lp discography - covers & lyrics

Here's as fine a collection of country and western folk songs as was ever assembled on one record. And the man singing them is as true an artist in his own right as the country and western folk field has ever known. Vern Sheppard, long-time amcee of his own country radio show at KOTA in Rapid City, South Dakota, tells of first meeting Dave Dudley at a radio studio in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, "picking out a song on his guitar." "Dave caught the ear of the boss, who said, 'let's get him a sponsor.' We did, and he's been singing ever since," Vern writes. "No one can touch Dave when it comes to caressing the lyrics of a ballad like A Farmer's Prayer, or an up-tempo tune like Last Day In The Mines. Dave will be on the road a long time - a great entertainer - a good friend - a fine artist," says Sheppard, and to that we can only add, amen. Dave got his start fifteen years ago playing clubs throughout much of these same United States he now sings about. He sings of work, play, love, sorrow, death and life. His are the true country and western folk songs that collectively make up the history of this country. Six Days On The Road (and I'm going to make it home tonight) - Dave tells the age-old song of the lonesome traveller, aching to get home and see his kin. John Henry - a refreshing treatment of this legendary folk ballad that has become an integral part of Americana. You can literally hear the ring of the steel hammer keeping time. Bless Them Machines (Please Help Working Man) - The old song of the industrial revolution where Dave laments, "they don't need me anymore they got a new machine." It's a good example of a "problem song", one born from a perennial point of contention in a dynamic country. Aligator Man - The story of the legendary alligator hunter, another bit of folklore that is a part of Southern history. Steel Worker's Blues - Another fine old "work song", this one about the steel mill worker, done in bluesy style. A Farmer's Prayer - Dave speaks to the Lord in a touching prayer that tells of the agonies of the soil - and its rewards. Last Day In The Mines - A miner plans to quit the mines for a better life. He sings of his "last day" when there's a cave-in, and it becomes, in fact, his last day. Cowboy Boots - A humorous tale of a lad who wants a pair of cowboy boots - Hollywood style. "Give me a home where the swimming pools roam," he sings in a tongue-in-cheek lampoon of the movie industry. Taxi Cab Driver - A taxicab driver tells of traffic jams, low tips, long hours - and a lot of living behind the wheel of his hack. Sixteen Tons - Familiar old folk ballad of the man who loaded 16 tons of coal in one day, "and what did (he) get," nothing but "another day older and deeper in debt." The miners' lament done with great feeling by Dudley. I'm Coming Home - A swimming up-tempo tune about the guy "coming home" for a high, old time with his gal. Good, strong "git-fiddle" country beat. Workin' Hands - A story about the Tennessee farmer with the biggest hands you ever did see - working hands.

DAVE DUDLEY

SONGS ABOUT THE WORKING MAN