Some of the most recognizable slang still exists in our pop culture. Introducing CB slang into pop culture is what these two guys will always be remembered for and the fascination with the slang is still alive and well today.Īpart from the 10 code, truckers have a unique language for people and things they encounter on the road, some of which are on display in the song Convoy. Davis became the composer and musician behind Mannheim Steamroller which has already sold more than 31 million albums. After ending his foray into the music business in 1980, Fries became the mayor of the town of Ouray, Colorado and ultimately served two full terms. The CB slang and trucker life remained in pop culture for quite a while inspiring movies White Line Fever (1975), Breaker! Breaker! (1977), High Ballin’ (1978), Flatbed Annie and Sweetiepie Lady Truckers (1979), Over The Top (1987), and Black Dog (1998) to name just a few.įries and Davis went on to have very successful careers. The movies Movin’ On and the Burt Reynolds’/Sally Field hit Smokey and the Bandit were also inspired by the song and the slang of the trucker. The song also spawned a movie by the same name starring Chris Kristofferson and Ali McGraw and directed by the great Sam Peckinpah. Not only did this catchy song become a novelty radio hit, it was also seen as a protest song by truckers, an anthem against the regulations and rules that were costing truckers a lot of money during the 70’s. McCall’s recording career was born soon after with 1974’s “Old Home Filler-Up an’ Keep on-a-Truckin’ Cafe” The fictional character’s biggest hit, “Convoy” came in 1975. The commercials went on to win the top Clio Award for best television campaign in the US, beating out Xerox and Ford. Fries felt that the commercials should have a country western feel and so C.W., (Country Western) and glancing down at a copy of McCall’s magazine, McCall, was born. The character was originally dreamed up for a series of bread commercials. McCall, is actually a character created and voiced by Fries. The main character of the song, who is credited as the writer and singer, C.W. Then in 1975 advertising exec Bill Fries provided the words for jingle writer Chip Davis and the two of them created the CB radio inspired song “Convoy”, taking the lives of truckers and the slang of CB radio out of the cabs and into the pop culture. The radio was also used to organized protests in the form of convoys and blockades, where truckers would fill all available highway lanes in protest of gas prices and new trucking regulations. The CB radio was coming into its own being used by truckers to communicate to other drivers which stations had gas and notify others of where the police were setting up speed traps. and to avoid getting into serious trouble, they hid their identities behind fake names which soon became the norm and were called “handles”.īy 1973 the oil crisis was in full flood causing gas prices to rise, shortages to become a daily grind and the US government issued the nation wide 55 MPH speed limit. People had ignored the rules of CB radio, regulations, distance restrictions, allowable transmitter power, etc. Eventually the FCC received over 1 million applications for licenses and they dropped the license requirement but, by that time, the whole CB culture was born. In the early 70’s, the price of a license dropped to $4.00 per year. Years before, a license was required to use a CB radio which cost $20.00 per year. Along with this slang, CB radio clubs adopted the “10” codes similar to codes used by emergency services, 10-4, 10-1, 10-9, etc. By the late 60’s advancement in solid state electronics allowed the size and cost to be greatly reduced, making it easy for CB clubs to form and hobbyists developed their own, unique CB slang. By the 1960’s the cost of the radio was low enough that most average Joes could afford one, and the 23 channel radio was introduced. The radio was popular with small businesses and blue collar workers like carpenters, plumbers and electricians who used it to communicate with coworkers on the job. In 1945, Al Gross, the inventor of the walkie-talkie and owner of the Citizens Radio Corp., invented the CB radio. The song was “Convoy” and the language was the trucker slang of CB radio. The song also introduced a language to the general public that some never knew existed. The song was a protest song, a novelty song, huge hit that soon spawned movies and TV shows. In 1975, the top song on the radio was one written by ad-man Bill Fries and his jingle writing partner Chip Davis. 10-4, Good Buddy, Put Your Ears On for This
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