay, all right.
Uh. Then I think we boughta Marathon Praivo back when everything was
(11:18):
a forty footer. Then we gota Neil Plan, a double decker nil
Plan, which is they were madein Lamar, Colorado. I love that
bus because it handled so that gonegood. Double decker Yep, yep it
was. It was strange, butit was a cool bus. But he
didn't have a slide out, andthen the company wasn't gonna When you say
(11:39):
double decker, I'm thinking like anold greyhound bus, those old double decker
Greyhound buses that used to have.It's the driving compartment was like if you
were this bus was actually forty fivefoot from tail to the very front windshield,
but that was above the driver,like if you were sitting in in
a suburban. Okay, got youso, and you had doors on each
(12:01):
side just like a suburban for thedriver area. Well, I had a
coffee maker down there, I hadeverything I was. You had your own
little nook down there. That's kindof nice. It did a lot.
Anyhow. Then we then we boughta Pravo H three, then another Pravo
H three, then another Praivo Hthree, and uh, actually we just
ordered a brand new bus. Now, okay you say that, but I
(12:24):
just saw when this bus is brandnew and that was just about what three
years? Yeah, come on,and the way that George and you guys
tour. Now. You don't havea lot of miles in this bus,
do you? Sixty four thousand miles? That's it and it's time for a
new one. It must be timeto change the oil or something like that.
Yeah, yeah, what what's why? What's the big thing now with
(12:46):
buses? I mean, what's thebig difference between this new bus and the
bus you have now? Oh?You know he puts what whatever you want
you're in a bus nowadays you canget Yeah, I mean like the one
we have now has won two,three, four, five, six,
seven TV's in it, eight countingthe one in the bay down below.
(13:09):
But it's it's nothing like the olddays where he had all the bunks on
the bus at all, is it. No? This particular bus has the
state room in the back and threethree bunks you know, for me and
a co driver and an extra one. Always hear that when Willie came back
home that he would rather sleep outin the bus than sleep in his house,
just because it was the bus washome. Hag was the same way.
(13:33):
Really yeah. Well, and alsoit's like it's there, like George
does not get a hotel room.Vegas is the only place he ever gets
a hotel room. He had enormousstay on that bus, but why not.
Yeah, it's got everything in ita man or a woman would need.
And you've got your own. You'vegot like built in security. Yes
on the back are you saying that, leroy security? Yeah, well you're
(13:54):
you're the built in security. Butalso and when God forbid, should something
happen, you can just started upand drive. That's right. Oh,
you're not going to be hassled alsoif you stay on the bus. But
I'll say also about you know,the thing been my experience with country fans,
there is so little hassle. Really. They want to meet you,
they want to shake your hand,they want to tell you what your music
(14:18):
means to them, and they reallydon't want much more than that, you
know, have their picture made inan autograph and then they you know,
it's really a beautiful relationship that Iknow that it is unlike any other in
other genres. It's like a bigfamily. Let's get back to the to
the the Pure Country Days. Areyou in that movie? Yes, sir,
(14:39):
I was driving the first lead busand those we had two eagles on
that shut that deal. Shoot,I was in the front bus and you
guys film that mainly up and FortWorth, right, Yeah, because I
remember getting the call to come upthere and watch you guys. But back
then it was live radio and wecouldn't really get off the air and go
up there and see it. Wow, that's so cool change. Yeah,
(15:01):
yeah, yeah, that was acool experience. Yeah. My father in
law, Brandy's dad, he's pastnow, but he wrote the second song
in that movie. He wrote babyYour Baby. Really, yeah, my
father in law did. And whenBrooks, that the boy our son you
met when he was little, hewas tiny. His grandpa wrote a hit
for George, and his daddy wrotea hit for George, and he just
(15:24):
one day he asked my mother,He said, what did what did you
write for George? Straight? Hejust thought everybody wrote songs for George.
