Chuck has kept his dual-track careers going for more than three decades. He’s been working for General Motors for nearly 34 years, and for about the same amount of time he’s been playing bass professionally. He even had a television career for a while. “I was on a TV program back in the day. It was called Dallas Alive with Peter Marshall. We were the house band for the show and that was a lot of fun. It was like a daytime version of The Tonight Show and had special guests come on.” But don’t think music is something he did in the past or does on a small scale. He’s still playing with some of best. “I have a host of people I’ve played with. Some of the popular ones: jazz pianist Jeff Lorber, Ken Navarro, Alex Bugnon, Phil Perry, Marion Meadows, Joe McBride, and the list goes on and on in the jazz industry. I’ve been 20 years playing jazz.”

Chuck is known for his bass playing and he has even recorded a CD. It’s titled Basically Bass and is available on Amazon and on iTunes, among other places. He says, “The whole idea behind the CD was to let people know that bass has a voice, also. Most of the time bass is considered a side instrument to back up an artist. Bass needs to be heard.”

Despite his success in the high-profile music business, he is committed to his job with GM. He says the GM job “was the family thing.” It provided stability and benefits. “Music sometimes goes up and down, it’s like a roller coaster. I didn’t want to put them through that.”

And he’s proud of the vehicles the team at Arlington Assembly produces. He says, “The truck that we build at our plant is a worldwide truck. When the industry is down the world is going to demand something and they seem to love our SUVs, our (Cadillac) Escalades, our (GMC) Yukon Denalis, our (Chevrolet) Tahoe Hybrids.”

His nickname of Chuck dates back to when he was a small child. His twin sister was called Ducky and he was known as Chucky. He says, “When I got to Texas I dropped the “y”” Today no one is asking why he continues to pursue two careers. It’s pretty obvious that he’s darn good at both of them.

For more information on Chuck Smith’s music check out his website: www.bassicallybass.webs.com

Merritt @ the track

Merritt Johnson, Design Release Engineer, X26R Electric Pump AC Cables

Vintage designs: Staying true to the engineer in me, I’m really into design and architecture. I purchased this cool mid-century modern house and I’m always looking for vintage furniture designs.

If I only knew then: When I get the chance, I like to read biographies of historical American figures. My dad worked in the Reagan administration, so I like learning about what was going on when I was too young to know!

Busted!:  Aside from swimming and racing (you think I have too many hobbies?!) I like to unwind by sitting on the couch and watching MythBusters. I love watching Adam and Jamie try to disprove the latest myths – especially when they’re auto-related.

My job is amazing. I work for GM but I get to live in sunny, southern California. You’re probably wondering how I got this cushy deal, so I’ll start from the beginning.

I grew up in northern Virginia, near the DC-area. I’ve always had an interest in anything mechanical and science-related so I developed a love for cars early on in life. I went to Kenyon College, a private, Ohio-based liberal arts school but soon transferred to the University of Southern California to study mechanical engineering.

After graduation, I went to work for various aftermarket part manufacturers including AEM, where I created air intakes and electronic management systems and Turbonetics, where I designed turbo chargers and the parts related to the turbo systems. In between my time spent with Turbonetics and AEM, I was a member of a professional race team at the SCCA World Challenge Series.

The World Challenge Championship is a production-based race series in which manufacturers and aftermarket suppliers compete to prove their products. I was a race engineer, helping with suspension set-up and vehicle dynamics. We actually competed against Cadillac! Cadillac won, but it was still a lot of fun.

I loved working on performance parts but I saw that the market was shifting toward advanced powertrains and hybrid and electric motor development and thought it was a good chance for me to learn about these emerging technologies before I was behind the eight ball. I knew performance parts weren’t going anywhere, so I thought I’d give it a shot. I didn’t realize you could even work for GM without being based in Detroit until I saw the job posting.

I started my career with GM in 2008 at the Powertrain Advanced Technology Center in Torrance, Calif., working on the development of electric motors for future concept vehicles. The company began to further expand its hybrid programs and started asking people to spearhead certain projects. I had the opportunity to work on the high voltage cabling for the hybrid vehicles.

I currently work on the second-generation rear-wheel drive hybrid program, which is the system that’s in the GMC Yukon and Sierra Hybrids and the Chevrolet Tahoe and Silverado Hybrids. The system uses a pump in the transmission to circulate the transmission oil. The pump is driven by an electric motor. I am the design release engineer for the high voltage electric cables that transfer the power from the inverter to the motor in the electric pump. Because they’re high voltage, the cables need a lot of attention in terms of safety for the driver as well as service technicians. Shielding for electrical interference is also another important aspect of the design – we need to monitor the heat, temperature and vibrations in the vehicle. So my job is really important for the safety of the vehicle and its passengers.

