Guy Drake (June 24, 1904 – June 17, 1984) was an American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

singer and comedian, best known for his 1970 hit "Welfare Cadillac". Born in Weir, Kentucky, Drake worked as a painter in the 1960s when he composed his only single, "Welfare Cadilac". According to him, he wrote the song in 1964 after seeing a rundown shack with a

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

on either side and ten children living inside, with a new

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

car sitting out front. The song is a satirical account of an impoverished parent living on

welfare Welfare may refer to: Philosophy *Well-being (happiness, prosperity, or flourishing) of a person or group * Utility in utilitarianism * Value in value theory Economics * Utility, a general term for individual well-being in economics and decision ...

. After being rejected by several other record labels, it was released in 1970 as the first single from the independent Royal American Records label. It was a subject of controversy when

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until Resignation of Richard Nixon, his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican ...

, then the

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, asked

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American singer-songwriter. Most of his music contains themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially songs from the later stages of his career. ...

to perform the song at the

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, but Cash refused because he felt the song was degrading to recipients of welfare. The book ''Welfare in the United States: A History with Documents, 1935–1996'' described "Welfare Cadillac" as "premised on stereotypes of welfare recipients as undeserving" and "contrast nghard-working people who pay taxes with welfare recipients who get free commodities and drive brand-new Cadillacs". "Welfare Cadillac" was commercially successful in both the United States and Canada. The song reached the number 63 position on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

, as well as the number six position on the same publication's

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data along with digital sales and streaming. ...

charts. It was also commercially successful in Canada, reaching number 66 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Top Singles charts and number one on the same publication's Country Tracks charts. "Welfare Cadillac" was also issued on an LP of the same name. The album got a review from ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' magazine which stated "Toothless and grinning like a mule eating briars in the middle of December, Drake recites his way through five self-penned tunes and various other biggies." Drake died of unknown causes in 1984.

Discography

Singles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Drake, Guy 1904 births 1984 deaths American country singers American stand-up comedians People from Muhlenberg County, Kentucky Country musicians from Kentucky