The White Knight (Cledus Maggard song)
Encyclopedia
"The White Knight" is a novelty country music
song made famous by Jay Huguely, who - recording as Cledus Maggard & The Citizen's Band - enjoyed a brief run of national popularity with the song when it became popular in 1976
.
in the mid-1970s when he was approached to help with an advertising campaign centering on the then fast-growing citizens' band radio
craze. According to writer Tom Roland, Huguely knew little about the CB radio but agreed to help out.
After taking notes and getting help from his co-workers on deciphering the jargon, he went to work on writing a song.
who receives a CB call from an individual claiming to be a truck driver. Identifying himself as "The White Knight," the other driver broadcasts information to the main protagonist that there are no "smokeys" (police officers) in sight and that he can drive as fast as he wants to.
Unfortunately for the song's hero, The White Knight is a corrupt highway patrolman who has used the CB radio to broadcast misleading traffic information to truck drivers, hoping to lure them into a speed trap. The plan works, and the hero is pulled over for going "40 miles over the speed limit
" (i.e., 95 mph). The main hero is left to exclaim "Bubblegum-machine
done hit the jackpot" as he is being pulled over, taken to jail, and his truck confiscated.
The "White Knight" appears in a cameo in the follow-up single, "Kentucky Moonrunner
." While the singer in "The White Knight" attempts to speed only when he believes no cops are present, the titular Kentucky Moonrunner simply outruns them with superior speed, recorded at over 150 miles per hour. The White Knight catches the Kentucky Moonrunner when he crosses into Georgia from Tennessee, with no explanation of how he could do so when the Tennessee cops could not.
Hot Country Singles
chart in February 1976 and was a modest pop hit, peaking at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100
. The song was Maggard's only nationwide release to reach the Top 40 on either chart.
The song was one of three number one songs in which the CB radio is central to the plot to top the Hot Country Singles chart during 1976. The other songs were:
A fourth song, Johnny Cash
's "One Piece at a Time
," topped the chart one year earlier, which also includes a short dialogue of CB conversation at the end of the song.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song made famous by Jay Huguely, who - recording as Cledus Maggard & The Citizen's Band - enjoyed a brief run of national popularity with the song when it became popular in 1976
1976 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1976.-No dates:*The CB radio craze was sweeping country music, as no less than three No. 1 songs are about citizens-band radios. C. W. McCall's "Convoy" — about a band of truck drivers who fight back against redneck...
.
Song story
Huguely was working as an advertising salesman at an agency named Leslie Advertising in Greenville, South CarolinaGreenville, South Carolina
-Law and government:The city of Greenville adopted the Council-Manager form of municipal government in 1976.-History:The area was part of the Cherokee Nation's protected grounds after the Treaty of 1763, which ended the French and Indian War. No White man was allowed to enter, though some families...
in the mid-1970s when he was approached to help with an advertising campaign centering on the then fast-growing citizens' band radio
Citizens' band radio
Citizens' Band radio is, in many countries, a system of short-distance radio communications between individuals on a selection of 40 channels within the 27-MHz band. Citizens' Band is distinct from the FRS, GMRS, MURS and amateur radio...
craze. According to writer Tom Roland, Huguely knew little about the CB radio but agreed to help out.
After taking notes and getting help from his co-workers on deciphering the jargon, he went to work on writing a song.
Plot
Huguely's finished product was a story about an over-the-road truck driverTruck driver
A truck driver , is a person who earns a living as the driver of a truck, usually a semi truck, box truck, or dump truck.Truck drivers provide an essential service to...
who receives a CB call from an individual claiming to be a truck driver. Identifying himself as "The White Knight," the other driver broadcasts information to the main protagonist that there are no "smokeys" (police officers) in sight and that he can drive as fast as he wants to.
Unfortunately for the song's hero, The White Knight is a corrupt highway patrolman who has used the CB radio to broadcast misleading traffic information to truck drivers, hoping to lure them into a speed trap. The plan works, and the hero is pulled over for going "40 miles over the speed limit
Speed limits in the United States
Speed limits in the United States are set by each state or territory. Speed limits in the United States vary according to many factors, including each state or territory's laws, the type of road, land use, and more. Increments of five miles per hour are used. Additionally, these limits sometimes...
" (i.e., 95 mph). The main hero is left to exclaim "Bubblegum-machine
Police car
A police car is a ground vehicle used by police, to assist with their duties in patrolling and responding to incidents. Typical uses of a police car include transportation for officers to reach the scene of an incident quickly, to transport criminal suspects, or to patrol an area, while providing a...
done hit the jackpot" as he is being pulled over, taken to jail, and his truck confiscated.
The "White Knight" appears in a cameo in the follow-up single, "Kentucky Moonrunner
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
." While the singer in "The White Knight" attempts to speed only when he believes no cops are present, the titular Kentucky Moonrunner simply outruns them with superior speed, recorded at over 150 miles per hour. The White Knight catches the Kentucky Moonrunner when he crosses into Georgia from Tennessee, with no explanation of how he could do so when the Tennessee cops could not.
Chart performance
"The White Knight" reached number one on the BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Country Singles
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart in February 1976 and was a modest pop hit, peaking at number nineteen on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. The song was Maggard's only nationwide release to reach the Top 40 on either chart.
The song was one of three number one songs in which the CB radio is central to the plot to top the Hot Country Singles chart during 1976. The other songs were:
- "ConvoyConvoy (song)"Convoy" is a 1975 novelty song performed by C. W. McCall that became a number-one song on both the country and pop charts in the US. Written by McCall and Chip Davis, the song spent six weeks at number one on the country charts and one week at number one on the pop charts...
" by C.W. McCall; four of its six weeks atop the chart were in January. - "Teddy BearTeddy Bear (Red Sovine song)"Teddy Bear" is a song made famous by country music singer Red Sovine. Released in 1976, the song was the title track to Sovine's album released that same year.-Story of Red Sovine's song Teddy Bear:...
" by Red SovineRed SovineWoodrow Wilson Sovine , better known as Red Sovine, was an American country music singer associated with truck driving songs, particularly those recited as narratives but set to music...
, peaking in July.
A fourth song, Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
's "One Piece at a Time
One Piece at a Time
"One Piece at a Time" is a humorous rockabilly song written by Wayne Kemp and recorded by Johnny Cash in 1976. It would be the last song performed by Cash to reach number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.-Chart performance:-Plot:...
," topped the chart one year earlier, which also includes a short dialogue of CB conversation at the end of the song.
Chart positions
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 8 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 50 |
See also
- Whitburn, Joel, "Top Country Songs: 1944-2005," 2006.