Wow. Yeah, wow, youwrote a pretty good one. You and
Bruce wrote a pretty good one.Yeah. But you know, baby your
Baby. I always always thought thatwas I'd had a great beat. Yeah,
saw it, and I still thinkthat that's a better soundtrack than Urban
(15:46):
Cowboy. Oh yeah, absolutely no. Well yeah, and that was the
first Tony Brown record, and thatone that kind of I mean, George
was already George, you know,but Pure Country took him to that stratus
fere. Oh yeah, you know, it took him to stadiums, and
not that he wouldn't have gotten there, but that's what put him there.
Leroy, And you said you playedhere at this spoke. What year was
(16:07):
that? I started in sixty four? Yeah, the year they opened.
Is this place changed any Not muchair conditioning, That's what every picker says.
In the day, buddy, thosethose walls opened up out there and
you did not have a c here. But back then, this was the
(16:27):
outskirts of Austris was actually in thecountry. Back then, that side of
town. I've passed by this,saying going to the drum shop before and
didn't even realize that I was alreadypassed it. Oh because now because hidden,
Yeah, it's hidden behind the bigbuildings all the time. Being a
picker, I mean I call allplayers picks. He's a drummer, well
(16:48):
he's he picked drums. It's like, you know, I got a musician.
I'm a drummer, That's what theysaid. Picker. When did you
uh you know, because like forus, you know, on up,
it was always like, you know, if the bass player on the PA,
you're gonna fire him or the orif the guitar player on the van
(17:08):
you were going. So when didyou get your bus license? And did
you do that for stability in bandsor did you do that to supplement your
income? Otherwise I did it forthe income. Yeah, And I'm still
playing music now though. Oh yeah, tell the band now that you're with
the I remember with a group calledthe B Side Boys. We put over
in Granger, Texas at the CottonCountry Club the second fourth Sunday every month,
(17:32):
where they get the name the BSide Boys. I think you know,
David call I think, yeah,David, I think is the one
that came up with that name.He can come up with some weird stuffs,
man. Yeah, yeah, okay, all right, well it isn't
you know, as a songwriter,particularly back in the days of forty fives,
if you wrote the B side,B side pays the same as the
A side. That's right. Ifyou buy a forty five, it's the
(17:56):
same. Nickel whether you wrote thehit or the B side. So thank
god Vinyl is coming back. ItFay's pretty good to be one of the
B side boys. You know,been there a couple of seconds. It's
a great group. Okay, Nowwe've had members of Ace and the whole
band here, Tommy's been here.But you actually helped. Well, you
(18:18):
were a member of the organization beforesome of the members of the Ace and
the whole band. You brought somepeople in, didn't you. I brought
Rick McCrae, the guitar player theycall him the legend is a legend,
he is, he's pretty good.He's How did you know Rick, Rick
and I were in that band,the Jim Heap and the Melody Masters that
played here. Yeah, then hewas. He and I were also in
(18:41):
the band called Silver Creek, anduh. I knew that George was going
to change the guitar players, andso he called me to the back of
the bus. He said, youknow any pickers. I said yeah.
He said, I'm gonna be hiringa different guitar player. I said,
I know the man. It's perfect, Rick, I said, Rick McCrae.
(19:02):
He said, where's he from?I told him? So we actually,
and I'm gonna probably get this wrong, but we were doing a radio
show in Connecticut or some way upsomewhere, way up north, and Rick
didn't know these guys. They didn'tknow Rick. George hired him on my
word, my recommendation, and onthe way to I think it's Connecticut,
(19:26):
Rix listened to cassettes of George's onthe way to the gig. In fact,
at the gig and I've got iton the what do you call the
ascetate copy? Yeah, on stageGeorge introduces and on guitar Gary McCrae.
Rick is so smooth, he's oneof the best. I told him,
(19:49):
I said, Man, if Icould just see you move your hand once,
it would make me feel so muchbad, just effortless. He's incredible.
And I'd say, anybody that's listeningtoday, Uh, if you go
to Rick McCrae's YouTube channel or Facebookpage, he just picks a lot and
explains how he picks it. AndI still don't understand what he's doing.
