Terry Fell, Songwriting Man

Dora native, Terry Fell is best known for writing and recording the influential country classic "Truck Driving Man", the b-side of his 1954 release "Don't Drop It" on the RCA subsidiary label "X".  "Don't Drop It" charted #5 as a country hit. While "Truck Driving Man" took a little longer to make it's way into the limelight, it has stubbornly refused to step out ever since.

Truck Driving Man has been covered by many other artists, including Buck Owens who sang back up on the 1954 original.   Between 1962 and 2011 the song was released by more than 18 artists in English, it has also been translated into Norwegian.  Here is a sampling of Truck Driving Man, starting with the original (plays at 2.07):




Fell's first recording was made as a member of Billy Huges' band, then his solo recording career spanned from 1947 to 1964 when he quit performing but continued to write and publish songs.  Though he never had a lot of hits he was a smart songwriter who had a talent for fun, uptempo boppers with witty lyrics and innovative stylings. Here are a couple of my favorites.




Finally here is some rare footage of Terry entertaining some folks in Nashville in 1975. Thanks to the filmmaker Hans Haggstrom for sharing that with us. Sure looks like a great party!



Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fell
http://www.secondhandsongs.com/work/51439

More info: 
http://alabamamusicoffice.com/artists-a-z/f/760-fell-terry