lp discography - covers & lyrics

Mercury should release a compilation of Dave Dudley's prime truck-drivin' songs. He started the country subgenre and produced many fine singles that extolled the 18-wheeler lifestyle throughout the '60s. Save for the EMI import 20 Great Truck Hits, there are hardly any decent Dudley reissues or collections available. So it's worth looking for the excellent Dudley album Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun, which features two of the singer's biggest hits, "Two Six Packs Away" and the title track. Dudley's gravelly, vibrato-inflected voice and thick, reverb-drenched guitar lines (his own rough-hewn version of the Nashville sound) were perfect for songs detailing the perils of white line fever. Songs like "Jack Knife" and "Speed Traps, Weigh Stations & Detour Signs," which chronicle the hurdles of the highway, and "Two Six Packs Away," which — in very un-PC, yet hilarious fashion — reveals the dangers of a trucker's little helper (the liner notes include a friendly disclaimer: "A drinkin' and a drivin', here Dave's singing and guitar are much more compatible than alcohol and gas"). The out of print Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun is a title definitely worth seeking out. If you don't mind import prices, though, get the EMI collection.
Truck Drivin' Son-Of-A-Gun is an album where we were afforded a rare experience in music and yarn. These songs tell the story of some of the men who spend most of their lives behind the wheels of those big rigs out on the open highway aiming at the horizon which, of course, is "just a few more miles" away. The joy and despair, fear, and hope these rugged figures must experience while cruising solo over the highways are reflected in the sometimes humorous, but always true songs presented here. Listening to Dave Dudley strumming through this collection of songs might be misleading to you newcomers; you might think it's easy. Well, it is if you have a natural talent. It's been said time and again that country & western singing can't be faked or learned, you either have it - or you don't. Natural talent, coupled with increasing professional exposure, yields an ever-rising star, yield Dave Dudley. Dave's music has the same way humor of a Will Rogers' yarn, that goodness of Sunday dinner, and the spice of a traveling man's wit. These are the songs of America, her past, her present, her future, and most of all, her people. Give a listen to: Truck Drivin' Son Of A Gun - This title tune has a good beat, a driving beat. It tells the story of a guy who is not so much a heck of a trucker as he is a lover. Two Six Packs Away - A drinkin' and a drivin', here Dave's singing and guitar are much more compatible than alcohol and gas. D.J. Memphis Joe - The only passenger in a no rider rig, the friendly sound of the all night disk jockey. I Got Lost - This trucker explains, "I got lost," but he knows that he was lost on the trail of love. These tunes are but a sampling of the listening pleasure this album will give you. You'll play this one over and over again. The comments made here are but a sampling of the talk you'll hear all across this country as this album follows the pattern of the many other hits Dave Dudley has enjoyed. The humor and sensitivity heard on this record is equalled only by the truly great music presented here. This is not an album for Dave Dudley fans alone, this is an album for music lovers.

DAVE DUDLEY

TRUCK DRIVIN' SON OF A GUN