Guy Drake

Guy Drake (June 24, 1904 – June 17, 1984) was an American country music singer and comedian, best known for his 1970 hit "Welfare Cadilac". Born in Weir, Kentucky, Drake worked as a painter in the 1960s when he composed his only single, "Welfare Cadilac". According to him, he wrote the song in 1964 after seeing a rundown shack with a billboard on either side and ten children living inside, with a new Cadillac car sitting out front.

The song is a satirical account of an impoverished parent living on welfare. After being rejected by several other record labels, it was released in 1970 as the first single from the independent Royal American Records label. The song became a subject of controversy when Richard Nixon, then the President of the United States, asked Johnny Cash to perform the song at the White House, a request Cash refused because he felt the song was degrading to recipients of welfare.