The country artist famed for “Convoy” passed away Friday at age 93.
His named was William Dale Fries Jr. and he was working as a creative director for an Omaha, Nebraska advertising agency when, in 1973, he created a character known as C.W. McCall, a good-ol’-boy truck driver, for a series of commercials commissioned by a Midwestern bread company. Then he adopted the name, and the persona, for a new career as a country music artist.
Smart move.
McCall, as was known to millions during his heyday as a singer-songwriter, was 93 when he passed away Friday at his home in Ouray, Colo., where he had served six years as mayor after being elected in 1986. He leaves behind a legacy that includes “Convoy,” the 1975 No. 1 pop and country hit that brought C.B. radios and trucker slanguage into the mainstream of popular culture, and inspired a 1978 Sam Peckinaph-directed movie starring Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw and Ernest Borgnine. Today we’re celebrating his life by listening to his music.