Bus Boys Podcast

Steve tells a bit about how their factory in Canada operates, mentions some recent updates on the new Prevost bus front end, and discusses some exciting new technology to come. Prevost sells about 180 bus shells per year and over 600 passenger buses for Greyhound.

Jimmy discusses his history with the Statler Brothers, writing hit country songs and the people he’s met along with way including Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Stewart, Frank Sinatra, and Gene Autry.  Jimmy is very humble and genuine and we hope you enjoy this episode.

John got his start in the bus business in 1975 at Continental Trailways.  Years later he was in the leasing business and in 1998 he started Busforsale.com focusing on bus sales.  John’s witnessed an industry mature, lots of consolidation and enjoys selling buses way more than leasing buses.

Episode 29 - Eric finishes his talk with bus builder Nick Audino, owner of Superior Coach Interiors. Nick was burned out from driving when he started Superior Coach Interiors. He had a big dream of building a large organization and creating jobs.  He didn’t want to build just a few buses a year, he set his dreams on building multiple buses at a time. HIs business employs over 50 people and he’s getting ready for an expansion.  He thrives on making things better for drivers and entertainers.

Eric continues his talk with Nick Audino from Superior Coach Interiors based in Lebanon Tennessee.  Eric discusses Nick's quirky fashion choices that Tommy Lee and others have borrowed this “2 minute fashion trend” and they discuss what truly makes a driver legendary.

Nick talks about his origins as a guitar tech that would fix buses as they were breaking. Because of his skill with fixing buses, the manager offered him a job driving buses.  Nick drove groups from Mötley Crüe to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and a lot of rap and R&B groups in the 80’s.  Nick mentions that a lot of the equipment in the 1980’s wasn’t super reliable and he had a great reputation as a guy who could fix buses.  That lead to a driving job for industry legend Milo Liggett. Eventually Rabbit Arkon got Nick to move to Nashville and take a job with Nitetrain and eventually Nick opened his own shop - Superior Coach Interiors, building custom buses.  

Eric and the folks from Christmas 4 Kids talk about this special annual event. Started in 1982 by artist Conway Twitty and driver Billy Parks, Christmas 4 Kids is a non-profit dedicated to providing a Christmas shopping experience for 400 children that otherwise wouldn’t have a Christmas.  This special episode highlights heartwarming stories about this event, and we hear from the president and part of the team Linda O’Connell, Randy Oxley, Elisha Payne and Corey Duke. For fundraising, there is a bus show at the Hendersonville Walmart parking lot on December 16th.  It starts at 5:00 PM and you can meet artists and walk through 80 different entertainer tour buses.  There is a fundraiser concert at the Ryman auditorium on November 25th. Phil Vassar and a host of other wonderful artists perform.

Curly tells some stories about the early days with the Oak Ridge Boys, and mentions that many of the older drivers thought about driving as their passion, not a job.  In his 50 years in the bus business, Curly has some thoughts on what to do when you get to a gig.  He suggests always pulling into a venue with a full tank of gas, empty restroom and being able to leave the gig easily.  Curly said he thinks he’s driven over 5 million miles.

Curly talks about Jimmy Buffett’s bus, murals on buses and more of his insights in the bus business. He mentions an early meeting with Prevost and how they really listened and made changes to service the touring industry.

Eric speaks with Curley Jones - a pioneer in the bus business.  Curley’s been involved for over 50 years as an owner and a driver.    Curley shares some stories about Johnny Cash, the Oak Ridge Boys, Olivia Newton John and others and mentions some of his favorite tours with Garth and Merle. Curley drove Merle Haggard during Merle’s last tour. 

This episode is full of great stories from bus industry veterans. They mention artists like Joe Cocker,  Dolly Parton, &  Johnny Cash and talk about the early days of the business, how they all met, and talk about how the bus industry is competitive but also cooperative.  They talk about the early days of Army cots and no air conditioning, chopping buses and extending them - these guys have seen it all. Thanks to Jay Boy Adams, Tim Dillman, Mike Slarve, Chip Huffman, Don “Rabbit” Arkon and Milo Liggett for being on the show!

Eric’s company, All Access Coach Leasing is building a bus for George right now.  They talk about the touring industry and how it’s changed.  They discuss how many buses George runs and how George’s runs his shows. They also discuss talk Lee Roy’s part in the movie Pure Country, and the importance of having a great co-driver. 

Lee Roy Eichler has driven for George Strait since 1982.  He and Eric talk about the early days when he first started working for George, and they were originally playing small honky-tonks. He’s playing stadiums now and it’s been quite a journey. From running lights to the family aspect of road life, Eric and Lee Roy cover lots of ground, including a short stint with Kenny Chesney when George was on a break.

In this episode Eric Blankenship talks with legendary driver Lee Roy Eichler, who is George Strait's driver. Lee Roy has been driving since 1964. A club owner introduced him to George Strait and he’s been driving George since 1982. George’s first bus was a 1971 Eagle. He and Eric talk about his journey with George and all of the different buses George had on his way up.

Troy pulls double duty for The Perrys.  He drives for them AND he sings with the group.  He got his start singing on the road with The Wilburns and driving for them. The first bus he drove was an Eagle and his first drive was through Atlanta traffic! Troy talks about the variety of live shows The Perrys has performed, including a coon dog rally! Troy has known Eric since he had a mullet and made sure to mention it in this episode.

Olan and Eric share some fun stories about drivers, including one of Olan’s drivers and a fake snake that really made him squirm. Eric and Olan agree that when the tour starts, the driver becomes the most critical part of his staff.

