Charles Ryan | Wrote 'Hot Rod' song, 92
Charles Ryan, 92, the musician and songwriter who co-wrote the hit song "Hot Rod Lincoln," has died. Mr. Ryan died last Saturday after a long battle with heart disease, his family said in Spokane, Wash. Mr. Ryan and W.S. Stevenson wrote "Hot Rod Lincoln" and Mr. Ryan first recorded it in 1955. The song was inspired by commutes he made in his 1941 Lincoln from Spokane to Lewiston, Idaho. It has been recorded many times since. Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen made it a hit in 1972, and it has been a mainstay of popular culture for decades. The song passed the one-million-play mark in the summer of 2000, according to Broadcast Music Inc. - AP
Charles Ryan, 92, the musician and songwriter who co-wrote the hit song "Hot Rod Lincoln," has died.
Mr. Ryan died last Saturday after a long battle with heart disease, his family said in Spokane, Wash.
Mr. Ryan and W.S. Stevenson wrote "Hot Rod Lincoln" and Mr. Ryan first recorded it in 1955. The song was inspired by commutes he made in his 1941 Lincoln from Spokane to Lewiston, Idaho. It has been recorded many times since.
Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen made it a hit in 1972, and it has been a mainstay of popular culture for decades. The song passed the one-million-play mark in the summer of 2000, according to Broadcast Music Inc.
- AP