King of the Road

“King of the Road” is a song written by country singer Roger Miller, who first recorded it in November 1964. The lyrics tell of the day-to-day life of a hobo who, despite having little money (a “man of means by no means”), revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously and cynically as the “king of the road”. It was Miller’s fifth single for Smash Records. The crossover record reached No. 1 on the US Country chart, No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and No. 1 on the Easy Listening surveys. It was also No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart, and in Norway. Miller recalled that the song was inspired when he was driving and saw a sign on the side of a barn that read, “Trailers for sale or rent”. This would become the opening line of the song. R.E.M. covered the song. In a shambolic, drunken, offhand rendering, guitarist Peter Buck would later comment, “If there was any justice in the world, Roger Miller should be able to sue for what we did to this song.” A comic version by English entertainer Billy Howard, “King of the Cops”, was a British chart hit in 1976. “King of the Road” won Roger Miller 5 Grammy Awards at the 1966 8th Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony. It won for Best Contemporary (R&R) Single, Best Contemporary (R&R) Vocal Performance – Male, Best Country & Western Single, Best Country & Western Vocal Performance – Male & Best Country & Western Song. He also won a Grammy for Best Country & Western Album “The Return Of Roger Miller”.