Marty Stuart: An artist whose evolution touches the breadth of country music, Part 1
The country music industry is filled with musicians and performers who are critically acclaimed yet have limited commercial success. No. 1 hits are rare for
Kris Rutherford
- About Kris Rutherford
- Since retiring from a career as an outdoor recreation professional from the State of Arkansas, Kris Rutherford has worked as a freelance writer and, with his wife, owns and publishes a small Northeast Texas newspaper, The Roxton Progress. Kris has worked as a ghostwriter and editor and has authored seven books of his own. He became interested in the trucking industry as a child in the 1970s when his family traveled the interstates twice a year between their home in Maine and their native Texas. He has been a classic country music enthusiast since the age of nine when he developed a special interest in trucking songs.
Posts by Kris Rutherford
1975 Entertainer of the Year John Denver found ‘country roads’ not as friendly as the ones he sang of in top-selling single
Country music has always been, like the country in which it was born, a “melting pot” of musical genres. Take a fresh dose of gospel,
Razzy Bailey’s trucking song was a follow-up to recording history
I recently discovered a satellite radio station, and it brought back a lot of memories. It’s not just the songs the station plays (it specializes
Music for the long haul: Take along a little George Strait for those holidays on the road
This Christmas Eve, whether you’re bedding down in your sleeper, dropping in on relatives, headed home or traveling on another long haul … well, there’s
Trucking tunes make Christmas on the road a little merrier
If a country music artist has any staying power, chances are that before they record their first “greatest hits” album, they’ve turned out a collection
‘Heroes of the Highway’ have inspired country music for decades
Thanks to television, a couple of movies and a whole lot of trucking songs in the 1970s, truck drivers became cultural icons. Listeners still look
These songs made truck drivers admired ‘outlaws’ of the highway
In 1980, when the Motor Carrier Act deregulated the trucking industry, competition among carriers became fierce. But in spite of this “deregulation,” the federal government
Former mortician scores big hit with ‘old school’ song that transcends genres
Years ago, I recall a local country radio poll asking listeners to pick from one of two newly released songs. Which would be the bigger
Modern agendas can’t sweep the meaning of this well-known trucking song from the highway
Dave Dudley released seven singles for country radio between 1955 and 1962, but as he told Vic Willis of The Willis Brothers on television one
Driving double-nickels never meant a trucker could stop on a dime
Back in a day many of you probably don’t remember, the U.S. had a national speed limit. No vehicle of any type on any road
Sometimes truck drivers just need to know when to get healthy
If you haven’t read some entries from the “Staying Fit on the Road” section of The Trucker’s site by Bob “The Trucker Trainer” Perry, after
Country duo rides Boy George’s stardom to hit song
I’ve never been a big fan of music videos, at least not the type that dramatizes the lyrics. And I don’t take a liking to
“Too country” of a singer leaves a legacy for all — including truck drivers
Randy Travis’ dream of becoming a country music star didn’t come easy. The young man who, in 1980, sent demo tapes to every record label
What color truck is your time machine?
If you’ve ever sat behind a steering wheel, you have one — that one particular vehicle from your past that you wish you could drive
Events along I-40 serve as long-delayed vindication, create a new trucking song
Pardon me for this column, in which I connect recent events and personal experience that have combined to turn a six-decade-old rockabilly/blues hit into —
A real eye-opener: Top issues list puts driver shortage at top for 4th straight year
Each October, as an annual rite of passage and a barometer of the operational and financial aspects of the trucking industry, motor carrier executives eagerly
Two roads diverged and I am taking the one that happens to be less traveled
Hardcore George Strait fans should recognize the title of this column, borrowed from a song of the same name from his 1986 studio album, “#7.”
From the Army to the driver’s seat: Inspiration can take a driver quite far from home — but still closer than he has ever realized
Clarksville, Tennessee, was a world away from the nation’s capital in the 1970s, when Eric Britton’s neighbor helped build his interest in truck driving. Back
Safety on the road: Driver health, safety, and security combine to provide a thriving industry
Top 10 lists abound in the U.S. — sports teams, movies, world leaders, music — you name it, there’s probably a list for it. For
Paving the way to electrification: Light-duty electric vehicle successes are laying the groundwork for heavy-duty truck applications
The California Air Resources Board’s (CARB) recent actions have made one thing clear — the drive to move California toward becoming a zero-emissions electric vehicle