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I think The Crabb Family has to hold the record for the most people on the road in one bus on a regular basis in Southern Gospel music today! There were fifteen people on the bus (including myself) on this road trip. Let me start off by introducing the “Crabb Clan” that was traveling on the bus. The singers are Jason, Adam, and Aaron Crabb, Kelly and Mike Bowling, along with their girls, Hope (4) and Katelanne (11 months). The band consists of JonMichael Brady on drums, Lorie Sikes on bass guitar, Zach Smith on lead guitar, and Justin Ellis on the piano. The rest of the road crew that you usually do not see is David Sikes, married to Lorie, and who is the road manager and sound engineer, Heather Boles, the girls' nanny, and Kyle Shepard who drives The Crabb Bus.
My trip started out on a Thursday morning by meeting JonMichael in Hendersonville, TN , and then traveling on to Gallatin, TN , to meet the bus. When we got to the bus, everyone was getting all their gear and clothes together, David and Jason were making sure all the product and necessities were in the bus and trailer and checking in with the office to make sure that everything is ready to go. The girls that work in the office are Cindy Goff, Deda Shepard, the bus driver's wife, and Krystal, who is Jason, Adam, Aaron, and Kelly's sister. I was introduced to everyone as they arrived to board the bus. This was also Justin's and Kyle's first week with The Crabb Family, so they were getting introduced to everyone as well. At 10 am with everyone boarded and ready for the trip and with David giving Kyle directions and little details about the bus, we were on our way to Corinth , Mississippi . If you haven't seen the “Crabb Bus”, it's not your average Southern Gospel bus! It has the Crabb Family on the both sides of the bus and on the back advertising Crabbfest. Talk about a moving billboard! I think this is just one of the many ways the Crabb Family is on the cutting edge in southern gospel by going a little against the grain and using different methods to promote their group. The Crabb's travel in a MCI Renaissance customized bus that has 12 bunks, along with a rear bedroom, and a kitchenette, which gets used quite frequently! They also pull a trailer behind the bus for product and sound equipment.
We pulled into a theater in Corinth , Mississippi , where the Crabb Family and Mike Bowling put on a great concert. I sat with David at the soundboard, and let me tell you, he is great at what he does. It takes a lot to make the music sound good in different venues every night. David has 20+ years running sound in both CCM and Southern Gospel. By the time the bus was packed back up and everyone was ready to go, it was about midnight and everyone was starved. Jason spotted a McDonald's that was just about to close, but we were able to grab some food before it closed. We were on our way and off to Seminole, Oklahoma and one by one, everyone retired to their bunks around 1:30am. I was still wound up from the day, so I took some time to talk with Kyle, the bus driver. Kyle and I enjoyed about an hour's worth of conversation before I headed off to my bunk. He is an important part of the Crabb Family that you probably will never see. He sleeps while the concert goes on, so he can drive during the night to get them to their next venue. Another person who you will probably never meet is Heather. She takes care of Hope and Katelanne Bowling while the concert is going on.
Around 9am , the bus pulled into Seminole, Oklahoma , we stopped at a motel and they got a room so everybody could take showers. After everyone freshened up, we left Kyle at the motel to sleep and we were off to a Western Sizzlin for lunch. We had a couple of hours to kill and spent some time shopping in Seminole.
I want everyone to know that I don't think I have ever laughed so much as I have while traveling with the Crabb's. Justin had everyone laughing so hard that they were crying! He is not only a phenomenal piano player (BTW, this was his first weekend out and played all the concerts and he had never practiced with them!) but a great people person. Another person who is hilarious is Zach. He is 19, has a Texas draw, and is a great guitar player. I also got to spend a lot of time with Jason, Adam, Aaron, and Mike. All these guys love music both on and off the stage. We were always listening to music and the guys were all swapping musical ideas on the bus. With 15 people on the bus and everyone bumping into each other, there never was a dull moment!
The bus pulled out of Seminole, Oklahoma , around 1am and we stopped at a truck stop for some supper/midnight snack before heading to Batesville, Arkansas . The bus got into Batesville about 8am and we freshened up at a little bed and breakfast type motel. Sonic was the choice for lunch before heading off to set up for the venue that evening. The Crabb's were singing at a college auditorium that night. Here's where it got interesting. At the end of the concert and most everyone has left, Zach came into the auditorium and announced that he couldn't get into the bus. Justin is “the bus mechanic” so he went out to investigate. He couldn't get into the bus. Everyone tried to get into the bus but to no avail. The latch was broken that lets you get into the bus and let me tell you, if you can't get in through the front door, you're NOT getting in! It was a sight watching Jason and Justin trying to get into the bus! Everything was tried from using a coat hanger to trying to figure out a way to get Adam or Aaron through the driver's side window, which couldn't be opened either. It was kind of funny but it's not---here you have a very big bus and a little $5 broken handle part that won't let you in!! Finally after about 2 hours of trying to “break into” the bus without any success, a locksmith was called. With about 25 minutes of work, the locksmith got us into the bus! The latch would open from the inside but not the outside so, needless to say, someone always stayed on the bus after that! We finally got on the road and it was off to Gallatin, Tennessee so everyone could go home to be with their families.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gerald and Kathy Crabb for allowing me to go with “the Crabb Clan” for the week. Gerald and Kathy mostly travel only when there are Crabb Family Gatherings. This gives Gerald time to preach and write the great quality songs he is famous for. Kathy still has a big hand in making sure everything runs smoothly both on the road and at the office. She checked in with everyone everyday to see how the concerts went and to see if everything was going ok. I would also like to thank Gerald and Kathy for having family on the road that lives the life they sing about. The Crabb Family is all about family. Jason, Adam, and Aaron were constantly talking to their wives and kids and bragging on their family who was at home. The Crabb Family is also just as real on the bus as they are on stage, which isn't as common as everyone thinks it is in Gospel Music. I would also like to thank Jason, Aaron, Adam, Kelly, Mike, JonMichael, Zach, Justin, Lorie, David, Heather, and Kyle for the experience of getting to spend time with them and letting me travel with them! Make sure the next time The Crabb Family is in your area, that you go see them, and be sure to purchase their latest project “Driven” at your local music store or at www.thecrabbfamily.com!
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Written: 09/30/2004 
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On The Road Again
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