Hot Rod Lincoln
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Hot Rod Race, or Hot Rod Lincoln, was a country music song, sometimes said to be an early Rockabilly song. Written By George Wilson, and recorded as Hot Rod Race by Arkie Shibley and His Mountain Dew Boys in late 1950, the song reached #5 on the country charts in 1951. The song tells the story of street race between a Ford and a Cadalac hot rod.
The song was re-released as Hot Rod Lincoln by Charlie Ryan in 1955 and again by W.S. Stevenson in May 1959. This time, the song told the story of the "kid" in the Model A at the end of the first version. While the original song describes a race on The Grapevine in California, Ryan's version takes place on the Lewiston grade in Idaho when Ryan pitted his 1928 Model A coupe with a Lincoln Zephyr v12 motor against a friend's Cadillac. Hot Rod Lincoln reached the charts at #14 on the country charts, and #33 on the pop charts.
In 1971, Hot Rod Lincoln was recorded by Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, it went to #9 on the Billboard charts in 1972.
Hot Rod Lincoln is also a signature song of Texas-based Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel.
On their 1989 album Allroy's Revenge, US pop-punk band ALL recorded a cover of Hot Rod Lincoln, this time placing the story in the setting of San Pedro, California.
The song is a defining anthem of the hot rod community and many different versions exist as the words have been altered by each new group. While Arkie Shibley died in 1975, Charlie Ryan, now 90 years old, is a member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. He is still performing.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Rockabilly Hall of Fame - Documents the history of the song through dozens of covers, including lyrics.
- www.rockabilly.nl - Short article about Arkie Shibley and his difficulties in releasing the song.
- www.hot-rod-lincoln.com - The official site of Charlie Ryan
- http://www.geocities.com/shakin_stacks/arkieshibley.txt