(20:11):
And I'm a musician. It's itis so informative, and it's he's so
inviting, and he's such a giftedguitar player, and he's also you know,
he can play anything, but it'salso it's the notes he doesn't play
that make him so great. Buthe can be he can do all he
can do, all that show boatstuff, but he plays what's supposed to
(20:33):
be playing. Amen. There isnot one superfluous note he's ever picked.
And he's just uh he is incredibleand and and an even better person of
course, but yeah, just ajust a phenomenal picker. And I encourage
people to go check out those twochannels online because who else did you bring
to the band? Uh? Let'ssee uh Gene Elders, the fiddle players.
(20:59):
That all. Okay, okay,now wait, do you ever need
somebody for a band member? Ithink you know who you're going to ask
right here. Okay, Actually thesteel player. Whenever I was playing with
Silver Creek, he and I wereroommates in Austin at the time, and
I knew that we were going tochange, or George was going to change
(21:19):
fiddle players. So this guy's nameis good good buddy man lives in Nashville
right now Tony Paletta's I said,Ben, you know they fiddle players?
He said yeah, So he toldme and I called Jean and uh,
And Geen came over. He hadbeen painting houses, you know, and
painters close. He brings this alittle cassette. I take it to George.
(21:44):
The rest is history. There boydang okay, and the other member
there was our dear dear, mydear dear friend, everybody's friend. Uh,
Mike Kennedy, the late Mike Kennedy, late Mike Kennedy, great drummer.
I was, Uh, I wasRicky. Skaggs called me and wanted
me to meet the bus because hisdriver needed off for his waiting for his
(22:07):
driver's son's waiting. So my wifetook me to San anton and I picked
got on the bus with Gags andsan Antone. We went to Houston,
played the show, somewhere in Oklahomaplayed the show, went to Santa Anna,
California, played the show, andKennedy was playing drums with Skags and
Skaggs had the most kick butt bandin the world. Right, Oh yeah,
tight band always had scary good anyhow, so I call, I told
(22:32):
Kennedy, I said, dude,I said, George, is I want
to try out new drummers? Isaid, George, your name of the
hat? He said, well,hell yeah. So George did it right.
There was about five guys I thinkthat tried out for the gig,
and whenever they did that old tune, their stands of Glass and they all
(22:52):
got to play the same song,which a very way to do it.
They didn't there stands of Glass,I said, and it is our next
cat man. Okay, what isit? Since you've been on the road
this long, you really haven't seenthe crowd change that much. It's the
same people that go to all theconcerts all the time. Age makes no
(23:14):
difference. Yeah, it's all ages. I made five year four or five
years old of one hundred and five, you know, been like that.
Yeah, boys, it saying aboutthe legivity when you've got and I'm not
poking fun, but you've got somebodyand that age group still out there performing
and he's selling out the younger cats. To me, that makes me feel
great because that is country music.That is pure comfort. You know fun
(23:36):
intended with the movie. Well,and George, you know, he's pulling
bigger numbers now than he ever has. He has big his biggest gates have
been in the last five months thananything he was doing in the early two
thousands. And I tell you whatit is. It's country music. And
also it's George Strait respects his audience. He loves those people, they love
him. And what is so maddeningto me just as a fan, not
(24:00):
as a songwriter. I'm not talkingabout getting cuts. I'm as a fan.
I'm a music fan. That's whyI started picking the guitar, because
music speaks to me. You know. Is how dismissive, Uh, the
industry has become to the fans.It's like, if George Strait can pull
eighty he and Chris Tableten can pullone hundred thousand people at the drop of
(24:22):
a hat part in the pun,maybe those people would like to buy those
records still and have new records tobuy. And uh, And I think
it is just so odd that somebodyplayed George Strait's breaking attendance records that were
set by George Straight before and andyet he's not considered a viable radio act
(24:45):
anymore. Well by whom these peoplewould love to hear a new George Straight
hit? I would who? Nowwhen you played that here? What are
some of the other bands that youhave actually seen out here on stage?
