OMG-CRAZY OPPURTUNITY-60's MARTIN D-21

[Skitzo130]

OH MY GOD!!!!

 

i just came across a great alternative

PRICESLESS

 

Story:

in the 60's and stuff my dad was in a country/rock band called Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen

also he was in another one called Asleep At The Wheel

so from time to time, even though my dad is mainly saxophone/violin

he would pick up a guitar and play

he could play but not like for a profession

just upon occasion

the guitar he used back then was a Martin D-21

after he was done with the bands and such

he gave this guitar to my aunt because she needed a decent guitar

(DECENT IS RIGHT!!!)

so up until this summer

i was really into rap music and such

so now that i am looking for another acoustic i may get a 60's Martin D-21

i am told that one this old and this model is practically priceless

so i am excited

my dad said he will probably just have to spend like 200 on a replacement guitar for my aunt because she likes to play from time to time

 

SOOO EXCITED!!!!

[JasmineTea]

Man, talk about luck. Treasure that thing, if you get it.

[bjorn-fjord]

Hey man, those bands were cool. Asleep at the Wheel is still going. Commander Cody wrote Hot Rod Lincoln didn't he?

 

BTW, welcome back from the "dark side" bro.

[Queequeg]

Commander Cody was a great band. Hot Rod Lincoln is classic. they did a great version of smoke that cigarette, too. they were sort of like the Reverand Horton Heat or Stray Cats (Brian Setzer) of their day.

[DonK]

I think Bill Kirchen was the guitarist for Commander Cody. He's a definite Telemaster.

[Skitzo130]

OMG

i cant beleive you guys know the bands my dad was in

this so shocking to me

like i thought my dad wasnt in that whole scene

i didnt think they were well known at all

anyway

the commander right now is not. shall we say......

at all well

lol

 

but anyways

any other input on the D-21 would be greatly apreciated

thankyou

i also noticed that there is no d-21 on the martin website

did they stop making them?

[Kap'n]

Your dad a professor at RPI?

[Andrewrg]

Well now,I was a big fan of CC so I guess you could say that your dads band was internationally famous!

As for the D21.It was made from 1955 until 1969(with a limited edition in 1985)

There is a very good chance that yours has Brazilian rosewood back and sides as Martin made the change to Indian rosewood on the D sizes in late`69.

So,you have a very desirable guitar which is fairly valuable now and will be worth serious bucks in the future.

Treasure it!

[JasmineTea]

You could probly go anywhere in the world and ask a stranger if they'd ever heard Hot Rod Lincoln, chances are they'd say yes.

 

Then again I'm probly getting old.

 

 

D-21. Dude, hang on to that guitar. It's a real treasure.

[guitarcapo]

 

i am told that one this old and this model is practically priceless

 

 

 

Expensive but not "priceless"

 

 

 

Hot Rod Lincoln - Song Lyrics

My pappy said, 'Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin' ...

If you don't quit drivin' that - Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!'

 

Well, you've heard the story of the hot rod race,

When the Ford and the Mercury were settin' the pace.

That story's true I'm here to say,

Cause I was a'drivin' that Model A.

 

It's got a Lincoln motor and it's really souped up;

That Model A body makes it look like a pup.

It's got 12 cylinders and uses them all;

And an overdrive that just won't stall.

 

It's got a 4-barrel carb and dual exhausts,

4:11 gears that really get lost -

Safety tubes and I'm not scared,

The brakes are good and the tires are fair.

 

We left San Pedro late one night;

The moon and the stars were shinin' bright.

We were drivin' up Grapevine Hill,

Passin' cars like they were standin' still.

 

Then, all of a sudden, in the wink of an eye,

a Cadillac sedan passed us by.

The remark was made, "That's the car for me."

But, by then, the taillights wuz all you could see.

 

Well, the fellers ribbed me for bein' behind,

So I started to make that Lincoln unwind.

Took my foot off the gas and, man alive,

I shoved it down into overdrive.

