3 Things You Didn’t Know About the 1975 One-Hit Wonder “Convoy”

Okay, imagine you’re in a boardroom and a musician walks in. He’s wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses, and he has a song pitch for you. It’s about a group of trucks, and there’s a lot of inter-truck communication. It’s called “Convoy”—what do you think?

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Well, if you’re like most people, in this hypothetical conversation, you probably would have told that young cowboy to get out of your office! But then you would have missed out on a No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100. These are three things you didn’t know about the 1976 one-hit wonder “Convoy”.

The Subject of CB Radios… Over

Released in 1975, “Convoy” by C. W. McCall raced up the Billboard charts. It’s not often that a country song hits the top spot on the Hot 100, but that’s just what McCall was able to achieve with this odd offering. It also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

But maybe the oddity is what made the song so memorable to music fans at the time. In the mid-1970s, there was a new communications craze. And it didn’t have to do with beepers, pagers, or cell phones. No, it was all about “citizens band radio”.

Yes, CB radio—that free, short-distance system that was a lot like two cans strung together—you could use it to yammer on with your fellow convoy of truckers as you headed down the road. And that is the very silly subject of this hit song. Who knew something so peculiar could make for something so popular… over.

Let’s Make A Movie, Kris Kristofferson

Okay, stick with us here, but this song was so popular that it went on to inspire a real-life feature film. Indeed, “Convoy” was the reason Sam Peckinpah made the 1978 movie of the same name. McCall even rerecorded his song to fit the movie’s plot line.

But in a moment of unity amongst country stars, the 1978 trucking film featured another hero from the genre, Kris Kristofferson. The handsome songwriter appears shirtless on the movie poster, held from behind by his co-star Ali MacGraw.

That was the power of a No. 1 track in the mid-1970s. It could turn into a chart-topper for weeks and lead to a Hollywood film about highways.

Homer Simpson

But it wasn’t just feature films. No cartoons were inspired by the song, too.

Those of a certain age might not remember the original release of the hit country song in 1975. But they might recall it being referenced in the cartoon sitcom The Simpsons. Indeed, Homer, the family’s patriarch, who grew up in the 1970s, seems to love the song.

Not only does he sing it on an episode, but he puts a Christmas version of the song on in another. So, add him and The Simpsons family to the convoy of folks who love the 1975 one-hit wonder.

Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images