"Big Wheel Cannonball" (sometimes rendered as Big Wheel Cannon Ball) is a song written by

Vaughn Horton George Vaughn Horton (June 5, 1911 – February 29, 1988) was an American songwriter and performer. Usually credited as "Vaughn Horton" or "George Vaughn," he wrote or contributed to the success of several popular songs, including "''Choo Choo Ch' ...

. It follows the same melody as "

Wabash Cannonball "The Great Rock Island Route" ( Roud 4228), popularized as "Wabash Cannonball" and also known by various other titles, is a 19th-century American folk song that describes the scenic beauty and predicaments of a fictional train, the ''Wabash Cann ...

" by

The Carter Family The Carter Family was an American folk music group that recorded and performed between 1927 and 1956. Regarded as one of the most important music acts of the early 20th century, they had a profound influence on the development of bluegrass, c ...

, but its lyrics eulogise trucks and truckers rather than trains. It was originally released in 1967 by veteran Canadian singer Dick Todd, backed by the Appalachian Wildcats, on the small Peer-Southern Records label; this was shortly afterwards re-released on a national basis by

Decca Decca may refer to: Music * Decca Records or Decca Music Group, record label * Decca Gold, classical music record label owned by Universal Music Group * Decca Broadway, musical theater record label * Decca Studios, recording facility in West ...

, and the Decca release rose to number 52 on the Billboard US Country charts, making it Todd's final chart entry. In 1970, a cover version by American country singer

Dick Curless Richard William Curless (March 17, 1932 – May 25, 1995) was an American country music singer. He usually wore a patch over his right eye. Biography Curless was born in Fort Fairfield, Maine, United States, and moved with his family to M ...

was released. This version charted higher than Todd's original on ''Billboard'', and also made the Canadian country charts. Lawton Williams released a further cover in 1971 on his album ''Between Truck Stops''.

Chart performance (Curless's version)

References

{{authority control 1970 songs Dick Curless songs Song recordings produced by George Richey Songs written by George Vaughn Horton