Today, I got a comment from a reader that stopped me in my tracks.
Dennis chimed in with a post about Del Reeves‘ million-selling 1965 hit, “Girl on the Billboard”:
I lived in Edwardsville Illinois and remember that billboard on a curve about where Esic housing entrance is right now. They call that road 157 now instead of 66. Anyway I use to have a picture of that girl but it got lost when I entered the U.S. Marines in 1963.
Alas, Dennis didn’t leave his e-mail or any other information. But the detail about Route 66 in Edwardsville later becoming Illinois Highway 157 is dead-on accurate. And that stretch of road does have a couple of curves that would be ideal for placing a billboard. And “Girl on the Billboard’s” lyrics does mention that the billboard in question is on Route 66 between Chicago and St. Louis.
Please, get back to me, Dennis!
According to AllMusic.com, “Girl on the Billboard” was written by Walter Haynes and Harry Mills. I’ve be unable to uncover any more information about the song or its inspiration.
I always assumed that “Girl on the Billboard” was from the songwriters’ imagination. But Dennis’ comment is tantalizing. Does his recollection jog any other memories out there about such a billboard near Edwardsville, Ill.? What product was being advertised? And was the image of that “girl wearing nothin’ but a smile and a towel” as alluring as the song describes?
Comments and memories are welcome.
UPDATE: I spoke on the phone to Cindy Haynes, wife of “Girl on the Billboard” co-writer Walter Haynes. She explained that Walter was inspired to write it when he became stuck in traffic in Nashville and saw a pretty girl in a swimsuit on a Coca-Cola billboard. He wrote much of “Girl on the Billboard” in the dust that had collected on his car’s dashboard before he got it down on paper.
Later, in a follow-up e-mail, Walter Haynes told me this about the song’s evolution:
… Hank Mills put in a few lines, the one about Route 66 and two or three more. I wrote it in 1965 and I had Del do the demo and he put in the ‘Doo Doo Doo.’ That one kinda got Del Reeves up and running. Of course a million seller will do that for you. Wish I could write one every year.
So the inspiration for the song apparently didn’t come from a Route 66 billboard near Edwardsville after all. But, based on Haynes’ story, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Coca-Cola billboard image was this one from the 1950s.
I can personally attest to the fact that there was NEVER a picture of a girl wearing nothing but a towel and a smile on route 66. I lived near Joliet Illinois and my family made at LEAST 3 trips a year to Springfield Mo. I remember my dad CONSTANTLY looking for that billboard (since we always listened to this song) and mom always telling him drive faster because seeing that billboard would do him no good whatsoever.
I’m 73 yrs old and I know that the billboard sign was 2 miles south of Edwarsville Il on OLD RT 66 in 1962 and I have 9 brothers & sisters that can agree with me I’m looking for a picture of it if anyone knows of one
The billboard was just outside of Bloomington. I was a college student in the 60’s and remember seeing it.
Mike is right. I grew up in Bloomington, Il and we went to McLean, Il often. The billboard sat in a field right at the edge of Funks Grove. I believe the anvertisement was for “Sugarine” an artifical sweetner. I think the billboard was taken down when they re-routed the road around funks grove. I have been looking for a picture of that billboard for years.
Actually……..this song was co-written by my cousin Hank Mills. From what I understand, Walter saw the billboard, and came to Hank with an idea for a song about a “girl on a poster”. Hank took it from there. Everything about the song is consistent with Hank’s writing style. Many of his songs had that trademark kind of wordplay and those quirky vocal hooks.
He wrote about a dozen songs that Del recorded. He also wrote classics like “Little Ole Wine Drinker Me”, “Angel’s Sunday”, “Kay”, and many others recorded by George Jones, Tammy Wynette, Jimmy Dickens, Ferlin Husky, Roy Drusky, Charlie Walker, Johnny Wright, Kitty Wells, Clay Hart, Johnny Duncan, Marvin Rainwater, Jimmie Peters, Jay Lee Webb, Bing Crosby, etc.
“Girl on the Billboard” is indeed a classic country track.
I started trying to research this because my aunt said that the girl on the billboard was Dolly Parton who posed for the picture before she became famous. I guess if it were true the words would have been ” a girl with big o’ boobs wearin’ nothin’ but a towel and a smile….”
“Girl on the Billboard” wasn’t about her, but Hank Mills did write a song about Dolly Parton. It’s called “Dolly”. It was recorded by Lonzo & Oscar. It’s a fun little song. He also wrote a song called “Unfortunately”, which she sang for the demo.
if walt didn’t write it, then why was he credited for it? I met Walt. I have been in his studio when he lived in Wears Valley, Tn He had a nice studio in his basement.
Coppertone billboards featured a girl wearing nothing but a smile and a towel, and those billboards were all over the place in the mid-60s. The real girl on the billboard was much younger than in the song – in fact, at the time of the hit it was 3 year old Jodie Foster.
