Dave Dudley

Musician

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

Dave Dudley, who had a hit record in the 1960s with the truck-driving song "Six Days on the Road,'' died Monday, December 22 of an apparent heart attack. He was 75.

Dudley recorded more than 70 albums during his career.

He formed the Dave Dudley Trio in the early 1950s, and the band stayed together for seven years. Dudley moved to Minnesota in 1960 and formed the Country Gentlemen.

He got his big break in 1963 when he introduced "Six Days on the Road." It became a hit and solidified his image as a friend of the working class. His wife co-wrote songs with him for much of his career.

In 2002, following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Dudley returned to the studio to record "Dave Dudley, American Trucker," a hard-edged tribute to truckers that included two songs talking to terrorists who might want to tangle with the folks who drive the big rigs.