Editing C. W. McCall (section)

{{short description|American art director, singer-songwriter and mayor (1928–2022)}}
{{redirect|William Fries|the American football offensive guard|Will Fries}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{infobox musical artist
| name             = C. W. McCall
| image            = Bill Fries.jpg
| alt              = 
| caption          = 
| image_size       = 
| landscape        = 
| birth_name       = Billie Dale Fries
| alias            = William Dale Fries Jr.
| birth_date       = {{birth date|1928|11|15}}
| birth_place      = [[Audubon, Iowa]], U.S.
| death_date       = {{death date and age|2022|4|1|1928|11|15}}
| death_place      = [[Ouray, Colorado]], U.S.
| origin           = 
| genre            = {{flatlist|
* [[Country music|Country]]
* [[outlaw country]]
* [[truck-driving country]]
}}
| occupation       = {{flatlist|
* Graphic artist
* set designer
* art director
* singer-songwriter
}}
| instrument       = 
| years_active     = 1945–2022
| label            = {{flatlist|
* [[MGM Records|MGM]]
* [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
* [[Mercury Records|Mercury]]
* [[American Gramaphone]]
}}
| associated_acts  = 
| website          = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| module           = {{Infobox officeholder
  | embed=yes
  | office = Mayor of [[Ouray, Colorado]]
  | termstart = 1986
  | termend = 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 remembered for his character '''C. W. McCall''', a [[truck-driving country]] singer that he created for a series of bread commercials while working for an Omaha advertising agency as an art director. Fries performed as McCall in a series of [[outlaw country|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 (song)|Convoy]]", a surprise hit in 1975, reaching number one on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''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 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 of cancer at the age of 93.