2 different billboards: 1. For Coppertone with a dog trying to pull down a small girl’s swimsuit. 2. A sweetener ad (Sugarine? Thanks Marilyn), showing a very buxom young lady covered only by a towel or some such thing. Both were on old US 66 near Funk’s Grove, IL, (almost exactly half-way between Chicago & St. Louis) but I think at different times. As a kid growing up in the 60’s in Normal, IL [yes, both Funk’s Grove and Normal are real places!], my Dad & brother & I used to drive down to Lincoln, IL, and back for the Sunday stock car races, and I clearly remember both. On the sweetener billboard, the girl’s cover seemed to have been painted with watercolor, as it appeared to partially melt over the couple of years it was there. I often wondered if that was the signpainter’s joke. US66 was replaced by I-55 (NOT I-57) and the location is about 115miles north of Edwardsville.
I also remember the billboard, My dad was a truck driver and traveled to southern illinois from chicago often and the billboard he remembers was on Rt 55 and Joliet rd by a truck stop that was called montana charlies. the billboard is no longer there it was taken down when the truckstop was toren down.
Nope, different billboard (may have had same picture). You’re thinking of the old Welco truck stop, not Funk’s Grove.
I am an old disk jocky, who apparently has been telling this story wrong for years, but I swear I heard Del Reeves say several times in different live performances and at an artists in the round thing on the Grand Ole Opry stage that the song was about the billboard in Mclean, Illinois which I personally know did exist,as I am from Springfield, and the girl was Dolly. I believe the sign was just to direct you to the truck stop entrance
and that Dell used to see it when he drove from Wisconsin to Nashville. I have tried to leave a question on Dolly’s page, but I don’t have an answer, yet.
The billboard in question was next to the northbound lane of U.S. Rt. 66 just south of Funks Grove, IL. The exact location was in the fence line along the north side of my great-grand parents home about a mile north of the former Chuck’s Midway Standard station (building still there on the west side) and on the east side of Rt. 66. There was a pasture between the fence line and Morgan’s brick home. Also a nice pond, now gone. Both homes are still there. The hand painted billboard featured a girl lying on her side or stomach. She was wearing a black negligee with her arms strategically placed. The billboard was advertising Sweeta artificial sweetener if I remember correctly. Not sure what year it was removed. The northbound lane of I-55 now runs over where the billboards (there were 2) stood side by side, and where the Morgan’s pond was. I was always told this billboard was the inspiration for the song. I hope it’s true, because I’ve been telling people that it is! Perhaps this will jog a few memories about the location. Look carefully next time you are northbound on I-55 just north of Mclean, IL and the Dixie Truck Stop.
Who was the girl on the billboard ?
No. It is true. In ’96 i saw the girl on the billboard. I wanna say it was advertising carpet, but not sure. However, the billboard & girl wearing nothing but a towel is real. I wanna say the towel is red??
I read some years back the billboard was an early Marilyn Monroe advertising something, I’ve forgotten what. The billboards did exist, I’ve forgotten where they were all placed.The article I read years ago did show that billboard.
My money is on the Gil Elvgren Coca-Cola poster. Not a towel, but it fits Cindy Haynes’ description to a tee and we all fell in love with Elvgren’s calendar girls. https://www.coca-colacompany.com/stories/collectors-columns-art-of-gil-elvgren
I grew up in Edwardsville(1940-1960) and I can attest to the fact that there definitely was a billboard with the described in the song – it was along Sunset Hill on Route 66.
That girl on the billboard was my grand mother she was in a towel and smiling her name back then was fay Ruth she is passed on now she was a model for cheese cake modeling angency some were we have her on a picture if you would like you can call me at+15308452414 my name is Justin
Just heard this song again on the willie’s roadhouse channel, I believe. I began to wonder about the bill board. If I recall correctly, there was a bill board with a girl in a towel just outside of Dallas in the early to mid 70’s. It was on the east side. If you were heading west on I-30, towards Dallas, there was a spot with a slight curve to the left, and the billboard would have been on the right side (north) side of the road, maybe about 5 miles or so outside of downtown Dallas. Do not remember what the product being advertised was. Anyone else remember this?
As a young teenage boy I remember the billboard for all the obvious reasons. I know it is real and she will forever hold all the broken pieces of my young heart. I asked another retired trucker about this and he remembered it too. As he described it, it was an ad for Cannon towels. That might explain sightings in other areas. Definitely outside of Dixie truck stop. East side of 66. I think she is dating bigfoot now but no one seems to know.
I remember the billboard and it’s just as you say. I was looking for a picture of it.
Of all the people who have seen it, and still there is no photo. Of all the things I’ve lost, I miss my mind the most.
There was one here in SoCal on CA hwy 60 west bound side one mile east of I-605 in Whittier CA.
I worked for Dixie Tank and Bridge co. in the 60s out of Memphis tennessee and traveled the entire country and have saw many billboards with the girl that Del Reeves sung about in several different states.
I suspect there were a lot of sexy young ladies on billboards that people tend to remember. I got interested in Dennis’s comment (confirmed by Keith) and looked at old aerial photos of the Edwardsville location. The resolution in the online photos was not good enough to make out billboards, but Rt. 157 at Esic Dr. was pretty curvy until being redone and straightened out around 2007.