Happy Convoy Day to all who celebrate!

Today is October the 4th, and on this day we celebrate one of the greatest songs of the 1970’s.

That, of course, would be this little track.

Yep. C.W. McCall’s classic “talking blues” record about truck drivers and citizens band radio lingo, “Convoy.” 10-4, good buddy … Get it? October 4? 10-4? Listen, if you’re going to celebrate September 3rd as Temptations Day, and September 21st as Earth Wind & Fire Day, you can humor me on this one.

C.W. McCall was the alter ego of William Fries, an advertising man who had a successful series of commercials for Old Home Bread. The commercials featured a slick-talking truck driver named C.W. McCall, who stopped at the Old Home Fill ‘er Up and Keep On a Truckin’ Cafe (say that three times fast) to chat with the cute waitress Mavis.

This is the 1970’s, when gasoline prices surged to (heaven forbid) almost a dollar a gallon, and much more for diesel fuel. That, combined with a national 55 miles per hour speed limit, caused truck drivers to travel in packs, or “convoys,” using their citizens’ band radios to alert their travel companions for any state troopers or speed traps.

But what they ended up saying was a mishmash of slang, abbreviations and alliterations. Cops became “bears” or “Smokey Bears,” who would catch you if you drove over double-nickels (55 mph) on your way to Flagtown (Flagstaff, Arizona) while you’re in the rockin’ chair (middle truck) counting on your front door (lead truck) to watch out for the one-armed bandits (cop cars with flashing lights).

And there were the ten-code commands. You already know of 10-4 (“I understand, acknowledged”), but there was also 10-20 (“What is your location”) and 10-9 (“Repeat, couldn’t hear you clearly”). Many of these were old police codes from the 1940’s, which were adapted by ham radio operators and CB operators in the 1970’s.

Trust me, when you heard “Convoy,” you needed a “trucker-to-English” translator to understand the lyrics. But boy oh boy was it a fun song. And it also spurred a number of CB radio Top 40 songs, most of them either having the truckers get caught by the cops (“The White Knight” by Cledus Maggard), or the truckers befriending a dying child (“Teddy Bear” by Red Sovine).

McCall also made several other recordings in the trucker-travel genre, including songs like “Wolf Creek Pass” (a steep mountain descent that really tests your gearshifts), “Around the World with Rubber Duck” (a “Convoy” sequel), and even a full-length version of his “Old Home Fill’er Up and Keep On a’Truckin’ Cafe” song.

Fries eventually retired from the music industry, and moved to Ouray, Colorado, where he served as the town’s mayor for several years. He passed way in April of 2022.

Now I could end the blog post here. But I won’t.

See, I had an opportunity to interview C.W. McCall about 20 years ago.

I shall explain.

At the time, I was freelancing for record collectors magazine Goldmine, and I would pitch them ideas about interviewing this artist or that band or whomever. For some reason, I had it in my mind to do an article on the life and times of CW McCall. The assistant editor of Goldmine at the time told me not to bother, that none of their readers would be interested in such an article.

Fine. You don’t want it, I’ll go elsewhere.

And “elsewhere” meant a publication called RoadKing. RoadKing was a monthly magazine that was freely distributed at TravelCenters of America truck stops. I pitched the article to them, and they said go for it.

Okay. I’ve got the article pitch. Now I need to interview the man.

After a couple of lucky connections, CW McCall and I had a lengthy phone interview. He answered every question, he was jovial and detailed on his career before, during and after “Convoy,” and in the end, he even sent me an autographed “Convoy” record sleeve. Nice.

The article appeared in a 2003 edition of RoadKing.

And the story should end there.

But it doesn’t.

A few months later, the editor of RoadKing asked if I was interested in traveling to Kentucky.

Not sure why … but okay … why?

The Mid-America Trucking Show takes place at Rupp Arena in Louisville each year, and the Truck Writers of North America host their annual writing and media awards at the event. And sure enough … someone at RoadKing nominated my “Convoy” article for consideration.

Okay. Time to fly.

In the end, my article “Convoy Rides Again” received THREE awards at the Truck Writers of North America awards, including “Best of 2003.” Best over all the other submissions. This was absolutely fantastic. I felt like I had received a call-up to the major leagues, subbed in as a pinch-hitter with the bases loaded, two outs, bottom of the ninth, down by three, and I clubbed a fastball into the center field bleachers.

Even today, that award for “Best of 2003” still hangs on my living room wall as a source of pride and achievement. And also as a big middle finger to Goldmine, who initially passed on the article. Snooze, ya lose.

So happy Convoy Day to all who celebrate. And thanks once more to C.W. McCall for an incredible interview and the chance to write an amazing article about his life.

10-4, good buddies, this is Chuck the Writer, wall to wall, and tree-top tall.