Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were an American

country rock Country rock is a music genre that fuses rock and country. It was developed by rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s. These musicians recorded rock records using country themes, vocal sty ...

band founded in 1967. The group's leader and co-founder was pianist and vocalist George Frayne IV, alias Commander Cody (born July 19, 1944, in

Boise, Idaho Boise ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Idaho, most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, there were 235,685 people residing in the city. Loca ...

; died September 26, 2021, in

Saratoga Springs, New York Saratoga Springs is a Administrative divisions of New York#City, city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the United States Census 2020, 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the ...

). The band became known for marathon live shows. Alongside Frayne, the classic lineup was Billy C. Farlow (b.

Decatur, Alabama Decatur () is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County, Alabama, Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County, Alabama, Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City," it is located in North Alabam ...

) on vocals and harmonica; John Tichy (b.

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

) on guitar and vocals; Bill Kirchen (Kirchen was born in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

, June 29, 1948, but grew up in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

) on lead guitar; Andy Stein (b. August 31, 1948, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

) on saxophone and fiddle; "Buffalo" Bruce Barlow (b. December 3, 1948, in

Oxnard, California Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California, United States. On California's Central Coast (California), Central Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the List of largest California cities by populati ...

) on bass guitar; Lance Dickerson (b. October 15, 1948, in

Livonia, Michigan Livonia ( ) is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A western suburb of Detroit, Livonia is located roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 95,535. Originally organized as ...

, died November 10, 2003, in

Fairfax, California Fairfax is an List of cities in California, incorporated town in Marin County, California, Marin County, California, United States. Fairfax is located west-northwest of San Rafael, California, San Rafael, at an elevation of . The population w ...

) on drums; and Steve "The West Virginia Creeper" Davis (b. July 18, 1946, in

Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...

), followed by Bobby Black, on

pedal steel guitar The pedal steel guitar is a console steel guitar with pedals and knee levers that change the pitch of certain strings, enabling more varied and complex music to be played than with other steel guitar designs. Like all steel guitars, it can play ...

The Lost Planet Airmen

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen formed in 1967 in

, United States, with Frayne taking the stage name Commander Cody. The band's name was inspired by 1950s film serials featuring the character Commando Cody and from a feature version of an earlier serial, '' King of the Rocket Men'', released under the title '' Lost Planet Airmen''. After playing for several years in local bars, in 1969 the core members migrated to

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Anglo-Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland, Cali ...

, and soon got a recording contract with

Paramount Records Paramount Records was an American record label known for its recordings of jazz and blues in the 1920s and early 1930s, including such artists as Ma Rainey, Tommy Johnson (guitarist), Tommy Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson. Early years Paramoun ...

. (About a year later, Commander Cody invited western swing revival group

Asleep at the Wheel Asleep at the Wheel is an American country music, Western swing music group that was formed in Paw Paw, West Virginia, in 1970, and is based in Austin, Texas. The band has won nine Grammy Awards, released over 20 albums, and has charted more t ...

to relocate to the Bay Area.) The group released their first album in November 1971, '' Lost in the Ozone'', which yielded its best-known hit, a cover version of the 1955 song " Hot Rod Lincoln", which reached the top ten on the ''Billboard'' singles chart in early 1972. Shortly thereafter drummer Lance Dickerson, Bruce Barlow, the band's manager and the band's bus driver, Ed Dufault, moved to a ranch in Kenwood, California named "The Casa Felice". Here in the basement of one of the 3 houses is where the band set up a studio and practiced for upcoming tours. The tour bus at the time was a converted Greyhound bus with the name and logo "Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen" painted on the side. For a short time, the bus could be seen parked on the side of Warm Springs Road in Kenwood. The band's 1974 live recording, ''

Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas ''Live from Deep in the Heart of Texas'' is an album by American rock band Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. It was recorded live at the Armadillo World Headquarters in Austin, Texas in November 1973, and released in 1974. Unlike many li ...

