If you have had a chance to look at the SCHEDULE and PAST PERFORMANCES you know that Jack travels a lot.  For a long time, Brother Van was a friend helping him along the way, making sure he got back safely from the late night performances and the long trips. 

In 1997, Jack conducted a contest to guess the number of miles on this venerable vehicle.

This is Jack's van at Fort Whoop-Up, Alberta, Canada in June 1997. It's a 1990 Chevy conversion van that he uses to travel the country. Now on it's second engine, it has transported Jack to and from concerts across the States and Canada. 

By the way, Brother Vann was a legendary preacher in Montana Territory. Some of the sentiments expressed in Jack's song "When the Land Belonged to God" are based on a letter written to Brother Vann by Charlie Russell. Jack even got to perform in the church in Bannack, Montana where Brother Vann held his services. So, it was only fitting to name his trusty Chevy "Brother Van."

We're having a contest to guess the mileage on "Brother Van" as of Thursday, November 27, 1997 at noon - that's Thanksgiving Day (U.S.). To enter the contest just send Jack an e-mail with your guess. The three entrants with the closest guesses will win. Prizes will be t-shirts, CDs and other fun stuff.

No fair trying to sneak a peek at concerts -- the odometer will be covered.

Here's a hint: Jack could have driven to the moon and back.

A Note From Jack

November 27, 1997

Hello friends! It's Turkey Day for Brother Van, and the family and I are in Boise, Idaho for the first half of a whirlwind holiday weekend. This fall tour season took my father and I from Montana to Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. One presenter called my dad and I "road horses." We took that as a compliment! Brother Van is also a road horse. The odometer now reads 441,662 (but don't tell my insurance company). The transmission was rebuilt at about 225,000 miles and the engine was replaced at about 380,000 miles. Both are running like a song so you'll probably be seeing Brother Van and I on the road for a while longer. My first vehicle, which I bought new in 1980, is an F-150 Ford pickup that I call "Old Brown." It now has over 441,000 miles too, but is basically in retirement. It spends most of the time in our garage except for home maintenance trips or to help friends move. Thanks for all the interest in the contest. The entries ranged from 100,000 miles to a million miles!

The top three winners are: Rod Brown, CJ Murray and Bill Cain.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.............Jack

Rod Brown: 442,982 miles

CJ Murray: 450,789 miles

Bill Cain: 506,234 miles

The latest update from Jack on Brother Van:

Brother Van
With a spike in fuel prices in the fall of 2000, I parked Brother Van and bought a new Chevy Astro. 12 mpg vs 19 mpg eventually adds up.However, now with the recovery of my father from cancer, Brother Van is cashing in the Lifetime Warranty from Aamco for a rebuilt transmission. The call of the road beckons again for the old ship. The odometer now reads 640,000+.

Just a note from the editor.  I saw Brother Van in 2004.  It still lives.