Hey fin-friends! It’s your friendly neighborhood dolphin, Finnley, and I’m back with another deep-dive from the vinyl depths. This time, I swam across a curiously obscure record that’s equal parts gospel devotion and trucker grit. Trucker’s Dream by Brazil Country isn’t your average country album—it’s got guest appearances by televangelist Garner Ted Armstrong and a vintage cover photo that looks like a choir hijacked a semi. You know how I love the strange and forgotten, and let me tell you, this record checks all the boxes: mystery label? Check. Faith-meets-freightliner vibes? Check. That warm, dusty analog charm? Double check. So slip on your headphones, roll down your windows, and prepare for a tour through one of the more unlikely intersections of country music and 1970s religious broadcasting. Let’s shift into gear and take a closer look at Trucker’s Dream.
Released under the modest label Crown City Records, Trucker’s Dream by the group Brazil Country is a charming yet obscure entry into the world of 1970s truck-driving and gospel-tinged country music. The record features the band Brazil Country with guest vocal appearances by Garner Ted Armstrong and Jim Thornhill. The front cover shows the band posed cheerfully around a semi-truck emblazoned with the “Brazil Country” logo, a fitting image for a group that merges themes of faith and the open road.
Tracklist:
Trucker’s Dream – Vocals: Tony Brazil
Games People Play – Arranged by Garner Ted Armstrong
Green Green Grass Of Home – Instruments: Emmett Rushing
La Bamba – Vocals: Tony Brazil
The Steel Of Night – Instruments: Lee Pettijohn
Silver Wings – Vocals: Tony, Jim, Gary
Terrible Tyrone – Vocals: Tony Brazil
Put Your Hand In The Hand – Vocals: Ted Armstrong
One Love – Vocals: Tony Brazil
Honky Tonk Part 2 – Instruments: Brazil Country
Most Of All – Vocals: Tony Brazil
Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree – Vocals: Tony Brazil
Issued as Crown City Records CCR-112, this album is one of only three known releases from the elusive California-based label. The others include Something For Everyone (CCR-111) and the 7-inch single Terrible Tyrone (CCR-45-112), all credited to Brazil Country. A note on the back cover indicates that Garner Ted Armstrong’s participation extended beyond vocals, including arranging and harmonizing. The sleeve also thanks saxophonist Gary Alexander, who appears on several tracks.
To quote the liner notes: “To me, a disc jockey, it’s the joy of previewing something different, of being among the excitement of this new, second album… and being able to drop the needle to an audience that in the months ahead will be asking, will be requesting, will be buying this album which will become one of the finest sounds in radio broadcasting.” This optimism highlights the hope the group had for wider exposure, even if the record ultimately remained a cult curiosity.
Trucker’s Dream blends covers of country and pop standards with original gospel-leaning material. Despite its earnest spiritual overtones and classic twang, the album never reached mainstream acclaim, and little information exists about its recording sessions or broader distribution.
While most of the credited musicians have left only faint traces in music history, one name stands out: Garner Ted Armstrong, a prominent religious broadcaster and evangelist. Best known for his involvement in radio and television ministry throughout the 1960s and 1970s, he was the son of Herbert W. Armstrong, who founded the Worldwide Church of God. Garner Ted became a well-known figure as the voice of The World Tomorrow, a prophetic broadcast that reached audiences globally. His own Garner Ted Armstrong Program was broadcast in multiple languages and reached an estimated 20 million Americans weekly at its peak.
Armstrong was also a talented speaker and charismatic figure who blended scriptural prophecy with social commentary. In 2002, just a year before his death, he dedicated a new headquarters in Tyler, Texas, that housed both the Intercontinental Church of God and his Evangelistic Association. At the dedication, he emphasized not only the church’s prophetic mission but its role in preserving a biblically grounded moral worldview distinct from mainstream Christianity. Armstrong also had musical interests and occasionally performed at church events, singing gospel songs and even appearing on the television show Hee Haw.
His contribution to Trucker’s Dream, specifically on the track “Put Your Hand In The Hand,” reflects his habit of merging popular culture with evangelical outreach, using music as another pulpit to deliver his message of repentance and hope.
