C. W. McCall

C. W. McCall
C. W. McCall
Background information
Birth name	Billie Dale Fries
Also known as	William Dale Fries Jr.
Born	November 15, 1928; Audubon, Iowa, U.S.
Died	April 1, 2022 (aged 93); Ouray, Colorado, U.S.
Genres	Country; outlaw country; truck-driving country;
Occupation(s)	Graphic artist; set designer; art director; singer-songwriter;
Years active	1944–2022
Labels	MGM; Polydor; Mercury; American Gramaphone;
Mayor of Ouray, Colorado
	In office; 1986–1992

William Dale Fries Jr. (November 15, 1928 – April 1, 2022) was an American commercial artist who won several Clio Awards for his advertising campaigns. He was also a musician and is best known for his character C. W. McCall, a truck-driving country singer that he originally created for a series of bread commercials. Fries performed as McCall in a series of outlaw albums and songs in the 1970s, in collaboration with co-worker Chip Davis who also founded Mannheim Steamroller.

McCall's most successful song was "Convoy", a surprise hit in 1975, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number two in the UK Singles Chart in March 1976. After a successful spell of touring, Fries retired to Ouray, Colorado where he was elected as mayor, serving from 1986 to 1992. The "Convoy" song became an anthem for the Freedom Convoy protests in 2022 and Fries enjoyed this revival before he died at the age of 93.