Search - C.W. Mccall :: C.W. McCall - Greatest Hits

Rajeev P. (RockinRaju) from CORVALLIS, OR
Reviewed on 4/16/2023...

I can still recall being introduced to C.W. McCall as a grade schooler in Montana. The guy was musically talented and teamed up with Chip Davis (of Mannheim Steamroller fame) for the music, while C.W. provided the lyrics and the deep, guttural midwest-twangy truck driver singing of songs that were little stories.....

Before hitting it big with the song "Convoy" that spawned a movie, a movement (the CB radio) and a song sequel "Round the World with the Rubber Duck" (also on this album), a bread commercial of all things provided the story of a smitten truck driver with "Old Home Filler-up an' Keep on a-Truckin' Caf���©". Adventures in 4 wheelin' ("Four Wheel Drive", "Wolf Creek Pass") loom large for this Coloradoan (William Dale Fries or C.W. was mayor of Ouray later in life), as do buying a used vehicle ("Classified") and fighting hippies that invade town ("Crispy Critters"). "Roses for Mama" is corny but heartfelt, and in my opinion the greatest C.W. McCall song is "There Won't Be No Country Music (There Won't Be No Rock 'N' Roll)" - an environmental anthem ahead of it's time:

Well, it's only gonna take about a minute or so
'Til the junkyards fell the prairies, boy
And them smokin' yellow grass fires start to burn
And the warnings on them beer cans
Gonna be buried in them landfills
No deposit, no sad songs, and no returns

Yeah, it's only gonna take about a minute or so
'Til the factories blot the sun out
You gonna have to turn your lights on just to see
And them lights are gonna be neon, sayin'
"Fly Our Jets To Paradise"
And the whole damn world is gonna be made of styrene

So listen well, my brothers
When you hear the night wind sigh
And you see the wild goose flying
Through the gray, polluted sky
There won't be no country music
There won't be no rock 'n' roll
'Cause when they take away our country
They'll take away our soul

C.W. McCall passed in 2022, and though the 6th of June is celebrated as C.W. McCall or International Convoy day (listen to Convoy to understand why), his music is suitable for every day. Intelligent story songs delivered with the backing of talented musicians will take you back to when substance mattered more than style.
Highly recommended.

1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.

Fun and interesting songs

Kurt A. Johnson | North-Central Illinois, USA | 05/18/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"C.W. McCall (nope, there was no one in the band with that name) was the creation of Billy Dale Fries. The idea for the group and the songs came from a series of advertising features Fries created for the Metz Baking Company, that included a trucker named C.W. McCall! Well, the rest, as they say, is history! Combining the work of Billy Fries, Chip Davis (of Mannheim Steamroller fame) and a number of other talents, C.W. McCall produced a number of songs that were quite popular in their time.



I must admit, I am getting nostalgic at this point in my life, and I really wanted to hear some of the great C.W. McCall songs again, so my loving wife went out and got this album for me. It's a great album, full of the great songs that I remember. Yeah, Convoy was their biggest hit, but it actually isn't one of my favorites. I love The Silverton, Four Wheel Drive, and Aurora Borealis.



I am so happy playing this album, which I do all the time. My son said that it reminded him of that trucker movie (Smokey and the Bandit), and it is from the same era and genre. Overall, I think this is a great album, with lots of fun and interesting songs. I love this album, and highly recommend it."