Why Jason Michael Carroll Always Travels With Brittany…

Thanks to one of our readers for pointing us in the direction of this story – it’s great!

In the new edition of Country Weekly, they have a great interview with Jason Michael Carroll where he talks all about what life is like out on the road. You can read the full article HERE…but we wanted to share this piece with you since we thought it was extra special. Listen as Jason tells the story of how his bus got it’s name.

CW:

How’d you name the bus?

JMC:

I remember before they came to me about a bus, before any of this stuff ever got started. Right about the time I was doing my radio tour for “Alyssa Lies,” my first single, we went through my home state, North Carolina, and I was able to take part in a radiothon for UNC Children’s Hospital, to raise money for the kids there. It was my first trip to the children’s hospital there. I’d always been a UNC Tarheel fan, but goin’ to the hospital and seeing what they’re about and meetin’ some of the kids there and performing a few acoustic songs for ‘em was a big deal.

And I remember it like it was yesterday. Because that day, a friend of mine I’d known for 10 years, had come up there. She had an appointment at the UNC hospital, which is right beside the Children’s Hospital. But she came to the show we did. I can see her standin’ there as plain as if it was yesterday. Her name was Brittany and her dad was one of my very first guitar players in my very first band. I’ve been doin’ this a little over 12 years now. So, I’ve known her and her family a really long time.

That event was about a week and a half before Thanksgiving that year, and about three days after Thanksgiving, I got a call saying that Brittany had been diagnosed with a really aggressive lung cancer. She was 19 years old. She was a gymnast, didn’t smoke. She was very active and almost the picture of perfect health. The whole month of December, I was on the road every week. And when I’d come home, I’d go from the airport to the hospital to see Brittany and her family, and then I’d go home. Most of the time it was just for one day. So I’d spend one evening at home, then get up and fly out the next morning.

I did that the whole month of December, and Brittany was really fightin’ it the whole month. I remember we played the Grand Ole Opry my very first time was Dec. 22 of 2006. When we got to play the Opry, I had Brittany’s mom and dad sneak a laptop computer into her ICU room. And we dedicated our “Livin’ Our Love Song” to Brittany, because that was one of her favorite songs. As a matter of fact, a week before the Children’s hospital in November of that year, she had come up on my bus just after we recorded “Livin’ Our Love Song” in the studio. And I got my very first rough mix back that night. So we sat in the back of the bus that night. And I downloaded the song on my computer. So she was one of the first people who heard the song with me.

So, she was singin’ along that night and she told me it was one of her favorite songs. Then all of her friends would tell me at shows, “You’ve gotta write another song. She’s wearin’ us out with this one!” I dedicated it to her that night on the Opry, and three days after Christmas, Brittany passed away.

And when it came time to name the bus, I really couldn’t think of anything. I’ve never named a bus before. Usually they’re something like Scorcher or Red Dragon or something like that (laughs). And I remember my bus driver, Bo, who was the real reason we signed with Celebrity Coaches as our bus company, he’s like a member of the family. He’s the best bus driver I’ve ever had and he’s a good friend. He looked at me and said, “Jason, you know, you always talk about Brittany. Would you want to name it Brittany?” And I said, “Well, that’s not as rough and ragged as some of the other bus names out there.” And he said, “Well, no, this is your bus. You name it whatever you want to.”

So I put some thought into it and decided that Brittany was a great name for it. I always make jokes and tell people that any time I feel I’m doin’ something wrong, she’s watchin’ over me. And I can tell . . . something stupid will happen. I’ll either stub my toe or stuff like that. I’ve always said that’s her watchin’ out for me. Kinda cool that we named the bus that.