Leroy and the Spoke, Yeah,oh god, Country Ji groove you used
to play here, which Benny MacArthurwho plays sight some old photos of Benning
back there in the Tourist Trap museum, giant ees, the new notes and
(25:08):
God, you can look on thiswall a out here. Please come to
the spoke and look around. Thisis like a museum. Have you ever
had a chicken fried steak out here? Do I you ever had a chicken
fried steak out here? Is apope Catholic? Yes? And you know
what, I wish they would thekitchen was open right now. I would
love to have one. We'll behere a couple of days, but it'll
(25:30):
be fine. We have got auh, a pretty important benefit coming up
that we want everybody to attend.And I'm gonna let you tell the date
and uh so we can get acrowd out of talk about the auction and
everything. Uh, it'll be We'llbe at the Cotton Country Club and Grader
which school place great? Uh andit's December the third. Gonna be a
(25:56):
lot of music, gonna have alot of great auction items, one of
them being God, I've already gotstupid money for it. And thank God
for that a guitar that George andWillie Nelson sign Now that right there,
George Straight and Willie Nelson. You'renot going to find that now you're saying
stupid money. How much of thebid right now? For It's ten thousand
(26:18):
and five d right now. Yeah, and that's before it even goes on
auction. H that's priceless right thereright And there will be another one that
George and Chris Stapleton and Little BigTown signed on it, and a lot
of George memorabilia. And there's gonnabe some great music group, a very
hot Texas group called the Debonairs.They're playing this playing with us that night.
(26:42):
You talk about taking me back whenI first moved Offston, the Devanaires
Man Kick Yeah, oh god.And the band that I'm in, the
B Side Boys, Kenny Ortz whoplays here at the Spot Boys, Kenny's
here, I think Friday, I'mnot coming up pretty quick. I think,
yeah, great guy, he's agreat guy, big heart. And
(27:03):
uh Rick McCray is coming to playsome guitar, and uh Benny mack arthur
is coming. I said, bringyour fiddle, yeah, And I told
Rick because Rick g loves to playfiddle too. We're gonna have Twin Texas
fiddles out there. Oh heck yeah, I hate to I don't want to
leave out any names. There wasa hot, hot group around here called
(27:23):
Texas Pride and then they changed thename of a Chance years later. Mickey
Boris the drummer, he's going tobe there. I think a guy that
I used to play with with theMoods. I think David Roski will be
there. Wow, you haven't heardthat name in a while while. Yeah,
yeah, yeah, yeah yeah.And David Latimer, who was with
(27:44):
Silver Creek. He's known David fora long time. Yeah, he's down
still living down there at Lockhart.Oh boy. So this again is set
for the fifth December the fifth,and uh, please tell us the re
and for the benefits. Okay,yes, my wife had she went to
see her mother in Arkansas and shehad to have a murder to see pacemaker
(28:07):
put in, and she had someprior health issues. So health insurance for
me is stupid, stupid money.So this is the kind of help pay
down on the hospital bill because it'sin fact, I think she's going to
go see your doctor. I hopeso, because he's amazing. Doctor z
(28:29):
Leroy Parnell's son in law, RobRoy called us. Yeah, okay,
that Ron got me hooked up withhim. This guy's amazing. Yeah,
she has an apartment with him Friday, well, South Austin, and you're
gonna feel much better. Guy.The guy's amazing. That's what Rob Roy
said. Yeah, yeah, theboy Rob is Rob Really, doctor Z
(28:49):
I think really saved my life.You know about the past history, Yeah,
of course, Rob. We wereshocked to hear you had a heart.
There's a lot of people, butRob Roy Parnell is the one that
kept telling me for you, no, you gotta go see this. He's
married to my niece and thank godI went. And let me tell you,
Shannon's gonna be in good hands.That's what Rob preached to us that
night. He called us last weekand he said, I'm gonna get this
(29:11):
set up for you good. Sohe did, and she's going Friday right
here to see your doctor. Itmakes I tell you what, he's amazing.
