BLUE MOUND, Ill. (WAND) — With each note and every word, Joey Tarczan touches history.
The aspiring country music singer strums his guitar and belts out the notes of men he never met.
"It's just that sound," he said. "No one will be like them...No one will live up to Ernest Tubb or Hank Williams because they're a one-of-one."
Joey's love of music began when he was four years old, singing with Polka bands in Wisconsin. That love then continued to grow into the works of Elvis Pressley, along with other rockabilly singers and country music icons. Now 16, Joey often takes his talents on the road to perform at the graves of music legends, honoring their life and careers with each song.
But melody of Joey's life includes other notes as well — ripping fabric, scraping mud and the loud roar of an industrial vacuum. This latest project has brought him closer to music history than he ever imagined.
"I thought it was crazy and it was great at the same time," he said with a laugh. "It was something."
Ernest Tubb's 1953 Cadillac Fleetwood is more than just an old car. It was his tour bus. It was his refuge. It was his pride and joy.
The country music star cranked out hits for decades, filling bars and honkytonks wherever he went.
As his career reached new heights, his car disappeared into a barn in the 1960s, seemingly lost to time. That was until it resurfaced at the Heart of Texas Country Music Museum in the town of Brady — about 130 miles northwest of Austin. It was there in the hot Texas sun it found its way into the hands of Joey and his father, Mike Tarczan.
"I just fell in love with it — just the story, the provenance behind this car," Mike said.
Like Tubb, this car is also a storyteller. It survived decades in that barn, the Nashville floods of 2010 and the long road to Texas — and then eventually to Illinois.
"In all of its blemishes, dings and dents, I think it's beautiful," Mike said.
The car used to connect Tubb to his concerts and fans. Now, it's connecting father and son. Mike and Joey have spent countless hours digging out mud, sawing away at rusted metal and scouring the internet for parts. The car may never drive again, but this work will keep it alive for others to see and touch.
"I don't want the money," Mike said. "No! One day when I'm dead and gone, when my son takes his kids [to the museum in Texas], he can say 'me and the old man worked on that car.'"
At just 16, Joey already knows how meaningful this project is to both of them.
"It's a really special moment," he said with a twinkle of emotion. "It really is...I get to share some of the things I love with [my dad]."
Their garage holds something special — something weightier than steel. It holds a shared love of music, history and work.
"We're trying to save what we have for the next generation," Mike said.
And as Joey plays these songs, he keeps the music alive — stretching from his performances in his garage to Tubb's grave.
"If not for the young folks, they will be forgotten."
Mike and Joey are set to return Tubb's car back to Brady, Texas in March. But they plan to showcase the car in central Illinois before then so other fans can see and touch this piece of music history.
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