 

Well, I wound it up to 110;

Twisted the speedometer cable right off the end.

Had my foot glued right to the floor;

I said, "That's all there is - there ain't no more."

 

Now the fellas thought I'd lost all sense;

The telephone poles looked like a picket fence.

They said, "Slow down, I see spots."

The lines on the road just looked like dots.

 

Went around a corner and passed a truck;

I crossed my fingers just for luck -

The fenders clickin' the guard rail post;

The guy beside me was white as a ghost.

 

Smoke was rollin' outta the back

When I started to gain on that Cadillac

I knew I could catch him and hoped I could pass

But when I did I'd be short on gas.

 

There were flames comin' from out of the side;

You could feel the tension; man, what a ride.

I said, "Look out, boys, I've got a license to fly"

And the Cadillac pulled over and let me by.

 

All of a sudden a rod started knockin';

Down in the depths she started a rockin'.

I looked in the mirror and a red light was blinkin';

The cops was after my Hot Rod Lincoln.

 

Well they arrested me and put me in jail.

I called my pop to make my bail.

He said, "Son, you're gonna drive me t' drinkin',

If you don't quit drivin' that - Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!"

 

 

 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The creator of Hot Rod Lincoln is Charlie Ryan. He fashioned both the car and the song.

 

Charlie Ryan is a musician, songwriter and a car guy. In the late 1940s, he purchased a used 1941 Lincoln Zephyr four-door sedan. After a couple of years, he decided to make a hot rod out of it. He removed the Zephyr body, cut two feet off the frame to shorten the wheelbase and dropped a 1930 Ford Model A coupe body on it. At first, the car was painted black with red wheels. Charlie installed a '48 V-12 engine in it along with the 3 speed + overdrive '48 transmission. The car has a lot of Lincoln touches on it, including cut-down Zephyr bumpers, a Lincoln emblem on the radiator, an the Lincoln greyhound radiator ornament. The interior has a narrowed '41 Zephyr dashboard. At first, the car was painted black with red wheels. Later, in 1960, the car was repainted red. It was repainted again in 1986 in Datsun Z-car red. Charlie says, "The paint's the only Japanese thing on it."

 

While he was working on the car, Charlie was thinking about the song. By the early 1950s, he had the lyrics worked out and began performing it. Charlie Ryan recorded 'Hot Rod Lincoln' in 1955; it was released as a single by Souvenir Records in 1957. It became a major hit in many regions of the United States. While traveling to perform, Charlie and his wife Ruthie often took the Hot Rod Lincoln on tour. By 1960, it needed another engine. Charlie installed a 1939 Lincoln V-12. It's still powering the car today.

 

Other car songs were written before Charlie's, everything from 'My Merry Oldsmobile' (1903) to Jackie Brentson's 'Rocket 88' (1951 - and, with Ike Turner on keyboard, it's considered by many to be the very first rock n' roll song). But 'Hot Rod Lincoln' was the first car song to become a major hit and make the Billboard top ten list.

 

'Hot Rod Lincoln' has been performed by many artists - Johnny Bond had a regional hit with the song in 1959; Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen covered it in 1972. In the 80s, Asleep At The Wheel did a very nice version. In 1995, Jim Varney (Ernest) recorded a cover which was used in 'The Beverly Hillbillies' movie.

 

Today, at 83 years old, Charlie Ryan is semi-retired - but he still occasionally performs the song. The photo above was taken at the Lincoln & Continental Owners Club's 1994 National Meet in Silverdale, Washington. Charlie brought the car and gave a live performance of 'Hot Rod Lincoln' - to the cheers of a room filled with over 300 Lincoln enthusiasts. Charlie and Ruthie (married 62 years) have been awarded lifetime memberships in our Club.

 

They spend their summers at their Spokane, Washington home - their winters are spent relaxing in Arizona. And, after all these years, they still have the car.

 

We hope that Charlie will never "quit drivin' that - Hot ... Rod ... Lincoln!"

[Skitzo130]

its a great song