C. W. McCall

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
"William Fries" redirects here. For the American football offensive guard, see Will Fries.

C. W. McCall
Background information
Birth nameBillie Dale Fries
Also known asWilliam Dale Fries Jr.
Born(1928-11-15)November 15, 1928
Audubon, Iowa, U.S.
DiedApril 1, 2022(2022-04-01) (aged 93)
Ouray, Colorado, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Graphic artist
  • set designer
  • art director
  • singer-songwriter
Years active1944–2022
Labels
Mayor of Ouray, Colorado
In office
1986–1992

William Dale Fries Jr. (November 15, 1928 – April 1, 2022) was an American

commercial artist who won several Clio Awards for his advertising campaigns. He was also a musician and is best known for his character C. W. McCall, a truck-driving country singer that he originally created for a series of bread commercials. Fries performed as McCall in a series of outlaw albums and songs in the 1970s, in collaboration with co-worker Chip Davis who also founded Mannheim Steamroller
.

McCall's most successful song was "

Freedom Convoy
protests in 2022 and Fries enjoyed this revival before he died at the age of 93.

Early life

McCall was born Billie Dale Fries[1] on November 15, 1928, in Audubon, Iowa, the son of William Dale "Billie" Fries Sr. and Margaret Fries.[2] He later legally changed his name to William Dale Fries, Jr.[1] One of his sons is now Bill Fries III.[3]

His family was musical; Bill Sr., a farm equipment factory foreman by day, performed with his two brothers in The Fries Brothers Band

GI Bill of Rights.[7][8] He then returned to Audubon to work as a signwriter.[3]

In 1950, he got a job as a commercial artist with

set design. He also supported the local ballet and opera societies, doing work which won an award from the Omaha Artists and Art Directors Club. This attracted the attention of Bozell & Jacobs which was a local advertising agency and they gave him a job as an art director, doubling his salary.[7][8]

He married Rena Bonnema on February 15, 1952; the two remained married for 70 years until his death.

model railroading and working on his old military jeep.[10]

Advertising

In 1973, while working for

country and western.[10]

Singing

The commercial won a

Clio Award and its success led to other trucking songs such as "Wolf Creek Pass" and "Black Bear Road".[2] Fries wrote the lyrics and sang while Chip Davis, who wrote jingles at Bozell & Jacobs, wrote the music. Classically-trained Davis would win Country Music Writer of the Year in 1976 for his work with McCall, despite not liking the genre; the success allowed him to launch his instrumental project Mannheim Steamroller, which became particularly well-known for its Christmas records.[11]

McCall is best known for the 1976 No. 1 hit song, "

pirate-flavored sequel to "Convoy") bubbled under the Hot 100. A dozen McCall songs appeared on Billboard's Hot Country Singles chart, including the sentimental "Roses for Mama" (1977).[2]

In 1978, the movie Convoy was released, based on the C. W. McCall song.[2] The film starred Kris Kristofferson, Ali MacGraw, Burt Young, and Ernest Borgnine and was directed by Sam Peckinpah.[2] It featured a new version of the song, written specially for the film.

The song "Convoy" is featured in Grand Theft Auto V. In 2014, Rolling Stone ranked "Convoy" No. 98 on their list of 100 Greatest Country Songs.[14]

In addition to the "original six" McCall albums released between 1975 and 1979, two rare singles exist. "Kidnap America" was a politically/socially-conscious track released in 1980 during the

George Brett, one of the Royals' players).[15]

Politics and later life in Ouray

Ouray City Hall, which was created as a replica of the Independence Hall, was restored after a fund-raising campaign led by Bill Fries as mayor

Fries and his family vacationed in

summer home there after the financial success of "Convoy". When Fries stopped touring, he retired to Ouray with his family. In 1986, Fries was elected mayor of the town and served three terms of two years each. His main achievement as mayor was to restore the historic city hall, which had burnt down in 1950. Another major project was the San Juan Odyssey. This was an audiovisual exhibition which had originally been a slide show at Wright's Opera House. C. W. McCall had provided the narration for this in 1979 and it was shown to hundreds of thousands of visitors until the show closed in 1996. He then revised and digitized the production so that it could be shown in modern formats such as DVD.[7][16][17]

In an interview Fries conducted on February 9, 2022, he gave his blessing for the use of his signature song "Convoy" for the

Freedom Convoy protests in Canada, with Taste of Country noting that he was "energized and enthusiastic" about the revival of interest in the song and its message.[9]

Fries died on April 1, 2022, at age 93, from complications of cancer.[18]

Discography

Studio albums

Year Album details Peak chart positions
sales threshold
)
US Country US AUS[19] CAN
NZ
1975 Wolf Creek Pass[20] 4 143 — — —
Black Bear Road[21]
  • Released: September 1975
  • Label: MGM Records
 1 12 49 16 19
  • US certification
    : Gold
1976 Wilderness[22] 9 143 — — —
Rubber Duck[23]
  • Released: 1976
  • Label: Polydor Records
 29 — — — —
1977 Roses for Mama[23]
  • Released: 1977
  • Label: Polydor Records
 22 — — — —
1979 C. W. McCall & Co.[23]
  • Released: 1979
  • Label: Polydor Records
 — — — — —
1990 The Real McCall: An American Storyteller[23] — — — — —
2003 American Spirit (with Mannheim Steamroller)[23]
  • Released: May 20, 2003
  • Label: American Gramaphone
 — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Compilation albums