'', features cover art of

armadillo Armadillos () are New World placental mammals in the order (biology), order Cingulata. They form part of the superorder Xenarthra, along with the anteaters and sloths. 21 extant species of armadillo have been described, some of which are dis ...

s by Jim Franklin. The band released several moderately successful albums through the first half of the 1970s. Their 1975 album ''Tales From The Ozone'' was produced by

Hoyt Axton Hoyt Wayne Axton (March 25, 1938 – October 26, 1999) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He became prominent in the early 1960s, establishing himself on the West Coast as a folk singer with an earthy style and powerful voic ...

. After appearing in the

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

movie ''

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'', Frayne disbanded the group in 1976. Geoffrey Stokes's 1976 book ''Star-Making Machinery'' featured Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen as its primary case study of music industry production and marketing. Stokes relates the difficulties the band had recording its first album for

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. The label wanted a hit album along the lines of the soft country-rock of

The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...

, but the band was not inclined to change its raw-edged style. The book also detailed various internal conflicts within the band, some related to the recording process, others not. Later some unauthorized Lost Planet Airmen recordings were released in Europe and Australia along with previously unreleased LPA tracks and some outtakes from existing Paramount and Warner releases. Kirchen and Stein went on to have successful musical careers, with Kirchen being acknowledged as one of the preeminent

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players in the world. Stein had a long association with the radio program, ''

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''. Tichy had previously earned a Ph.D. from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

and became head of the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (; RPI) is a private university, private research university in Troy, New York, United States. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world and the Western Hemisphere. It was establishe ...

(RPI) in Troy, New York."Vile Gossip", Jean Jennings, ''

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'', February 2007 " Hot Rod Lincoln", the band's most famous recording, was voted a Legendary Michigan Song in 2008. The following year Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen were inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Members of the original group, excepting Frayne, held a 50th anniversary reunion in the San Francisco Bay area in June 2019. The band disbanded in 1977, but the name "Commander Cody" survived, being used by Frayne in various iterations in his solo career.

Commander Cody

Retaining his stage name, George Frayne had a subsequent solo career, touring and releasing albums from 1977 on under various names including Commander Cody, the Commander Cody Band, Commander Cody and His Modern Day Airmen, and Commander Cody and His Western Airmen. Frayne was also a visual artist. He received a bachelor's in design from the

in 1966 and a master's in Sculpture and Painting from the Rackham School of Graduate Studies of the University of Michigan in 1968. He taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and his art was exhibited at numerous shows around the country. He was a student of

cinematography Cinematography () is the art of motion picture (and more recently, electronic video camera) photography. Cinematographers use a lens (optics), lens to focus reflected light from objects into a real image that is transferred to some image sen ...

, and has a video ("Two Triple Cheese Side Order of Fries") in the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. MoMA's collection spans the late 19th century to the present, a ...

's permanent video archive. He has assembled many old movies to go with the band's music as shown on his YouTube channel. Some of his paintings are oversized; most are medium-sized acrylics and present pop art images from media sources and historic photos. His book, ''Art Music and Life'' was released by Qualibre Publications in 2009 and is a mix of his best work and anecdotal comments and related stories. He still did portraits of famous automobiles for the Saratoga Auto Museum in

, where he resided in April, 1997. George's brother Chris Frayne is credited with the

cover art Cover art is a type of artwork presented as an illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product, such as a book (often on a dust jacket), magazine, newspaper ( tabloid), comic book, video game ( box art), music album ( album ar ...

for the ''Lost in the Ozone'', ''Sleazy Roadside Stories'', ''Hot Licks, Cold Steel & Truckers' Favorites'', and ''Country Casanova'' albums. He shared credit with George for the album cover for ''Aces High'', and designed other album covers in the music industry. Chris Frayne died in 1992 of

multiple sclerosis Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease resulting in damage to myelinthe insulating covers of nerve cellsin the brain and spinal cord. As a demyelinating disease, MS disrupts the nervous system's ability to Action potential, transmit ...

