Charlie Ryan, who recorded the rockabilly song "Hot Rod Lincoln" in 1955 was born on Dec. 19 in 1915. The song, a snapshot of the Western hot rod scene, was released later in 1957. I took this photo in 1973 in front of the Fox Theater in Missoula. Charlie had been hired for the opening of the film "American Graffiti" there. Apologetically, he told me his wheels had been stolen the night before and he had to borrow the set seen here to make the appearance. The red rod pictured is far more ratty and real than the version later sold at the Barrett-Jackson auction for a reported $97,000 and seems to be the original Model A body on a Lincoln chassis ("looks like a pup"). The Lincoln bumperettes appear not joined at this time. Mr. Ryan departed for that great hot rod race in the sky in 2008, but left us with a inspiring historical poem. Thanks, Charlie...drive on!
Wow ! Very cool story and what an experience you had. When I was a young boy my parents had one of those old standup wood cased radio, 78 record player combination's and they only had two records to play on it . One was I'm a tellin you Sam that had the line, I've gotta hotrod Ford and a two dollar bill in it and the other was Hot Rod Lincoln. My Dad was not a car guy or even into music. I have no idea why they had those two records but it seems to have been quite a coincidence or meant to be that I have loved cars and hotrods since I first laid eyes on them. That record was just another milestone in my growing up. Thanks for sharing this story.
I've been told it was written about the old Lewiston, Idaho grade. Later changed to the grapevine in California. If I recall correctly he died in Spokane, Washington witch gives creedence to the Lewiston grade.
I remember seeing that car sitting in that same place at that same movie. too bad the Fox is not still there. It was a cool old theater.
Well i got my answer thanks @Cree Cool car built his way. Obviously a really creative person. We are still talking about him and his car which is as good as it gets for a hot rod builder and a musician.
I saw him and one or the other version of the car at a NSRA event in Spokane in 1983 I think but may have been 84. I remember getting to visit with him a bit while I took a few photos of the car. Quite a character.
"Hot Rod Lincoln" was actually written as a follow-up to an earlier song called "Hot Rod Race". It was about a couple of guys racing "out of San Pedro late one night" racing a Ford against a Mercury. The last line of that song says that in the end they were both "passed by kid goin' out to play, drivin' a hopped up Model A". It is tied together again in the first line of "Hot Rod Lincoln" which went : "You remember the story of the 'Hot Rod Race', when a Ford and a Mercury were settin' the pace". I'm operating strictly from memory here, so these may not be the exact words, but they are very close. When I was in the eighth grade in 1955, a friend who had two older brothers who were "car guys" had a 78 of "Hot Rod Race" that we played until it almost wore out. I never heard "Hot Rod Lincoln" until "Commander Cody and the 'Lost Planet Air Men'" covered it in the '60's. I didn't make the connection of the two songs until there was a feature on the car in "Hot Rod" in the late '60's or '70's. I'm glad the O/P included the part about Charlie apologizing for the tires and wheels on the "A"; those are ghastly and epitomize the excesses typical of the seventies.
I remember seeing a Model A at the Minnesota “back to the 50’s” in maybe ‘96. The guy claimed it was the car that inspired the song. Seemed like it had a Lincoln V12. Something looked odd about the chassis or proportions. May have been this car? Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Somebody did a resto on the car before Charlie died, I remember seeing it in one of the magazines in the late 80's or early 90's.
Oh yeah, 'odd in its proportions'. Some older 'rodders' here in the Merced area built some hot rods in the late '50s, the 'ringleader' channeled a '32 roadster and set it on a '48 Lincoln front axle. (king pin to king pin was 56"!) Another member of that clan channeled a Model A coupe, 392 Chrysler engine, and another '48 Lincoln axle! "Ugly club"...
Here's the story of that race from the man that built it ..drove it ...and raced it then wrote a song about it....this was from a 1992 Rod & Custom Annual Charlie Ryan has sense past...R.I.P. Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Not to hi jack this thread........ FWIW the other song you mentioned was Mary Lou, sung by Ronnie Hawkins in 1959 or the original by Young Jessie around 1955
Charlie was from my town, Spokane, WA. The tires shown in the first pic, the wide bias plys...Jeff Allison bought those from Charlie in the late 90's/early 2000's. He kept two and I bought the other two and used them on the back of my 1960 F-100 pickup. It was my daily driver. I was probably 18-19 and really dumb (or dumber then now). I wanted the tires because they were old and cool. I found some skinny fronts. Drove that truck year round. The tires were TERRIBLE in the snow...
Saw the "Hot Rod Lincoln" at one of the car shows in Lincoln, NE many years ago. Altho' the V12, transplant was impressive, it wasn't in the best condition at that time....must've been before the resto. Charlie was there too, answering all questions; a real gentleman.
"Mary Lou" by Young Jessie said, "I had a '55 Ford an' a two dollar bill". The other song with "Hot Rod Ford and a two dollar bill" was Hank Williams' "Hey, Good Lookin'." Sorry, had to get this straight. (I still have the 45 RPM records!)
Arkie shibley has 5 parts to the song “hot rod race” during, after, merc, cops and the kid in the modle A cool group of tunes And got rid Lincoln is a kind of continuation of those songs as the begging the song refrances the merc and ford racing Really cool
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