Year Album details Peak positions
US Country
1978 C. W. McCall's Greatest Hits[23]
  • Released: 1978
  • Label: Polydor Records
 45
1989 Four Wheel Cowboy[23]
  • Released: 1989
  • Label:
    PolyGram Records
 —
1991 The Legendary C. W. McCall[23]
  • Released: 1991
  • Label: PolyGram Records
 —
1997 The Best of C. W. McCall[23]
  • Released: 1997
  • Label: PSM Records
 —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

Singles

Year Single Peak chart positions Album
US Country[24] US[25] CAN Country CAN CAN AC
UK
[26]
 AUS[19]
NZ
AUT
1974 "Old Home Filler-Up an' Keep On-a-Truckin' Cafe" 19 54 12 44 44 — — — — Wolf Creek Pass
"Wolf Creek Pass" 12 40 46 — — — — — —
1975 "Classified" 13 101 45 — — — — — —
"Black Bear Road" 24 — 42 — — — — — — Black Bear Road
"Convoy" 1 1 4 1 13 2 1 1 19
1976 "There Won't Be No Country Music
(There Won't Be No Rock 'n' Roll)" 		19 73 8 77 37 — 77 — — Wilderness
"Crispy Critters" 32 — — — — — — — —
"Four Wheel Cowboy" 88 — — — — — — — —
"'Round the World with the Rubber Duck" 40 101 40 — — — — — — Rubber Duck
1977 "Audubon" 56 — — — — — — — —
"Roses for Mama" 2 — 5 — — — 74 — — Roses for Mama
1978 "Outlaws and Lone Star Beer" 81 — — — — — — — — C. W. McCall & Co.
1980 "Kidnap America" — — — — — — — — — —
"—" denotes releases that did not chart

References

  1. ^
    ISSN 0190-8286. Archived
    from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  2. ^
    ISBN 0-85112-726-6
    .
  3. ^ a b Michael Levenson (April 3, 2022), "Bill Fries, Singer Known for 1970s Trucking Ballad 'Convoy,' Dies at 93", New York Times
  4. ^ "CW McCall obituary", The Times, April 7, 2022, archived from the original on April 7, 2022, retrieved April 9, 2022
  5. ^ a b Ligo, Joe (May 19, 2021). "The 1970s Trucking Craze Can Be Traced Back to a Regional TV Commercial for Bread". The Drive. Retrieved December 12, 2023.
  6. ^ "C.W. McCall". Oldies.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  7. ^ a b c T Church (October 5, 2011), "From Iowa to Ouray: The Life of C.W. McCall", The Bigfoot Diaries, archived from the original on April 8, 2022, retrieved April 7, 2022
  8. ^ a b Miles Lumbard (November 17, 2010), Tales of the Four Wheel Cowboy, archived from the original on February 18, 2021, retrieved April 7, 2022
  9. ^ a b "'Convoy' Singer C.W. McCall Is in Hospice". February 17, 2022. Archived from the original on February 20, 2022. Retrieved February 20, 2022.
  10. ^
    ISBN 9781418557829
  11. OCLC 20156945
    .
  12. ISBN 9780359644629
  13. ISBN 0-214-20512-6
    .
  14. ^ "98. C.W. McCall, 'Convoy' (1975) Photo - 100 Greatest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. June 1, 2014. Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  15. ISBN 978-1-4767-7717-7. Archived
    from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "'McCall' Leaves Office" Archived October 8, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, Rocky Mountain News, January 14, 1992. Accessed March 25, 2008
  17. ^ William Heller (December 31, 1999), "10-4 Rubber Duck!", The Star, archived from the original on December 25, 2006, retrieved April 8, 2022
  18. ^ Brodsky, Greg (April 2022). "C.W. McCall, Who Had a #1 Novelty Hit, 'Convoy,' During CB Craze, Dies". Best Classic Bands. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  19. ^
    ISBN 0-646-11917-6
    .
  20. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1975". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 26, 2021. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  21. ^ "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1976". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved July 19, 2021.
  22. ^ "C.W. McCall - Wilderness Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  23. ^ a b c d e f g h i "C.W. McCall, 'Convoy' Country Singer, Dead at 93". Rolling Stone. April 2, 2022. Archived from the original on April 5, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022.
  24. ISBN 0-89820-100-4
    .
  25. ISBN 0-89820-155-1
    .
  26. ISBN 0-00-717931-6
    .

Bibliography

  • Bernhardt, Jack. (1998). "C.W. McCall" in The Encyclopedia of Country Music. Paul Kingsbury, Editor. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 333.

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=C._W._McCall&oldid=1223695314"