"Hot Rod Race" is a

Western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...

song about a fictional automobile race in

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, between a Ford and a Mercury. Released in November 1950, it broke the ground for a series of

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 optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

songs recorded for the car culture of the 1950s and 1960s. With its hard driving boogie woogie beat, it is sometimes named one of the first

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or 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 Africa ...

songs. Written by George Wilson, it became a major hit for

Arkie Shibley Jesse Lee Shibley, known as Arkie Shibley (21 September 1914 – September 1975) was an American Old-time music, country singer who recorded the original version of "Hot Rod Race" in 1950. The record was important because ''"it introduced ...

and his Mountain Dew Boys (Gilt-Edge 5021), staying on the charts for seven weeks, peaking at number five in 1951. Trying to repeat his success, Shibley recorded at least four follow-up songs. Ramblin' Jimmie Dolan,

Tiny Hill Tiny may refer to: Kane Places * Tiny, Ontario, a township in Canada * Tiny, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the US * Tiny Glacier, Wyoming, US Computing * Tiny BASIC, a dialect of the computer programming language BASIC * Tiny Encryp ...

, and

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 ...

, all released versions in 1951; 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. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

chart and number 29 on the pop chart. 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". The song ends with: These lyrics set the stage for an "answer song" called "

Hot Rod Lincoln "Hot Rod Lincoln" is a song by American singer-songwriter Charlie Ryan, first released in 1955. It was written as an answer song to Arkie Shibley's 1950 hit "Hot Rod Race" (US #29). It describes a drive north on US Route 99 (predecessor to I ...

", first recorded in 1955.

References

External links

Article about Arkie Shibley and his difficulties in releasing the song
{{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