Sunday Morning Country Classic Spotlight To Feature Dave Dudley

Join me at 11 am for the Sunday morning Country Classic Spotlight.  This Sunday, February 1st, its the life and music of Dave Dudley. 

Dave spearheaded the trucking song phenomenon from 1963 through 1980.  Back in the day truckers would listen to country radio on those strong 50,000 watt AM stations.

He grew up in Spencer, Wisconsin where his real love was baseball.  After high school he played on semi pro teams but an arm injury ended his baseball days and turned his attention to music.

In the summer of 1963, he had his breakthrough hit, Six Days on the Road.  The song was written by  Earl Green and Carl Montgomery.  It became a major hit in 1963 and is often hailed as the definition celebration of the American truck driver.

Six Days set off a wave of such songs that continued for many years.  The trucking songs coincided with country music's growing identification as a working man's music in the 1960's.  Dudley captures the sense of boredom, danger and swaggering masculinity,

Well I pulled outta Pittsburgh a rollin' down the Eastern seaboard, I got my diesel wound up and she's a runnin' like a never before.

Six Days on the Road peaked at number two on the country chart.

Throughout the 60's Dudley had a string of truck driving singles including Truck Drivin' Son of a Gun and Keep On Truckin'.  In 1965 he recorded Vietnam Blues, and in 1970 he recorded Pool Shark.

Dave Dudley died December 22, 2003 at age 75 after suffering a heart attack at his home on Staples Lake near Danbury, Wisconsin.

Join me every Sunday at 9 am for more country classics.  Remember we always take your requests at 320-252-9897 or email dick@98country.com.