"Hot Rod Race" is a

Western swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...

song about a fictional street race between

hot rod Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...

customized cars in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, first recorded by Arkie Shibley, and released in November 1950. The comical lyrics relate a night-time race between a custom Ford and a Mercury, from the perspective of the Ford's driver. The race begins outside San Pedro and the drivers race through many towns, evading the police, before both cars are finally overtaken by a faster driver, "a kid in a hopped-up Model A". With its hard driving

boogie woogie Boogie-woogie is a genre of blues music that became popular during the late 1920s, but already developed in African-American communities since the 1870s.Paul, Elliot, ''That Crazy American Music'' (1957), Chapter 10, p. 229. It was eventually ex ...

beat and talking blues vocals, "Hot Rod Race" is sometimes named as one of the first

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...

songs. It also broke new ground in tapping into hot rod and street racing culture, their terminology and slang. Its popularity inspired a series of hot rod songs and fast car songs from other artists and genres recorded for the car culture of the 1950s and 60s.

History

The writing of the song was credited to George Wilson, but some sources suggest that it was in fact the work of George's 17-year-old son, Ron Wilson. George Wilson took the song to Shibley, who in turn took it to Bill McCall, owner of 4 Star Records in Pasadena, California. After McCall turned it down, Shibley recorded and released it on his own Mountain Dew label, but after it started to become popular McCall reconsidered and reissued the recording on the 4-Star subsidiary label, Gilt-Edge. Released as Gilt-Edge 5021, and credited to Arkie Shibley and His Mountain Dew Boys, it became a national hit, staying on the charts for seven weeks, peaking at number five in 1951.Whitburn, Joel; ''The Billboard Book of Top 40 Country Hits'', p. 313, More polished

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

s were soon recorded on

major label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and t ...

s by Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan ( Capitol),

Red Foley Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968) was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the gen ...

( Decca), and

Tiny Hill Harry Lawrence "Tiny" Hill (July 19, 1906 – December 13, 1971) was an American band leader of the big band era. During the height of his career, Hill was billed as "America's Biggest Bandleader" because of his weight of over . His signatu ...

( Mercury). Hill's version reached number seven on the

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

chart and number 29 on the pop chart. Dik de Heer, "Jesse Lee "Arkie" Shibley", ''Encyclopedia of Arkansas''
Retrieved May 31, 2024 Shibley's record may have climbed higher and outpaced any of the others, but his second verse opened up with: Eastern radio stations, never a fan of Western swing anyway, refused to play it.Grushkin, Paul; ''Rockin' Down the Highway'', p. 54-55, : "... but stations back East considered themselves too progressive to play such intimations of racism on the air." Dolan changed the verse to say "plain folks"; Hill to "rich folks"; and Foley to "poor folks".

Legacy

"Hot Rod Race" prompted the even more successful answer song " Hot Rod Lincoln", a hit for Charlie Ryan (recorded 1955 and 1959, charted 1960, No. 33 pop), Johnny Bond (1960, No. 26 pop) and Commander Cody (1972, No. 9 pop). Shibley's record also directly influenced

Chuck Berry Charles Edward Anderson Berry (October 18, 1926 – March 18, 2017) was an American singer, guitarist and songwriter who pioneered rock and roll. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Rock and Roll", he refined and de ...

's " Maybellene", Gene Vincent's "Race With The Devil", and the succession of hot rod records by

the Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their f ...

and others in the early 1960s.

References

{{authority control Western swing songs 1950 songs 1950 singles Songs about cars Arkie Shibley songs Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan songs Red Foley songs Tiny Hill songs