The Ride

It's 1979 and the David Allen Coe show is on the road. These are good times, and the caravan has two full tour buses as well as two semis. Driving one of the 18-wheelers is a guy named "Useless" and among his passengers is Billy Dee. Somebody in the caravan has a blowout, and they all stop at the next station in Fort Myer's, Fla.

Figuring he's got a breather, Billy Dee steps inside for some downtime. Ten minutes later, he comes out, looks around, and they're gone. Looks like this stop is going to take longer than Billy Dee anticipated.

Getting out of his red Cadillac convertible, a stranger sidles up to the musician and inquires, "So, they left you behind?"

"Yep."

"Well, hop in and we'll see if we can catch them at the next truck stop."

They speed up 10 miles down road to the next stop, but no luck. And then a sequence out of Smokey and the Bandit starts to play itself out in real life. The stranger gets on his CB, "Hey, I've got a member of David Allen Coe's band here, and he needs a ride to Beaumont, Texas."

Next thing he knows, Billy Dee is leapfrogging one truck to another. Word passes forward through the radio band that this fella needs a ride, and the drivers just pass him on to the next one.

Many trucks later, someone deposits the bassist at the band's hotel in Beaumont. Billy Dee checks himself in and relaxes on the front steps. Hours later, Coe & Co. arrive. That night everyone's reunited on stage, and the tour rolls on.