Dave Dudley
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| Dave Dudley | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | David Darwin Pedruska |
| Born | May 3, 1928 |
| Origin | Spencer, Wisconsin |
| Died | December 22, 2003 (aged 75) |
| Genre(s) | Country music |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Years active | 1961–2003 |
| Label(s) | Golden Wing Records, Mercury Records |
| Associated acts | Dick Curless, Del Reeves, Tom T. Hall |
Dave Dudley (May 3, 1928 – December 22, 2003) was a country music singer. Born David Darwin Pedriska, he is best known for his truck-driving country anthems of the 1960s and 1970s.
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[edit] Early life and rise to fame
Dave Dudley is best-known for his trucker songs including "Six Days on the Road" and "Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun". His duet with Tom T. Hall called "Day Drinking," and his own top ten hit called "Fireball Rolled A Seven," supposedly based on the career, and death of Edward Glenn "Fireball" Roberts, demonstrated that he was not limited to trucking songs. He is one of the best-known singers of the truck-driving era in country music and was one of the icons in this category.
Dave was born in 1928 in Spencer, Wisconsin. He had a short career as a semi-professional baseball player. After he suffered an arm injury he was no longer able to play baseball. He then decided to pursue a career in country music. He was one of the earliest artists to record for National Recording Corporation with "Where's There's A Will" in 1959 on the NRC label.
Dudley was injured once again in 1960, this time in a car accident, setting back his career in music. He first appeared on the Country charts in 1961 with the song "Maybe I Do," released by Vee Records. He later moved to Golden Wing Records. Two years later, in 1963, the label released the single "Six Days on the Road".
[edit] Height of his career
"Six Days on the Road" immediately became a hit for Dudley. The song was written by Earl Green and Peanut Montgomery. In 1963, Dudley moved on to Mercury records. By the end of 1963 he released his first single from the label called "Last Day in the Mines". Dave Dudley scored more big hits in the 1960s, including "Truck Drivin' Son-Of-a-Gun", "Trucker's Prayer" and "Anything Leaving Town Today". His signature song "Six Days on the Road" has remained a trucker's classic as well as a country classic, and has been covered by several artists, including George Thorogood and the Destroyers, Steve Earle, Sawyer Brown and country-metal outfit Trailor Thrash. At the end of the 60s, Dave was also recording more conservative songs as well, however, not really changing his image in any way.
Dave Dudley continued to have success into the 1970s. He continued to record for Mercury Records. He had some Country Top Tens in the 70s, including the songs "Comin' Down" and "Fly Away Again" which both made the charts in the early 70s. His iconic status in the truck-driving world continued to grow. By the late 70s, his success on the charts was beginning to fade.
Overall, in the 60s and 70s, Dave scored thirty-three Top 40 Country hits.
[edit] Decline and death
In the 1980s, Dave Dudley continued to record, but not as much as he once had. He remained popular in concert. During this time, he was elected to the Nashville Teamsters Truck Drivers Union. He received a solid gold membership card from the union. He also found out during this time, he had a big fan base in Europe and decided to try to appeal more to this market.
In total, Dudley recorded more than 70 albums. However, he did not manage to reclaim his past success, and neither his single "Where's that Truck?", recorded with DJ Charlie Douglas, nor the track "Dave Dudley, American Trucker", recorded in 2002 in the wake of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, helped revive his career. Few of his hits have made it onto CDs and albums, creating a market for his vintage vinyl recordings.
Dudley died on December 22, 2003 after suffering a heart attack at his home in Wisconsin.
[edit] Sources
- Country Music:The Rough Guide; Wolff, Kurt; Penguin Publishing
- LP Discograhy.com
