What would possess an automobile manufacturer to put a record player in a car?

The American car owners’ passion for music, that’s what.

Even before Chrysler experimented with its Highway Hi-Fi record system in the mid 1950s and early 1960s, driving and listening to music went together like hot rodders and hair grease. Soon, drivers were listening to their favorite jams via the 8-track, cassette tape player, CD player, and eventually even satellite radio and digital files.

Over the years, there have been some car-related tunes, bands, album covers, and music videos. You named your favorites by voting in our first-ever Cammy Awards (review how voting took place in our original post).

And now the winners…

Best Song About a Car

Winner: Hot Rod Lincoln (Commander Cody)

Other nominees:

• Little Deuce Coupe (The Beach Boys)
• Low Rider (War)
• Little GTO (Ronnie & The Daytonas)
• Mercury Blues (Alan Jackson)
• Little Red Corvette (Prince)

Best 1960s Driving Song

Winner: Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf)

Other nominees:

• Fun, Fun, Fun (The Beach Boys)
• Mustang Sally (Wilson Pickett)
• I’ve Been Everywhere (Johnny Cash)
• Drive My Car (The Beatles)

Best Band Named After a Car

Winner: Pantera

Other nominees:

• The Cars
• REO Speedwagon
• Chevelle
• Fabulous Thunderbirds
• Relient K

Best 1970s Driving Song

Winner: Radar Love (Golden Earring)

Other nominees:

• Born to Run (Bruce Springsteen)
• Blitzkrieg Bop (The Ramones)
• Ramblin’ Man (The Allman Brothers Band)
• Take it Easy (The Eagles)
• Highway Star (Deep Purple)

Best Car in a Music Video

Winner: 1933 Ford Eliminator (ZZ Top, “Legs”)

Other nominees:

• 1964 Chevrolet Impala  −  It Was a Good Day (Ice Cube)
• 1970 Dodge Challenger  − Show Me How to Live (Audioslave)
• Porsche 911  − White Knuckle Ride (Jamiroquai)
• Ferrari 512 BBi  − I Can’t Drive 55 (Sammy Hagar)

Best 1980s Driving Song

Winner: Kickstart My Heart (Motley Crue)

Other nominees:

• She Sells Sanctuary (The Cult)
• Panama (Van Halen)
• Runnin’ Down a Dream (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers)
• Holiday Road (Lindsey Buckingham)

Best Roadtrip Singalong Song

Winner: Sweet Home Alabama (Lynyrd Skynyrd)

Other nominees:

• Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen)
• God the Bless the U.S.A. (Lee Greenwood)
• Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond)
• Don’t Stop Believin’ (Journey)
• American Pie (Don McLean)

Best Album Cover with a Car

Winner: ZZ Top (Eliminator)

Other nominees:

• Born to Be Wild (Steppenwolf)
• Little Deuce Coupe (Beach Boys)
• Heartbeat City (The Cars)
• Abbey Road (The Beatles)

Best 1990s Driving Song

Winner: Life is a Highway (Tom Cochrane)

Other nominees:

• Song 2 (Blur)
• The Distance (Cake)
• Sabotage (Beastie Boys)
• Summertime (DZ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince)
• Rusty Cage (Soundgarden)

Best Song About a Truck

Winner: Conoy (C.W. McCall)

Other nominees:

• Truck Yeah (Tim McGraw)
• Somethin’ ‘Bout a Truck (Kip Moore)
• Pickup Man (Joe Diffie)
• Mud on the Tires (Brad Paisley)
• I Drive Your Truck (Lee Brice)

Best Country Driving Song

Winner: The Devil Went Down to Georgia (The Charlie Daniels Band)

Other nominees:

• On the Road Again (Willie Nelson)
• Dirt Road Anthem (Jason Aldean)
• Take Me Home, Country Roads (John Denver)
• Wagon Wheel (Old Crow Medicine Show)