AAutomotiveutomotive HHistoryistory Number 61 RRevieweview Spring 2020 Trucker’s Blues Published by The Society of Automotive Historians An Affiliate of the American Historical Association may be relevant; and that the relevant facts must be EEditor’sditor’s NNoteote clearly established by the testimony of independent witnesses not self-deceived. He does not know, or umber 61 is my fi rst attempt at not writing need to know, that his personal interest in the perfor- Nautomotive history but clearly transmitting it mance is a disturbing bias, which will prevent him to a diverse audience. Pulling this venture together from learning the whole truth or arriving at ultimate has been a humbling experience to say the least, in causes….on that low pragmatic level he is a good terms of both editing text and then presenting it. My historian precisely because he is not disinterested: objective is simple but ambitious: to publish under he will solve his problems, if he does solve them, SAH auspices the very best material on automotive by virtue of his intelligence and not by virtue of his history broadly defi ned. indifference.” Little has changed since 1936 when G.K. Ches- Buffs are to be viewed with caution in terms of terton wrote “I wonder if anybody has yet written the evidence they present. Indeed, their evidence is a History of the Motor-Car. I am certain thousands both experiential and usually uncited. Usually their must have written books more or less purporting work cannot be reconstructed and thus tested. They this; I am also certain that most of them consist of see the trees but rarely the forest. And their work, advertisements for particular makes and models.” To often found on coffee tables, can rarely be found in extend Chesterton’s thoughts, rarely is automotive most libraries. With a relatively voluminous number history integrative or contextual in merging themes of readers, often enthusiast authors consider the need and episodes related to culture, the automotive in- for context and meaning to be nothing more than dustries, and main currents in American life. With- malarkey. Instinctively “buff” historians need the out getting personal or critical, one can fi nd plenty academic historian for legitimacy, but only at arm’s of historical narratives that are extensions of the length, for they often wish to pursue “anecdotal” journalism that fi rst described the person, place, or accounts, in a sense glorifying self. “Buffs” have a thing at the time of the event. Indeed, a similar mala- ready audience, while academics rarely do. dy is pervasive to the writing of all of history. One But what about academics who can paint a for- widespread sin is that of well-worn tales repackaged est scene, but do not know the differences of tree with little if any critical analysis and a reexamina- species? And indeed, context without understanding tion of the evidence. The story line rarely changes. and appropriate detail is malarkey. What good is Indeed, history, including automotive history, often explanation without solid substance? Thus, academ- needs to be saved from itself. ics also need the enthusiasts, and I would argue that Everyone, including myself, is guilty of this sin. their knowledge is absolutely critical to the quality New interpretations require archival research, criti- of scholarship. They are a font of knowledge and cal thought, and inordinate amounts of time. And we insights, and incidentally, are frequently more fun are constrained by the practices within our particular to be around than historians. They serve also as a tribes. The “buff” historians are often easily pigeon- check on the truth, particularly on the microscopic holed by their tight, non-contextual focus, along level. Many worked on the assembly lines, or in with the omission of the footnote or reference. Typi- design studios and executive offi ces. In a business cal work is akin to 19th century natural history, sort where archives are few and far between and knowl- of a science of describing engines, suspensions, and edge is often kept close to the vest, they serve as chassis. Further, a critical reader has no idea where rich sources. In terms of motorsports history, how the work came from or how the past was recon- many of us can claim to have driven in a race, or structed. piloted a race car at speed? How many of us, so Aldo Leopold, in his Sand County Almanac, comfortable in the library or in our studies, have characterized “good History” as using the saw, truly diced with death? In either case, “buff” or aca- wedge and axe when felling a tree and examining demic, the reality is that both write works that serve its rings. Along similar lines, Carl L. Becker in his as drafts or starting points for the next generation 1930 Presidential Address to