Remembering Dave Dudley and “Where’s The Truck”

Posted at December 11, 2009 |

When it comes to truck driving songs Dave Dudley is well known. Today we remember Dave Dudley and Charlie Douglas with a cute song called “Where’s The Truck”. From the “On the Road Again – 20 Truck Drivin’ Hits” album, the song starts with great steel guitar, fiddles, and Dave Dudley’s familiar voice. When Dave starts out with “We parked that old truck here in Nashville” only the title suggests what’s to come next.

Charlie Douglas doesn’t sing as much as he stirs up the trouble on this great country song. “Don’t mind him ossifer, they only let him off the leash every third Thursday” Charlie says about Dave, while the two try to locate the truck. “Have you seen a truck with nobody in it?” asks Charlie.

I found my copy of the CD at the Midwest Truck Stop in the Missouri forest out on 60 and 63, but you can find a copy on eBay, Amazon, or at iTunes.

Other artists that sing on this CD include Bill Napier, Charlie Douglas by himself, Charlie Moore, Claude Gray, Coleman Wilson, Dave Dudley, Del Reeves, Duane Eddy, George Morgan, Jack Greene, Jean Shepard, Jimmy Martin, Johnny Bond, Johnny Bond and Red Sovine, Moore and Napier, Red Simpson, Red Sovine, Red Sovine And Jean Shepard, Rod Hart, The Willis Brothers, Tiny Harris, and Tommy Hill.

“Where’s The Truck” is a great country song with dobro and a strong beat. Dave Dudley sings about losing his cowboy hat in Pensacola, while Nancy thinks I lost my mind right here at my desk. I’ve played the song eight times while writing this article.

Dave Dudley was elected to the Nashville Teamsters Truck Drivers Union. He received a solid gold membership card from the union. It seems fitting for a man who gained fame for his truck driving songs. Charlie Douglas was inducted into the Country Music D J Hall of Fame in 1994. Douglas retired from radio in 1995.

Dave Dudley died on December 22, 2003, aged 75, after suffering a heart attack at his home in Wisconsin. His real name was David Darwin Pedruska.

You can listen to a sample of “Where’s The Truck” here on Amazon

If you find the song somewhere else please let us know by leaving a comment