Eric continues his talk again with Olan Witt, the Owner of Coach Quarters Entertainment Transportation. Olan reveals funny stories from the road including a hilarious story about a clown hating artist!

Eric has a fun discussion with Olan about his evolution in the bus business.  Olan started as a musician riding a bus, then became a driver and eventually helped the company he was working for run the business before starting his own company in 2007. He also discusses his catering business and how one of his greatest memories was serving food to hurricane victims.

Eric continues his discussion with Bill Parks, legendary driver for Conway Twitty.  Bill talks about traveling the country for 40 years, how great Conway’s band was and how after driving for Conway, some of the standout artists he worked with like Dierks Bentley and Randy Houser.  He mentioned he still has the steering wheel from one of the buses he drove for Conway.

Eric continues his discussion with Bill Parks, who drove for Conway Twitty.  When Bill was driving for Conway in the beginning, there wasn’t any leasing.  Only a few artists had buses.  Only artists like Bill Anderson, Conway, Loretta, Charlie Daniels and a few more of them owned their buses.  Bill tells stories of how Conway was one of the initial investors in the Nashville Sounds.  He shared about his life after Conway as well, and how he did ‘radio tours’ with up and coming artists (like Dierks Bentley).

Eric Talks With Driving Legend Bill Parks.  Bill’s first Job in the Entertainment Industry Was Driving for Legendary - Conway Twitty.  First job in the entertainment business, was driving a tour bus for a Conway Twitty and did so for 22 years! Bill talks about how Conway didn’t drink or allow alcohol on his bus, paid well, treated others great and was a man of his word.  Conway’s first bus was a 1972 MCI MC7.  It cost $130,000 in 1972.    Bill reminisces about life on the road with Conway.  He mentions shows with George Strait, Reba, Merle, Dolly and Porter and Loretta and talks about how smart of business person Conway was.

Everything has improved over the years. The basics like a super quiet and smooth ride and a good night’s sleep on a quality mattress are standard now.  Today these homes on wheels have luxury bathrooms and entertainment systems, fully functional wifi for over a dozen users, custom tile and flooring, sliding doors and Air-Ride Suspensions…  Some of the more interesting All Access Coach Leasing builds have included a rock climbing wall, recording studios, custom cubby systems and built in dog kennels.  Push button doors, multiple bathrooms, custom lighting, and steam showers.  

Eric discusses different types of tours - fairs, sheds and stadiums arenas. How the heat of a fair produced everyone’s favorite ‘gig butt’.  He discusses how artists today are managing catering while on the road. It’s a wide variety from corn dogs to gourmet food every night. Eric shares some of his experiences selling t-shirts with Tim McGraw and gives a shout out to Billy Bob’s Texas in Ft. Worth.

Eric describes a typical tour and who’s actually riding on a tour bus and how it changes as an artist or band is growing in popularity.  He also describes how some artists build long term sustainable careers and may only need one or two buses when they want to tour.  Eric talks about the changing dynamics and relationships the artist has with the crew over time and discusses Eric Church, Billy Currington, and Josh Turner

Eric, Rabbit and Tim talk about building buses and the options that were available to them at the time, in the late 90's and early 2000's.  

Eric and Rabbit discuss the origin of the bus business with bus business legend Tim Dillman.

Eric and Rabbit discuss all of the companies that were early pioneers in the leasing business and how the branched from the early bus owners. Slow Ride Coach, Diamond Coach, Pyramid Coach, Music City Coach and discuss some of the artists including Lee Ann Womack. We also get a funny shout out to the The Flying Karamazov Brothers.

We hear from Don "Rabbit" Arkon.  Don is another pioneer in the bus business and started Nitetrain Coach years ago.   Rabbit explains how industry factors created the leasing business and how that became the norm in the industry.  Rabbit started with one bus called "The General" and went on to become one of the leaders in the business. Eric actually drove for Rabbit years ago and they share lots of similarities.     

Ever wonder what it takes to be a great driver in the entertainer tour bus business?  That’s exactly what Eric Blankenship discusses in this podcast.  It’s not about being the fastest driver.  It’s not about just ‘holding a steering wheel’.  Customer service is the key and Eric talks about what’s expected of driver today and tells some stories of a legend in the business.

Eric Blankenship currently is the co-owner of a successful tour bus company located in Gallatin Tennessee, north of Nashville.  In this episode, we learn how this small town singer from Bonham Texas  ‘made it big’ in the music business, but just not how he planned.  Eric sold boots, shirts and eventually drove a tour bus for Ricky Skaggs, one of his musical idols. That start in driving led to a friendship and ultimately opened doors for Eric to build his own company, All Access Coach Leasing.  We hope you enjoy this origin story.

In this episode, we learn the history of the buses that helped build the entertainer tour industry, the Eagle! Eric owns a vintage 1989 Marathon Eagle, Model 15.  There were only 7 or 8 built with that chassis / interior combination and at the time was the smoothest riding and coolest vehicle on the road if you were a touring artist.  Artists and drivers STILL talk about the smooth ride of an Eagle coach buses.    Eric talks about the evolution of these beauties, and how Prevost came into the industry, made updates and improvements and basically took Eagle’s share of the market.   Eric, his business partner Jim Borelli and their friend Tim Dillman own 4 out of the total 7 or 8 of these buses and they are truly unique.  Eric talks about how they acquired them and describes the interior and exterior of these masterpieces.

We tell stories about all aspects of the entertainer tour bus business.  From the driver’s seat, the people riding the bus, to the people building the bus. If you are any of those people, or if you just love stories about life on the road, you are going to enjoy this podcast.  This podcast is recorded in our mobile studio, a 1989 Marathon Eagle tour bus.      Don't forget to subscribe to the show!