Yeah right, well not NDS Andalso, I mean, you know,
but that's what the whole deal isabout. You know. It's going
to be lots of music, lotsof great items for for the auction Silent
(29:32):
and live auction. One are thehours you told us today. Doors that
day are going to be open atI think three o'clock. Music's gonna start
at four, and who knows whenthey're to end ten or later. That's
great. But there's a lot ofmusic, a lot of great a lot
of great friends of mine and Shannon'sand the we're heck, heck, you
know we're all family out here.Yeah, we really are. We really
(29:56):
are. I mean, all theseguys said, oh yeah, I want
to be a part of this.I want to be a part of this,
and he calls it, I wantto be a part of this.
So that's what's It's just it's gonnabe great. It's gonna be fun.
So I hope that everybody listening tous will show up and it's going to
go to a great cause. Thethird and Granger text. My grandmother was
born in Granger, Texas. Really, my great grandfather is buried in Granger
(30:18):
textas well. Have you ever metanybody from dime Box Texas? I had
met a couple actually at a coupleof people. Okay, we're sitting right
here with a guy from dyn BoxTexas, Leroy. The pride of dime
Box text is there something named afteryou in Diying Box. No still,
I left there in fifty nine.But actually I go back and I have
played that SPJST Hall too, Yeah, several more times. The new owners
(30:45):
they came in and redid that wholeclub and it's a great hall. So
remember the SPGST Hall in Round Rock. Oh yes, of course that was
my introduction to country music when Ifirst moved to Austin. Back to the
Devon Dairs. Y yeah, wouldoverflow that well, I think, you
know, I think it's when theDevon Airs won the the Tally contest and
(31:07):
they got the record label with MGMRecords. Not MGM but Mary Tyler Moores,
Yeah MTMTM. Yeah, yeah,yeah, my goodness, that sounds
that sounds rather the very uh.But I will say the first time I
saw the shots and the Chicken dance, it scared the heck out of me
because we didn't have that in WestSexas man, I was looking for the
nearest exit. I thought that thedevil was going to spring up and grab
(31:30):
somebody I know telling what was goingon. We showed up for soundcheck at
that joint in Round Rock and I'mI don't know, I'm nineteen, you
know, and I got the wagonears just four piece band, you know,
no, no, just kind ofmore of a you know, the
rock and thing. And old ladycame out and she said, y'all sound
real good. And I said,thank you, ma'am. And she said,
(31:51):
uh, we're gonna need y'all todo the Cotton Eye Joe about ten.
And I said, well, uh, ma'am, we don't. We
don't do the Cottonae Joel. Wedon't have a fiddle player. She said,
well, we're gonna need you todo that at ten. I said,
well, man, we don't.We don't do that song. She
said, well you have till tento learn it. Let me tell you.
(32:17):
Did your wagoneers did the Cotnaighte Joeand let me and she was right.
They it was Saturday night. It'sthe place is back. It's crazy.
They were expecting the Cotton Eye Joeat ten o'clock. And by gum,
you know, our guitar player,Goda Love Brent Wilson. He said,
Ward, and I can pick thaton the guitar. We'll be all
right, you know, the theguitar, the guitar, yeah, yeah,
(32:42):
yeh leroy. When it comes toUh. I mean, you've probably
been more concerts than anybody. Didyou sit on the side of the stage.
Do you watch all the shows allthe time, especially with the younger
accident are opening? Uh? Uh. I'll go in very little to see
George, because god, I've beenhere forty one years. Yeah, but
a lot of times I walk inand like, I want to see Stapleton,
(33:04):
which I had never seen. Staplewas amazing, isn't it amazing?
It's like going to church and youknow, the last show was George,
Willie h Kerry Underwood and Little BigTown and I've got I've seen them all.
Yeah. I went out with KennyChesney for about five months one year
(33:24):
back when Georgia took a little break. How was that? I can't talk
about that one, Okay, okay, A little different atmosphere. No,
No, Kenny is great. Itwas a great camp. Great, took
great four months or so. Butyeah, you didn't take George's bus on
that with you, No, Kenny'spersonal bus. Yeah, my goodness.
(33:49):
This guy knows the stars. Well, he's driven for the stars. He's
getting an award. Now. Didyou you remember when the Kenny and Tim
McGraw thing up in Where was Buffalo? Oh? Yeah, were you there
for that? I witnessed Wait aminute, okay, is it okay to
get the real story? Can youtell us what happened so all we know
about it? Is it one ofthem took a deputy's horse, right,
(34:15):
Kenny? Okay, Well, I'mgonna let you tell the complete story.
