Dave Dudley

Truckers Music

Born Darwin David Pedruska on May 3, 1926 in Spencer, WI, Dave Dudley grew up in Stevens Point, WI and received his first guitar from his dad when he was 11. Dave's first love was baseball and was with the Gainsville Owls when he tore a muscle in his pitching arm.  While recovering, Dave dropped by WTMT in Wausau, WI and ended up hosting The Texas Stranger Show.  Following a stint at KBOK in Waterloo, IA, Dave headed northwest in 1952 to KCHA in Charles City, IA.  A year later, Dave formed the Dave Dudley Trio which stayed together for seven years.

In 1960, Dave moved to Minnesota, formed the Country Gentlemen, and joined KEVE in Minneapolis.  While packing his away guitar after a performance at The Flame on December 3, 1960, he was seriously injured when a car struck him. Following a lengthy recovery, Dave reached the top 40 with Maybe I Do in 1961 and Under Cover of the Night in 1962.  Shortly thereafter, Jimmy C. Newman gave Dave the demo for Six Days on the Road.  After running undertime on a 1963 session, the song was cut unrehearsed & nailed on the second take.   With Jimmy Colvard providing the hot licks, Dave received a contract from Mercury and a signature song.

Dave's association with Mercury lasted a decade, before he moved to Rice Records.   By 1975, Dave signed with United Artists. In 1978, he rejoined Rice. Since 1980, Dave has recorded for numerous labels in North America and Europe.

In 2001, Dave recorded his first all trucking project since 1965, Ame Dave Dudley was born with the name David Darwin Pedruska on May 3, 1928, in Spencer, Wis. He was raised in Stevens Point, Wis., and played on semi-pro baseball teams until an arm injury forced an end to his athletic career in 1950. Moving toward a career in country music, he became a radio disc jockey, working at stations in Wisconsin, Iowa, Idaho and Minnesota and formed the Dave Dudley Trio in 1953. Dudley was sidelined for several months in 1960 after being struck by a car while loading equipment following a performance in Minneapolis.

Dudley first hit the Billboard country singles chart in 1961 with "Maybe I Do" on Vee Records. He charted again a year later with "Under Cover of the Night" on the Jubilee label. But he's best remembered for his 1963 recording of "Six Days on the Road," which spent two weeks at No. 2 on the country charts. Written by Earl Greene and Earl Montgomery, the song was passed along to Dudley by Jimmy C. Newman. Although Dudley was initially reluctant to record the up-tempo song, "Six Days on the Road" helped him land a recording contract with Mercury Records.

Building his career on truck driving songs, Dudley charted 41 singles on the Billboard country chart, including "Truck Drivin' Son-of-a-Gun," "There Ain't No Easy Run," "One More Mile," "Trucker's Prayer" and "Truck Driver's Waltz." He scored his only No. 1 hit with "The Pool Shark," a 1970 duet with Mercury labelmate Tom T. Hall. Dudley and Hall also charted a follow-up single, "Day Drinking." Dudley's chart success continued through the '70s on a variety of labels including Mercury, Rice and United Artists. His last charted single, "Rolaids, Doan's Pills and Preparation H," was released in 1980. He died on December 22, 2003.

Through his music, Dudley helped create an image of the American trucker that influenced several films and TV shows from the '70s, including Smokey and the Bandit and Movin' On. With his booming voice and a twanging lead guitar, Dudley's recording of "Six Days on the Road" also had an impact on a new generation of musicians. The song was later recorded by Gram Parsons (both as a solo artist and with the Flying Burrito Brothers), Steve Earle, George Thorogood & the Destroyers and Sawyer Brown.