Southwest Berkeley in Alameda County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)
Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, January 7, 2024
1. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen Marker
During the summer of 1969, the house at 835 Folger Avenue was home to the band Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen. The band's style mixed country, rock 'n' roll, western swing, rockabilly, and jump blues together on a foundation of boogie-woogie piano. The group was founded in Ann Arbor Michigan in 1967 by keyboardist and vocalist George Frayne IV (alias Commander Cody, born July 19, 1944).
The band relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area in 1969 and later secured a recording contract with Paramount Records. Their first album "Lost in the Ozone" was released in 1971 and yielded their 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. The band went on to release a number of other albums before eventually disbanding in 1976.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Entertainment. A significant historical date for this entry is July 19, 1944.
Location. 37° 51.001′ N, 122° 17.495′ W. Marker is in Berkeley, California, in Alameda County. It is in Southwest Berkeley. It is
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and on the Coast Ranges. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, on the Ring of Fire, in the Pacific Rim, in the Western Hemisphere, in the Western World, and in the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also Mexicos Alta California.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Philadelphia Quartz Company (approx. 0.4 miles away); In Memoriam (NSGW WWI Memorial) (approx. half a mile away); Site of Pump House - Peet Brothers/Colgate Palmolive (approx. half a mile away); San Pablo Tennis Club (approx. half a mile away); Frances Albrier (approx. 0.6 miles away); California & Nevada Railroad (approx. 0.7 miles away); Exxon Super Service Station (approx. 0.7 miles away); Rumford's Pharmacy (approx. 0.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map
Photographed by Andrew Ruppenstein, January 7, 2024
2. Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen Marker
The marker is visible here mounted low to a black fence on the left side of the driveway into one of Ashby Lumbers facilities. The house at 835 Folger Avenue is no longer extant.
Also see . . .
1. Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.
History: Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen formed in 1967 in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 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.(Submitted on January 7, 2024.)
After playing for several years in local bars, in 1969 the core members migrated to Berkeley, California, and soon got a recording contract with Paramount Records. (About a year later, Commander Cody invited western swing revival group Asleep at the Wheel 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, features cover art of armadillos 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. After appearing in the Roger Corman movie Hollywood Boulevard, Frayne disbanded the group in 1976.
2. Commander Cody & His Lost Planet Airmen - Hot Rod Lincoln (YouTube, 3 min.). Video of Hot Rod Lincoln by Commander Cody And His Lost Planet Airmen first released on Paramount Records in 1972, this legendary classic has been selling ever since; its #2 on Hot Rod Magazine's 25 all time car songs. This video has been accepted at a video festival in Cannes for feb 2021. (Submitted on January 7, 2024.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 7, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 481 times since then and 53 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 7, 2024, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.
