Most of our Weekend Wheels subjects horse around on motorized toys, but not Greg Malson, 39, of Nashville, Tenn. He horses around for real when he's not driving Loretta Lynn's tour bus or taking an occasional load of freight between tours.

Pharaoh, his 20-year-old standard Quarterhorse, loves to chase cows and do penning and cutting of cattle. "He's my buddy -- when I come home, first thing I gotta go see him," Malson says.

Malson grew up around horses and trucks in his native Alaska, and in Oregon and Idaho. He spent 1978-81 in the Air Force as a tailgunner on B-52s. Then he returned to Idaho and became a trucker.

In the late '80s, he helped a tour bus driver whose coach had broken down. They became friends, and Malson began looking for a bus-driving gig. "My first job was for Roseanne Cash," he says. He realized he needed to be closer to the music scene to get more work, so he moved to Nashville and signed up with a coach-leasing company. His passengers ranged from Lorrie Morgan and Little Texas to Marilyn Manson and Anita Baker.

The job isn't all glamour. Drivers maintain the bus, including housekeeping. They and the stars are often on opposite schedules, so there's not much rubbing shoulders. And there are deadlines to meet.

"I've enjoyed everyone I've worked with," he says. "But ultimately, you want to to stay with one artist all the time." He's now the regular driver of Loretta Lynn's 45-foot Prevost XL42, with its 500-hp Detroit running through an Allison 6-speed."Miss Lynn is a wonderful person and I love working for her," he says, sitting a bit taller in the saddle.