. On September 26, 2021, George Frayne died in

at the age of 77.

Style and influences

Influenced by the rowdy barroom country of

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), marked ...

and Ray Price, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen's style was built on the foundation of

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

, which the band fused with

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 ...

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 ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

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 ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

, which ''Classic Rock'' said resulted in "a counter-cultural twist to the Nashville sound". ''Relix'' said that the band "tossed together

rockabilly Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the Southern United States, South. As a genre, it blends the sound of Western music (North America), Western musi ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

, country, boogie-woogie, Western swing and whatever else came their way." ''Tinnitist'' called the band "one of the more interesting bands of the hippie era, fusing county, rockabilly, western swing,

jump blues Jump blues is an uptempo style of blues, jazz, and boogie woogie usually played by small groups and featuring horn instruments. It was popular in the 1940s and was a precursor of rhythm and blues and rock and roll. Appreciation of jump blues wa ...

and more into an infectious amalgam that set the table for outfits like

NRBQ NRBQ is an American rock band founded by Terry Adams (piano), Steve Ferguson (guitar) and Joey Spampinato (bass). Originally the "New Rhythm and Blues Quintet", the group was formed circa 1965. Adams disbanded it for a time, and the group re ...

". ''All About Jazz'' described the band's music as "plainly Western Swing—a musically alchemic concoction made up of equal parts country,

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

, blues,

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

jazz, whiskey and reefer." Pioneers of

roots rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...

and

alternative country Alternative country (commonly abbreviated to alt-country; also known as alternative country rock, insurgent country, Americana, or y'allternative) is a loosely defined subgenre of country music and/or country rock that includes acts that diffe ...

, ''Deadline'' said that the band " nspiredthe legions of

roots-rock Roots rock is a genre of rock music that looks back to rock's origins in contemporary folk music, folk, blues, and country music. First emerging in the late 1960s, it is seen as a response to the perceived excesses of the then dominant psychedel ...

and Americana musicians to come." ''Cashbox'' said that Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen were also "pioneers of progressive country."

Members

* George Frayne – lead vocals, keyboards (1967–1976) * Billy Farlow – lead vocals (1967–1976), harmonica (1967–1975) * Bill Kirchen – lead guitar, backing vocals (1967–1976), trombone (1967–1971), banjo (1973–1975) * John Tichy – rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1967–1975) * Andy Stein – saxophone, fiddle (1967–1976) * Bruce Barlow – bass guitar, upright bass, backing vocals (1967–1976) * Lance Dickerson – drums, percussion (1967–1976), backing vocals (1974–1976) * Steve Davis – pedal steel guitar (1967–1971) * Bobby Black – pedal steel guitar (1972–1976), backing vocals (1973–1976) * Ernie Hagar – pedal steel guitar (1974–1975) * Norton Buffalo – harmonica, trombone, backing vocals (1976) * Rick Higgnbotham – rhythm guitar (1975–1976) * Jack Black – backing vocals, lead guitar (1970–1971)

Timeline

Discography

Albums

Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen
Recordings featuring the original Lost Planet Airmen: Commander Cody
Recordings featuring George Frayne with various other musicians:

Singles

References

Notes

Citations

External links

Official websiteCommander Cody at awpi.comAmsterdam 1976 – live pics
*
At discogs.com as Commander Cody

At discogs.com as Commander Cody Band

The Commander's channel on youtube
* * Discogs entry for Chris Frayne * {{Authority control 1967 establishments in Michigan 2021 disestablishments in New York (state) American country rock groups Swing revival ensembles Western swing musical groups American alternative country groups Progressive country musicians Roots rock music groups Rock music groups from Michigan Musical groups from Ann Arbor, Michigan Musical groups established in 1967 Musical groups disestablished in 2021 Blind Pig Records artists Atlantic Records artists Relix Records artists Warner Records artists MCA Records artists Arista Records artists