''Wolf Creek Pass, The Old Home Filler-up an' Keep on a-Truckin' Cafe (and Other Wild Places.)'' is the debut
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by
country
A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
musician
C. W. McCall, released in 1975 (see
1975 in music) on
MGM Records
MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
. It was recorded after the success of a song included in the album, "Old Home Filler-up an' Keep on a-Truckin' Cafe", which was used in a popular
television commercial
A television advertisement (also called a commercial, spot, break, advert, or ad) is a span of television programming produced and paid for by an organization. It conveys a message promoting, and aiming to market, a product, service or idea. ...
that helped make McCall famous. McCall in the commercials was portrayed by a silent Jim Finlayson, with a
first-person voiceover by Bill Fries;
Fries, who had co-created the character with future
Mannheim Steamroller founder
Chip Davis
Louis F. "Chip" Davis Jr. (born September 5, 1947) is the founder and leader of the music group Mannheim Steamroller. Davis composed the music for several C. W. McCall albums, including the hit 1975 song "Convoy". He has also written and made o ...
, took over as the face and voice of the character with the album's release, taking on the stage name "C. W. McCall" for the rest of his life (Finlayson's character would change initials to "A.J." afterward).
[ The album concentrated predominantly on themes related to trucking, with many of them based on events in Fries' life. The album also contained the ]eponym
An eponym is a noun after which or for which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. Adjectives derived from the word ''eponym'' include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''.
Eponyms are commonly used for time periods, places, innovati ...
ous song "Wolf Creek Pass", which helped popularize the actual mountain pass (located in Colorado) itself. The actual "Old Home Filler-up an' Keep on a-Truckin' Cafe" was located in Pisgah, Iowa.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Bill Fries and Chip Davis
# "Wolf Creek Pass" – 3:55
# "Night Rider" – 2:30
# "Classified" – 2:28
# "Old 30" – 2:20
# "I've Trucked All Over This Land" – 2:46
# "Four Wheel Drive" – 2:58
# "Rocky Mountain September" – 3:10
# "Old Home Filler-up an' Keep on a-Truckin' Cafe" – 2:45
# "Sloan" – 3:08
# "Glenwood Canyon" – 3:10
Personnel
* C. W. McCall - vocals, design
* Carol Rogers, Liz Westphalen (The Puffys) - vocals
* Terry Waddell, Bill Berg - drums
* Curtis McPeake, Bobbie Thomas - banjo
* Larry Morton, Ron Agnew - guitar
* Chuck Sanders, Eric Hansen - bass
* Ron Steele - 12-string, 6-string electric guitar
* Gregg Fox - 12-string guitar
* Jackson Berkey - keyboards
* Chip Davis - producer, arranger, drums, strings
* Don Sears - producer, engineer, design
* Ron Ubel - engineer
* Steve Kline - photography
The title track was covered by Australian singer Lester Coombs. Lyrics were changed to fit Australian geography.
"Old 30" was covered in the mid-seventies by Australian radio DJ John Laws. His version was entitled "Old 31 One More Time" and also modified to provide a moving portrait of Australian scenery.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Singles
References
External links
NarrowGauge.org album information for ''Wolf Creek Pass''
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Wolf Creek Pass
Wolf Creek Pass
Wolf Creek Pass