12/18/2025
Looking back on the days we toured in Willie Nelson’s state of art aluminum Grumman motorhome — “Me & Paul.” That 70’s coach was a beast: bulletproof hull, red and black velvet interior, all designed by Paul English aka “The Devil” himself. It had character — the kind you could feel when you shut the door and heard the road hum beneath you.
We used it as the production crew bus, and that motor coach saw it all. I still remember one late night heading into Tulsa when Jack had to pour gasoline straight into the carburetor just to coax her those last twenty miles. Somehow, we made it.
When the motor finally gave out, my good friend Chuck Bosone down in Seabrook, Texas, did a full rebuild. That saved our run — got us through a full month on the Pure Prairie League tour without missing a beat.
I brought that motorhome back to Willie on July 4th, 1976, at his picnic in Gonzales, Texas. That was a homecoming like no other — the massive crowds that tore down the fences like a scene out of Woodstock, the smell of smoke, hundreds of people skinny-dipping in the nearby pond and the sound of guitars along with Leon Russell, sitting in a lawn chair on top of another motorhome with a shotgun across his lap taking care of the backstage security.
That old Grumman carried more stories than any book could hold. Long nights, laughter, breakdowns, and brotherhood — it was the soul of a time when the road really did go on forever.
Thanks to .proct for the photos — they bring the memories right back to life.