When I’m not working, you’ll find me in the water. I’ve been a competitive swimmer for as long as I can remember and I still swim as part of the Long Beach Shore Aquatics. In fact, we’re organizing a big swim in Long Beach this year to benefit brain cancer research in honor of Klaus Barth, a local, well-respected swim prodigy who recently succumbed to the disease.

Invited bloggers included Kristi W. of Austin Farm to Table, Christian B. of Austin Food Journal, Carla C. of Austin Urban Gardens, Logan and Rachel of Boots in the Oven, Jennie C. of Miso Hungry, Shannan of Riemerville, and Stephanie of Stephanie Klein.com. Jodi B. of Tasty Touring played co- host as Chevrolet is one of her clients.

Carla and Adam shop at Thunder Heart Bison

The group met at Capitol Chevrolet for breakfast and picked up their vehicles – a Camaro, Equinox, Malibu, Silverado, and a Tahoe. Next stop was Chuck Nash in San Marcos to switch cars. They were happily surprised when Mark from Chuck Nash offered to drive their car keys up to Capitol to have the cars washed and detailed while they were gone.

Fun Fact #1: Capitol Chevrolet and Chuck Nash are owned by the same family – Capitol Chevrolet is literally the “sister” dealership to Chuck Nash, with Nancy Harper at the helm.

Fun Fact #2: Capitol Chevrolet has doubled as Garrity Motors for filming on NBC’s “Friday Night Lights.”

Jennie snags the Camaro for the first leg followed by Kristi and then Christian. Poor Christian was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for much of his turn.

In San Antonio, road trippers wandered around the Pearl Farmers Market, talking with farmers and vendors, listening to live music, snapping photos, and sampling local foods to take home. We loaded up our YETI coolers with groceries and walked over to Texas Farm to Table  for locally-sourced sandwiches and salads.

Bloggers from Boots in the Oven, MisoHungry, Austin Food Journal, and Austin Urban Gardens enjoy lunch.

In Jan. 2010, Chevy Texas hosted “Chevy Fried,” a road trip to taste Oklahoma fried pies for a group of Dallas-based bloggers. As with “Chevy Veggie,” participants communicated with each other before, during, and after the trip through the #ChevyVeggie hashtag on Twitter, through direct messages, text messages, and cell phone calls. Encouraged to experience the XM radio, OnStar, and the many cool features in the cars, they paired Bluetooth-enabled wireless devices to the cars speaker systems for hands-free calling to keep them entertained in the traffic jam on the way back to Austin.

I wonder what Shannan, Donna, Rachel and Stephanie are chatting about? Maybe the wonder that is OnStar?!

For more about the day, check out the latest online:
Chevy Veggie Flickr Group
ChevyVeggie tweets
Austin Urban Gardens blog
Austin Farm to Table blog
Stephanie Klein blog

To stay posted about other upcoming events and Chevy Texas road trips, follow @GMTexas and  @chevrolet on Twitter.

Everything IS better in Texas.

Who am I?Bruce Quernemoen – a loyal GM customer since age 6, when my dad bought a new 1956 Chevy Bel Air station wagon. It was special because there were only a few station wagons in town and we had a third row seat. Later, he bought a new 1962 Chevy Impala Station Wagon. I loved those cars. Today at age 83, Dad drives a 2007 Impala.

The 1956 Chevy Bel Air Station Wagon

Employer: Vice President at a division of Emerson that manufactures Fisher Control Valves for oil refineries, chemical plants, power companies and pulp and paper mills around the world.

First set of wheels: A red and white 1955 Chevy two-door. I bought it in 1965 for $125 with paper route money and sold it in 1968 for $75. If I had it today it would be worth thousands of dollars. Wish I had a picture to show you.

Hobby: Videography. I own seven video cameras, including three high-definition cameras. I can edit in HD and output to Blu-ray discs. I video for friends, relatives, neighbors, non-profit organizations and my church. With my retirement approaching in a few years my hobby will probably turn into a business.

The 1962 Chevy Impala Station Wagon

Motoring history: In my career, I’ve had 16 vehicles and 13 have been GM, probably some influence from my growing-up years. When our two children were in high school we loved our 1983 GMC conversion van. It was great for hauling our kids and their friends around. In July I ordered a 2009 White Tahoe LTZ “Warrior” (see video). Lynn, my wife of 38 years, drives 2009 CTS and has been a Cadillac fan for years.

Why do I call it the Warrior? I travel to China on business 2-3 times a year and one of my personal “wonders of the world” is in the city of Xian where the Terracotta Warriors were discovered by a farmer digging a well in 1974. (See the replica statue on my porch). In approximately 210 BC the Emperor’s mother commissioned the building of about 8,000 of the statues to protect the emperors Tomb when he died. They were buried in pits and weren’t discovered until over 2000 years later by a farmer.