The Diesel Cowboy in New England: Source and Symbol of Dick Curless’s "A Tombstone Every Mile"

This article examines the sources and symbolic meaning of "A Tombstone Every Mile," a song written by Dan Fulkerson and recorded by Dick Curless in Bangor, Maine, in 1964. The song relates the dangers of trucking goods along the Haynesville Road in Aroostook County, Maine. The hit song galvanized a regional and national sub-genre of trucker music and transformed Curless from regional star to national symbol of Maine’s country music authenticity.