Trucker’s death launched a genre

The Grammy-nominated three-CD set People Take Warning! Murder Ballads and Disaster Songs, 1913-1938 (Tompkins Square, $51.98) contains “Wreck on the Mountain Road,” a 1928 recording by Paul Miles and the Red Fox Chasers that memorializes trucker Lonnie Brown, killed in a crash on Bent Mountain near Roanoke, Va. The liner notes boldly call this “the first truck-driving song.” If you know of one recorded earlier, please speak up.


The bluebird of roadside happiness
This linocut print of the long-gone Bluebird Truck Stop in downtown Atlanta, which veteran I-20 drivers will remember for its neon sign, is one of a series depicting Southern urban landmarks by Georgia artist Katherine W. Linn (above). Visit www.linnprintworks.com.


Are they modest, or just smart?
The creators of Fat Mudflap Girl prefer not to see their names in print, saying only they live in Austin, Texas, “home of BBQ, Tex Mex and fat chicks. Actually, not really. Most of the women are pretty hot here. Houston on the other hand