Tony Brazil, the producer and namesake of Brazil Country, features prominently on the album, providing vocals on nearly every track and appearing to serve as the project’s central figure. He also performed special music and led hymns at church events, such as the 2002 headquarters dedication in Tyler, Texas. Though little else is known about him beyond his presence on Crown City Records’ three releases, Brazil’s involvement anchors the record in the orbit of Armstrong’s ministry. The liner notes praise his “tenor harmony” and vocal consistency.
Jim Thornhill, another guest vocalist and credited participant, was not only involved in television work for The World Tomorrow but also played a crucial role in the logistics and planning of Ambassador College’s ambitious outreach efforts. During the 1970 “America, Listen” campaign, Thornhill helped coordinate national tours that blended patriotic themes, Christian messages, and musical performance. His contributions included behind-the-scenes production and public engagement duties. Thornhill was deeply embedded in Armstrong’s media and ministry work, reflecting a dual role as both technical coordinator and visible representative of the outreach program.
Emmett Rushing and Lee Pettijohn, credited with instrumental performances, remain largely unknown. They likely contributed as session musicians or members of the church band. Their inclusion, along with the collaborative format of the record, paints a picture of a grassroots musical effort tied closely to the mission and fellowship of Armstrong’s outreach.
Digging into the history of Trucker’s Dream reveals just how little documentation exists about Crown City Records. Based in Pasadena, California, where the Armstrongs also operated, the label appears to have released only three titles, all linked to Brazil Country. There is no evidence of a broader artist roster or a commercial distribution network. This strongly suggests the label functioned as a boutique imprint for music tied to a particular religious community or regional scene.
This scarcity of information underscores the kind of rabbit hole that music preservationists and collectors often fall into: records made with sincerity and regional spirit that never made it past their limited pressings. Trucker’s Dream offers a glimpse into a microcosm of 1970s Americana, where faith, trucking culture, and music intersected in unexpected ways.
This scarcity of information underscores the kind of rabbit hole that music preservationists and collectors often fall into: records made with sincerity and regional spirit that never made it past their limited pressings. Trucker’s Dream offers a glimpse into a microcosm of 1970s Americana, where faith, trucking culture, and music intersected in unexpected ways.
And there you have it. Trucker’s Dream is a little record with a big backstory, brimming with heartfelt vocals, theological drive, and some truly unexpected cameos. Whether you’re a collector of faith-infused curiosities or just a truck-stop troubadour in spirit, this album is a fascinating reminder of how music, ministry, and Americana sometimes merge in the most surprising ways. Though we may never know the full story behind Brazil Country or the details of this peculiar album’s creation, it endures as a time capsule from a corner of music history that is all too easy to overlook.
Thanks for joining me on this ride through another forgotten groove. Until next time, keep your tails flippin’, your stylus clean, and never underestimate the power of a gospel chorus echoing down a long stretch of open highway.
Sources:
“Brazil Country – Trucker’s Dream.” Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/release/8161824-Brazil-Country-With-Special-Guest-Singers-Garner-Ted-Armstrong-And-Jim-Thornhill-Truckers-Dream. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Garner Ted Armstrong.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garner_Ted_Armstrong. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Garner Ted Armstrong.” Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/artist/4070008-Garner-Ted-Armstrong. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Crown City Records.” Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/label/972348-Crown-City-Records. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Tony Brazil.” Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/artist/4902831-Tony-Brazil. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Emmett Rushing.” Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/artist/4902829-Emmett-Rushing. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“Lee Pettijohn.” Discogs, https://www.discogs.com/artist/4902828-Lee-Pettijohn. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“The Young Ambassadors.” Eternal Church of God, https://eternalcog.org/true-gospel-music/the-young-ambassadors/. Accessed 11 May 2025.
“The Good News of Tomorrow’s World.” Tomorrow’s World, vol. 2, no. 5–6, May–June 1970, pp. 24–26. https://www.herbert-armstrong.org/Tomorrows%20World%201969-72/Tomorrows%20World%201970%20(Vol%20II%20No%200506)%20May-Jun.pdf. Accessed 11 May 2025.