This is cool. I mean,well, these deputies are out their horseback
and there and Kenny, you know, being Kenny, he walked out there
and for you know it, sheinvited, but you want to ride this
horse? So he crawls up onit. Well, I think it was
her. I could be wrong,but I think it was her dad.
This was one of the deputies.Also, Kenny rides off from the horse,
(34:37):
and boy, they chased him andit was he has no idea.
Huh no, No, there wasa post thing. And I'm standing in
the front of of Tim McGraw's bustalking to the driver, and we witnessed
every bit of this. Why didthe press blow it up and make it
a big deal because he denied thatthe sure deputy, I mean denied that
(35:01):
that that he was invited to rideit. He he just thought Kenny grabbed
the horse and took off, whichwas totally wrong. Oh yeah, McGraw.
Uh, he flew me first classfrom Austin to New York. I
think it was somewhere in New Yorkto be a witness to that trial.
(35:22):
Well I went to trial. Ididn't know it went to trial. Well
I got up there. McGraw rentedthis cool little hotel. It's a real
small, what do you call it, boutique hotel. And he never even
called me. So he fooled meback first class back home, but they
(35:42):
never even called me as a witness. I never knew that you were up
there when that happened. Oh yeah, You've seen a lot of histories back
to the little driving little Very fewpeople know that I put the George W.
Bush bus tour together. That Ihave no idea. Yeah, yeah,
I was. Uh, of course. We were releasing buses from Hemphill
(36:06):
Bus Company up in Nashville at thetime, and and I know how all
this campaign stuff works. Everybody alwayshas a bus, you know, for
several bus So I was up thereone day and they were talking about the
something they at least a bus tosome NBC or something like that, and
I said, well, let mesee what I do here. So I
actually took once again back in myEl Camino days. I drove to South
(36:30):
aust where George W. Bush's headquarterswere for the campaign, yeah, in
two thousand and So I went inthere like I knew what the hell I
was doing, and I didn't youconvinced him. I walked in. The
girls said, could help you.I said, yeah, I'm here to
talk to somebody about a bus thatmister Bush is gonna need for this tour.
(36:52):
Had worked with another George, youknow what's going to work for this
one. I got the first name, right, Yes, So she told
me to go down this hallway,third door of the left or whatever and
go and talk to that guy.So I did. I said, he
said, have a seat. Isaid, y'all need buses for a presidential
tour, you know. So Isaid, I'll make this happen. So
(37:12):
he said, I said, getme two days. Because he realized then
that they do need that, SoI said, give me two days.
So I called him pill. Isaid, how would y'all like to have
the Georgia of You bus tour?And asked, and then I wound up
driving. I'm going to ask ifyou were the driver. I drove his
bus. Yes, sir, hewas a cool She was so sweet.
Missus Bush was and every day hewould drink olduls, you know, and
(37:37):
of course you got to have aco driver. I'm following highway patrol and
everybody driving eighty seventy five eighty milesan hour. And we stopped one night
and I think it was in Columbiasomewhere, and I said, mister Bush,
I said this, I don't liketo drive this way. He said,
leroy, you're doing fine. Justdrive. Just follow that car in
(37:58):
front of you. You don't evenknow look in your mirror. You don't
need to look because that guy sittingin that jumps he's going to tell you
one right that made you to movelane. One move to the right or
two to the left. Whatever hetells you. You don't even need to
look at that mirra. He said, we got you covered, just like
two stepping man. You gotta haveto us with your partner. But he
(38:20):
never got out of the bus.Every night that we stayed at the hotel,
and she would grab my neck andgive me a hug LERO. You
did really great. Then one daywe were riding along and mister Bush said,
lero, let that co driver,Let that up guy drive come back
here. So I did. Ipulled over and he's the other guy started
driving. He said, so youdon't drive for anybody. Listen. Her
name is George, right, Butthat was a cool part of my life
(38:46):
that nobody and I had no ideauntil a few minutes ago. You remember
the name Jessica Lynch. I thinkYea Lynch was Yeah, the girl,
that first female. I think theygot blown up in the war. Yeah,
good buddy. My of ours actuallyhad bought one of Georgia's buses Livesten
(39:07):
Spencer, West Virginia, which shelives in some holler up there on Spencer,
West, Virginia. So this guythat bought our bus, which I
have remained friends with forever, hesaid, man, let me fly to
Charleston. Then we needed Jessica Lizneeds to go to Walter Reed. So
he said, if I fly youhere, can we put her in my
(39:29):
bus and you take her to WalterReed. I said sure, so I
did, and that was pretty cooltoo, to be able to do that.
