During college I worked the summers for North American Van Lines and Detroit City by Bobby Bare was at the Top of the Charts. Every trucker on the highway would tune in all night 50,000 watt radio stations and they played music that appealed to the truckers. Our favorites were out of Louisville, Cincinnati, Nashville, Memphis, Jacksonville, New Orleans, Atlanta and West of the Mississippi River, Shrevport, Des Moines, Oklahoma City, etc. Fun times and it sure passed the night away as we were moving folks long distances..
My Pike Co., KY kin also made the journey to Detroit where they made the cars and worked for Ford Motor, Chrysler and GM. Some tried the coal mines but most went up North. A lot of the mountain boys learned to play the system. They would work for awhile in the car factory, then get laid off and head back to the hills. They seemed to always be laid off during Christmas and hunting season. Then the unemployment checks would run out and off they would go back to a factory job. When I was a boy I would wonder how you could get a check in the mail for not working. I thought that was strange. Being around agriculture work in Florida that was something unheard of. You worked for your pay and when work run out you found something else to make a little money. Then back to the groves. My grandfather raised citrus and when the crops were picked he would go down to the packing house and prepare the fruit for shipping. Always working.
