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Trucking Heroes: Merle Haggard

Quick Transfer — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 22:57:25 +0000

Few country musicians have lived the life quite like Merle Haggard. From day one, when Haggard was born in a boxcar his father converted into a home, Haggard has had a lifetime of experiences to draw on. Even his surname seemed to hint at the kind of man he’d become. After his father died of a brain hemorrhage when Haggard was only eight years old, the future country star found himself in plenty of trouble with the law, eventually riding the rails and hitchhiking around the county when he was only 14. In between serving time at various jails and juvenile detention centers, Haggard did manage to land some odd jobs to make money, including driving a truck and literally digging ditches. But when Haggard saw Johnny Cash play in the San Quentin Prison he had served in and was then working at, he found a calling in country music.

Haggard’s deep baritone voice lent a world-weariness to his songs about the kind of life he lived, describing getting in trouble with and being chased by the law, living as a rambler and facing hardship and poverty. He also predicted the coming wave of patriotic country music with songs singing the praises of the United States (and bordering on jingoistic, depending on your point of view) and contributed plenty of entries to the pantheon of great trucker anthems, including “Truck Driver’s Blues,” “White Line Fever,” and “Big Wheels Rolling.” Truly, Haggard has left his mark on country music and trucking services both.

Country Music to Drive a Truck To

Quick Transfer — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 15:49:37 +0000

Last week, we offered some counter-programming to the predominantly country-twinged truck driving songs with some trucking services-themed rock ‘n roll. This week, we’ll dig into the huge library of trucking favorites with banjos, fiddles and other rural Americana specialties.

500 Miles: This track began life as a folk song and was later made popular during the ’60s folk revival. It was recorded by everyone from Peter, Paul and Mary, Elvis Presley and Roseanna Cash and could be heard coming from any number of East Village cafés before Bobby Bare understandably saw the connection between the song’s railroad-riding protagonist and the contemporary truck drivers. Bare’s new version, released in 1963, upped the country twang and gave the song a second life as a seminal country hit.

East Bound and Down: Though Jerry Reed wrote this song specifically to serve as the theme song for the 1977 film Smokey and the Bandit, the track became a veritable country music hit itself, peaking at #2 on Billboard’s country chart. It’s not hard to see why: With it’s infectious banjo-plucked riff, East Bound is a catchy piece of country pop that became so much a part of Southern America, it served as the title for the popular HBO comedy of the same name some 30 years later.

Music to Drive a Truck To

Quick Transfer — Thu, 22 Aug 2013 20:44:30 +0000

It’s no exaggeration to say the trucking services industry keeps this country going. Because it’s such a crucial part of our everyday lives, and it employs so many people across the nation, it’s no wonder there are plenty of songs about truck driving out there, although it seems like most of them fall squarely into the genre of country music. Despite the fact that truck drivers themselves are a varied bunch, most of the music associated with the occupation sounds awfully similar. As such, we decided to highlight a few songs about truck driving that will keep you awake for the overnight shipping shift.

Big Black: The Power of Independent Trucking
On the opener of legendary punk/noise rock outfit Big Black’s final album from 1987, lead singer Steve Albini pontificates “the backbone of this country is the independent truck,” masking the vocals in an effect to suggest the crackle of a truck driver’s CB radio.

Modest Mouse: Trucker’s Atlas
This highlight from Washington-based Modest Mouse’s breakthrough 1997 album The Lonesome Crowded West sprawls for over 11 minutes, conveying the long, repetitious nature of driving across the country. Not that this track isn’t a thrill the whole way through, especially with the driving rhythm section of drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy.

Oxes: Top Trucker
Like all songs by the Baltimore math rock trio Oxes, this track from the band’s self-titled 2005 EP is instrumental, but the title may be a reference to the extra grimy Lynyrd Skynyrd-esque riff it prominently features.