A select few tracks were able to reach outstanding popularity, which led them to top the charts in more than one genre, making them a crossover hit. In 1975, the country novelty song was performed by C.W. McCall dominated the radio airwaves, became a road trip staple, inspired a film, and became a No.1 hit.
The hit track “Convoy” is ranked on Rolling Stone’s list of the Best Road Trip Songs of All Time, with it landing at No. 43. Upon its release in November of that year, it went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 charts for one week and the US Hot Country Songs chart for six weeks. It also topped the Canadian, Australian, and Cash Box charts.
Unlike other popular hits of the era, its backstory and development make the song that much more interesting. “Convoy” is sung by a fictional musician named McCall, better known by his real name, William Dale Fries Jr., who was an advertising executive. The character was created by Fries for Old Home Bread Company for their ads, with Fries being the voice behind the narrations.
Fries would collaborate with Mannheim Steamroller founder Chip Davis on the track, with its lyrics aren’t 100% sung. Instead, Fries talks and narrates through a CB radio, citizen’s band radio, as a truck driver whose handle is The Rubber Duck. Using CB slang, the track consists of three conversations between a group of truckers during a rough time in the industry. It would later be known as a protest song for speed regulations being set at the time.
Related: 1969 Classic Film, With an Iconic Folk Rock Track, Ranked Among the Best Rock Movies of All Time
‘Convoy’ Inspired a 1978 film starring Kris Kristofferson
The popularity of “Convoy” led to the creation of a road action film of the same name, directed by Sam Peckinpah and with a screenplay by Bill L. Norton. It starred Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Ernest Borgnine, Burt Young, Madge Sinclair, and Franklyn Ajaye in leading roles.
Convoy focused on a group of truck drivers being extorted by an Arizona sheriff. When one of them incites a brawl, they all try to cross state lines into New Mexico while being chased by the police. They also plan to rescue a fellow ally in Texas who was a victim of police brutality. The film received mixed reviews from critics, having made $45 million at the box office, and McCall rerecorded the track to fit the film’s storyline.
“Convoy” regained popularity in 2022 during the Freedom Convoy protests in Canada. The protests were against COVID-19 regulations for cross-border truck drivers. According to Taste of Country, Fries called in to the Drew & Mike radio morning show before his death to praise the use of his song “only because his biggest hit [was] getting a second life.”