A big part of why people love country music as much as they do is that its messages speak to our real experiences of life. We listen to it because it helps us. It helps us feel our pain or escape it. It takes us back to our memories or gives us hope about our future. And sometimes, country gives us solace in ways that are totally unexpected.
“Stick with Carrie”
When Lawrence Young lost his wife Kathi, he never forgot her final words of advice. The 69-year old Kansas geology teacher lost his wife to complications following Fibromyalgia surgery. After her surgery, Kathi had severe brain damage, was bed-ridden, and lost most of her speaking abilities. They spent her final days together at their Kansas home, listening to Underwood‘s music. But she still had words of wisdom for her husband.
In an interview with The Blast, he shared her words to him. “When she died, she told me, ‘Stick with Carrie’s music and it will help you through life.’”
And that’s exactly what he did.
After purchasing his dream 2017 Silverado, Lawrence recognized the opportunity to pay tribute to his late wife– and the artist who had provided so much solace to them both.
The Underwood Truck
As a measure of tribute to his late wife and their mutual love of Carrie Underwood, Young decided to turn his Silverado into a traveling Underwood shrine. Wrapping it in graphics of the star throughout her career, it’s now known as the Underwood Truck.
Young reported that it took some time and a few design attempts to get it correct. “Originally, I took it to a car wrapping place, but I didn’t like the way their design looked,” he said. “So I had my son, who is a graphic designer, design it himself from scratch.”
According to The Blast, the project cost $2,000 and took ten days to complete.
And it isn’t just the outside of the car. The inside is also dedicated to Underwood. Only her music is allowed to play on the stereo. Young said he’d never even turned on the radio, lest it not be a Carrie Underwood song.
Not for Sale
After being posted on the internet by a fellow Kansan, the Underwood Truck went viral. It’s so popular that people are offering huge sums of money for it. One fan offered him $175,000. But Young isn’t selling. “I didn’t do this for money or attention. I did this as a tribute to Carrie and my wife.”
There’s only one thing missing for Young: “My dream is to have Carrie see it in person and autograph the hood.”
Maybe she will. But even if she doesn’t, she’s already brought him solace.