Any O, the stories you canshare with us, this is neat
we're getting education. I mean I'vejust remained in fact this Friday night.
But Dickie's Arena. That guy thatI became friends with after buying George's bus,
(39:52):
and you know, he's one ofthe guys giving because George gives away
home every night at the show forthe vets for the bench. Yes,
sir, And so this guy thatdid this decades ago and that I've remained
friends with for decades, he's oneof the sponsors on the giveaway home.
They had to be a guy fromWest Virginia and that's what they're Yeah,
(40:15):
yeah, that's amazing. You don'tspend a lot of time on the road
anymore like he used to. DoYou miss it? Uh? Some time?
I do? Actually, yeah,yeah, yeah, I get you
don't like being home too long,do you. Well? I stay busy,
I mean, playing playing my musicand being on a bulldozer and yeah
I do that too. Yeah,I mean, I ain'd fred to work.
(40:37):
Never has been well. And y'allare I mean, I mean y'all's
in Georgia's organization. Uh, y'allstill picked quite quite a bit, you
know, I mean, not likein the old days, but a lot
of I don't know how you wentfor to all the time. There was
too much touring all the time foryou. I don't know how you were
doing. They in the early days, Yeah, my god, we were
well over two hundred dates a year. They don't know what. They couldn't
(41:00):
handle it nowadays, right, twohundred plus days out on the like this.
You don't even know where you arewhen you wake up in the morning.
No, you know. Well,but that's the whole I mean,
you know. And back when Ifirst started with them, I was the
only driver, and that we wereall on one bus. I was the
only driver, and I drive tilleverybody got a little. See, I
(41:22):
couldn't. I couldn't be crammed ona bus with that many people. I
don't get along with a lot ofpeople. You guys, I love a
lot of drinking. You can sleepanywhere. But I guess that was it
there, Maybe that was it.But I just but also it's so insular
and you and you you very quicklyyou get with a good bunch of cats,
(41:42):
you know, yea, and veryquickly you have your own language,
you have your own jokes, yougot your own buck. And I just
stay in my book just that thatpeople know. You tell you tell stories
that crack everybody up. But ifyou go to tell somebody outside your your
world, outside the corral, it'snot funny to them. They don't get
it. It's its own thing wherewhere it. Until you do it,
(42:07):
you haven't done it. And whatI what's so weird about tour and particularly
when you when you're touring, youknow, one hundred and fifty two hundred
dates a year. That's the thingabout about really doing it as a musician
is most of the people with thetalent to do it can't handle it.
(42:28):
So you got to have the talentand then you just got to have that
weird deal of waking up in adifferent town sounds normal to you. Ah,
man, I couldn't do you everget lost? Ever gotten lost before?
Oh? Yeah I have. Hejust doesn't tell them for they're lost.
No, I can't remember what now, I'm gonna get this wrong.
