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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZDUDLEY, Dave(b David Darwin Pedruska, 3 May '28, Spencer WI; d 22 Dec. 2003, Danbury WI) Country singer who became famous for truckdriving songs. He grew up in Stevens Point. Injury stopped his baseball career '50; he became disc jockey and singer in Wisconsin and formed the Dave Dudley Trio '50-7 working clubs and bars throughout Midwest, then a larger band the Country Gentlemen when he went to work at KEVE in Minneapolis and changed name to the Roadrunners '60, recorded for Vee '61 and Jubilee '62 ('Maybe I Do' and 'Under Cover Of Night' respectively on those labels made the Billboard country chart); recorded 'Six Days On The Road' '61, a hard-driving song and a departure from the ballads he'd been doing, but didn't get it released until '63: on a Golden Wing label in Minneapolis it was picked up by Mercury and became a top pop and country hit launching hundreds of truckdriving songs. Signed to Mercury, had hits 'Mad' '64, 'Truck Drivin' Son Of A Gun' '65, 'Vietnam Blues' '66, 'There Ain't No Easy Run' '67, 'George (And The North Woods)' '69, 'The Pool Shark' '70, 'Comin' Down' '71. He faded from the charts, though recording for United Artists '75-6, Rice '77-9, Sun '80-82 including a duet album with Charlie Douglas, a disc jockey popular with truckdrivers (Open Road magazine's Disc Jockey of the Year three times). Several LPs on Mercury '64-70 with same titles as hit singles, plus Will The Real Dave Dudley Please Sing '72, Original Traveling Man '74; also Special Delivery '75, 1776 '76 on UA, Interstate Gold '81 on Sun. |