the American His- of historians. History is never static or set in stone torical Association deftly depicted that the “buff” but renews itself in part by using previously written or everyman historian “selects only such facts as material. Automotive History Review (ISSN 1056-2729) is a peer reviewed publication of the Society of Automotive Historians, Inc. AAutomotiveutomotive HHistoryistory John A. Heitmann, Editor Offi cers RRevieweview H. Donald Capps .......................President Spring 2020 Number 61 Robert G. Barr ..................Vice President CONTENTS Robert Casey ............................Secretary Rubén L. Verdés ....................... Treasurer Editor’s Notes ....................................... Inside front cover Truck Driver’s Blues .......................................................4 Board of Directors By James Todd Uhlman Term ending October 2020 The Soft Sell: Gender, Advertising, and the John Mohr Chevrolet Corvair ..........................................................24 Kevin Kirbitz By John E. Mohr John A. Marino The Rough Road Ahead: Cuba, the Spanish Term Ending October 2021 American War, and the Development of Good Roads Bob Elton in the US, 1880-1916 ......................................................38 Carla Lesh By Andrew James Clyde Hart Dean Nelson ‘Der Porsche vas Pushin’: A Case Study of Porsche’s Term Ending October 2022 Expansion in the US Market and its Cultural Impact Casey Maxon on American Consumers ...............................................50 Chris Lezotte By Keenan Shimko Steve Purdy So, Whatever Happened to General Motors in Dayton, Ohio? —A Panel Discussion ..........................66 Publications Committee Moderated and Transcribed By Ed Garten Thomas S. Jakups, Chair Contributors ....................................................................82 Louis F. Fourie Christopher G. Foster Article Submission Guidelines .....................................83 John Heitmann Donald J. Keefe Rubén L. Verdés Front Cover: “Diesel Smoke.” (Courtesy, Gusto Records) Steve Wilson Rear Cover: The Barn Gang, 1952. (Author) ©2020 Society of Automotive Historians, Inc. All rights reserved. All correspondence in conjunction The Society of Automotive Historians (SAH) reaches a community of members com- with Automotive History Review should be addressed prised of academic scholars, automotive journalists and publishers, museum and library professionals, educational and cultural organizations, car collectors and restorers, and en- to John Heitmann, Dept. of History, University of thusiasts. The SAH is a recognized affi liate of the American Historical Association. The Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH, 45469-1540 SAH is a not-for-profi t 501(c)(3) U.S. entity and its affairs are performed by volunteers. [email protected]. SAH members are located in 27 countries, predominantly in North America. Subscription to SAH publications is by membership in the Society. Membership dues are $50 per year Design & Printing: ($60 per year outside North America & Mexico); digital membership dues are $20. Dues Cars Internationale, LLC • 7491 N Federal Hwy., and changes of address go to: Society of Automotive Historians, Inc., c/o Cornerstone Ste. C5 337, Boca Raton, FL 33487 Registration Ltd., P.O. Box 1715, Maple Grove, MN 55311-6715 USA. Membership [email protected] in the SAH is open to all enthusiasts of automotive history, to join visit: autohistory.org. Truck Driver’s Blues The Origins of Trucker Music: Federal Policy, Rural Folk Culture, National Crisis, and a Changing Entertainment Industry By James Todd Uhlman usic is a central feature in the lived experience songs and fi lms about the lives of professional long- Mof automobility. Songs describing the lives of haul drivers fi lled popular culture. Several factors professional truck drivers are one of the most intrigu- caused the rising interest. Structural shifts within the ing subgenres in the musical culture of the road. trucking industry played a major role. The importance Work songs about truck drivers date back to the late of rural based owner-operators grew. At the same 1920s. The fi rst half of this essay examines the inter- time national demographic changes, marketing deci- twining evolution of the road transport industry and sions within the country music industry, radio format- trucking music in the years before 1960. Beginning as ting, and built-in audio systems led to an increased early as the 1920s, developments in truck technology, exposure to the subgenre among a wider audience. roads, and implementation of government policy led Just as importantly, however, were the economic and to the growth in the industry. Two sectors emerged: socio-political challenges of the period. The protests a regulated