Birmingham. I think we were Birmingham, Alabama. And I can't remember the
(42:51):
two deck the states I had thesame name, but they're next to each
other, North and South Dakota.No, no, no, no,
it was uh that part of theworld. Because I asked a bar turn
to how to get up out ofthis town. And actually we stopped at
the mall after driving for hours.We stopped up there to eat, and
Terry Hale, our bass player,he kept got looking at the license plates
(43:12):
on there. He said, hefound me, he said, buddy,
or we're right city, Kansas City. I was actually stopped at the wrong
to eat at the in the wrongcity with the same name. So we
had to scramble every go through thislittle mall and get everybody together, get
them back and kick their butts backon the bus. And I drove like
(43:36):
a maniac and we it was backwhen he was doing like little county fair
stuff, yeah, you know.And we got there. We did the
show Lee Roight, what is itabout? Used to in the old days
when I was growing up, andprobably when Money was growing up. We
would see the name of the artistswritten on the bus. You don't see
that anymore, do you know.Oh, you can't do that unless you're
Claire Walker. You can't do that. Don't even do you know Klay Walker's
(44:00):
ex bus driver. No, butyou're you were You're asking to be rotten.
I used to always see living insweet Water, Nat Stuckey's bus go
down. I twenty all the time. And well Alvin Crow had it when
I was a kid, I remember, like eight nine years old. Is
that insurance? Is that just keepprivacy where people don't fall out? I
(44:20):
think it's privacy now. Yeah.I know Alabama in like eighty six or
something, they went off someone oldcountry road and they encountered, uh,
you know, an armed posse,armed guys really that they're that that trapped
them, got got them in alittle box canyon and robbed them. I
never heard that story. Well,no, that's wasn't a real famous story
(44:44):
because that gives a lot of badguys ideas. But everybody over at RCA
that's all they could talk about forYeah, but you just never see that
anymore. And that was the lasttime Alabama ever had their name on a
bus on the side of their bus. Yeah yeah, man, Yeah,
we got pretty good security now.And also it's like, why would you
(45:05):
think you could rob a country band? Stupid move there, very stupid.
Pretty okay. So the benefit Decemberthird, yes, sir, Granger,
yes, sir. And if CottonClub if they want to know more about
it, is there a website thatyou can go to? I mean,
hell, I'll have it on mywebsite, my Facebook page and everything.
But is there a certain website theyneed to check out Cotton Country Club dot
(45:29):
com. Yep, okay, sowe expect you to be there, behave
yourself to be a big deal rightnow, raise line money for Shannon,
and Shannon is going to the bestheart doctor in the world. I can
tell. And those auction items,let me ask you this, uh,
because I might want to bet onsome of those things. Is there going
(45:50):
to be a list of things auctionon the website this week? There will
be wonderful, wonderful. We're stillgathering things because God air bits. They're
expecting a big, big bunch offolks. Will there'll be refreshments and food.
Oh, it's a dance hall inTexas. What do you think?
Golly, I'll be there. Willthere be the chicken dance this shot.
(46:13):
We're gonna have a couple of fiddles. It'll be okay. MONI has blended
again, Leroy Eckler, right now, join us. Tales and Broken Spoke.
You promised to come back, andthis is the stories because when you
walk away from the mike, you'regonna think, wait a minute, there's
more stories that I should have toldyou spoke more than I should. I'm
(46:34):
not a good talker. To thebeginning of that, you told me when
we sit down, you said,I don't know what to say. I
don't like to talk. But Ithink you know we've had a couple of
ye here and you go, oh, you've played with Elvis for ten years.
Yep, you're not a yes orno person. You got the scoops
there. We appreciate you taking Thankyou very much. Thanks for inviting me,
appreciate it. Thanks for the friendshipafter all these years. Wait,
(46:57):
most one more question for you.For some reason, back here in Austin,
back behind Capital Plaza, was thata place to park Georgie's bus in
the early days, back in theeighties, because we used to always get
calls to the radio station. HeyGeorge Strait's back behind. I saw his
bus behind Capital Plaza. No,okay, I can tell you. No,
okay, nothing at all like that. Okay, we'll see there.
(47:22):
After all these years. Somebody liedto me when they called me show business,
that's what. But maybe they justwant me to talk about on the
air because I did. Anyway.Teals Broken Spoke continues next week. The
Broken Spoke Amen, thank you.Tales from the Broken Spoke is recorded live
at The Broken Spoke in Austin,Texas, hosted by Country Radio Hall of
Fame broadcaster Bob Pickett and Monty Warden, recorded mixed down he produced by Mike rivera
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