Not one to relish much contemporary country music, James O. Wheeler enjoyed the old folk songs of LeadBelly rather than John Denver's "Country Roads," listened to hillbilly music rather than modern pop styles, and preferred Hank Williams, Senior to Hank Williams, Junior. He shared a love of truck-driving songs with his brother-in-law Bill Burris, and he loved going to festivals to hear live Bluegrass and other folk music.
Truck-Driving Songs
1. Six Days on the Road
2. Bud the Spud 3. Teddy Bear 4. Roll on 18 Wheeler 5. Convoy 6. I’ve Been Everywhere 7. 18 Wheels and a Dozen Roses 8. Girl on the Billboard 9. Eastbound and Down 10. Give me 40 Acres 11. Truckin’ 12. Me and Bobby McGee 13. On the Road Again 14. Drivers’ Paradise 15. Truck Drivers Sweetheart 16. 40 Miles of Bad Road 17. Giddy Up Go 18. How Fast Them Trucks Can Go 19. The Bandit 20. Thank God for the Radio 21. Big Wheels in the Moonlight 22. Truck Driving Queen 23. I’m a Truck 24. Truck Got Stuck 25. Truck Driving Man 26. Roll Truck Roll 27. Teddy Bear’s Last Ride 28. Momma Knows the Highway 29. Long Long Texas Road 30. 500 Miles 31. Phantom 309 32. Truck Drivin’ Son of A Gun 33. Diesel on my Tail 34. Little Pink Mack 35. A Tombstone Every Mile 36. Looking at the World through a Windshield 37. Freightliner Fever 38. Endless Black Ribbon 39. Giddy Up and Go Answer 40. Truck Driver’s Prayer 41. Long Lonesome Road 42. I’m a Roadhammer 43. 18 Wheels 44. Keep On Truckin’ 45. Happy Journey 46. Man Behind the Wheel 47. Truck Drivin’ Buddy 48. Truck driver’s blues 49. Cowboyboots 50. Rubber Duck Actually somewhat eclectic in musical tastes, James O. Wheeler included Atlanta hit singer Alicia Bridges in his vinyl record collection.
[Memory by S. Dian Higginbotham] |
"A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash
My daddy left home when I was three And he didn't leave much to ma and me Just this old guitar and an empty bottle of booze. Now, I don't blame him cause he run and hid But the meanest thing that he ever did Was before he left, he went and named me "Sue." Well, he must o' thought that is quite a joke And it got a lot of laughs from a' lots of folk, It seems I had to fight my whole life through. Some gal would giggle and I'd get red And some guy'd laugh and I'd bust his head, I tell ya, life ain't easy for a boy named "Sue." Well, I grew up quick and I grew up mean, My fist got hard and my wits got keen, I'd roam from town to town to hide my shame. But I made a vow to the moon and stars That I'd search the honky-tonks and bars And kill that man who gave me that awful name. Well, it was Gatlinburg in mid-July And I just hit town and my throat was dry, I thought I'd stop and have myself a brew. At an old saloon on a street of mud, There at a table, dealing stud, Sat the dirty, mangy dog that named me "Sue." Well, I knew that snake was my own sweet dad From a worn-out picture that my mother'd had, And I knew that scar on his cheek and his evil eye. He was big and bent and gray and old, And I looked at him and my blood ran cold And I said: "My name is 'Sue!' How do you do! Now your gonna die!!" Well, I hit him hard right between the eyes And he went down, but to my surprise, He come up with a knife and cut off a piece of my ear. But I busted a chair right across his teeth And we crashed through the wall and into the street Kicking and a' gouging in the mud and the blood and the beer. I tell ya, I've fought tougher men But I really can't remember when, He kicked like a mule and he bit like a crocodile. I heard him laugh and then I heard him cuss, He went for his gun and I pulled mine first, He stood there lookin' at me and I saw him smile. And he said: "Son, this world is rough And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough And I knew I wouldn't be there to help ya along. So I give ya that name and I said goodbye I knew you'd have to get tough or die And it's the name that helped to make you strong." He said: "Now you just fought one hell of a fight And I know you hate me, and you got the right To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do. But ya ought to thank me, before I die, For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you "Sue.'" I got all choked up and I threw down my gun And I called him my pa, and he called me his son, And I came away with a different point of view. And I think about him, now and then, Every time I try and every time I win, And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him Bill or George! Anything but Sue! I still hate that name! |