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.