Model A Ford song
Phillip Steen
Tommy & Edna Harwell
Tommy
Phillip Steen wrote in message <01be37e8$8a903700$d547aacc@psteen>...
Al Christians
> Phillip Steen wrote in message <01be37e8$8a903700$d547aacc@psteen>...
> >Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
There was a car song that I can't recall that made a reference to
'making a lady out of Liz." 'Liz' was a reference to the Model T,
but was the part about 'making a lady' a reference to the changes
from the Model T to the less Spartan Model A?
TIA for help, please.
Al
Carl Baron
>
> Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
http://milton.mse.jhu.edu:8001/research/folkindex/
it's listed as:
Henry Ford's Model A - Ford, Oscar
Sm - Casey Jones (i.e. sung to the tune of)
1.New Lost City Ramblers. Modern
Times, Folkways FTS 31027, LP
(1968), cut# 8
I have hand written words at home (a quick search did not locate the
words on the internet). I will post them later if some one else doesn't
do it first. I haven't sung it in a while, so I'd rather not trust my
memory right now. Alternately, you can get them off the above recording.
Carl
Gerald Ross
"The Race" on our "Ready To Wear" LP in the early 1980's. The song (sung
by Stan Werbin) tells the story about a small-town race between a Model A and a Chevrolet. The race ends in a tie and everyone get's drunk on homemade liquor.
Cool song, I played banjo-uke on it (even had a solo).
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aloha,
Gerald Ross
"Everything you've heard your whole life about musicians is true"
Gerald's MIDI Cha Cha, Swing, Fingerstyle Guitar, Polka, Mambo And More!
www.umich.edu/~gbross
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kerry Blech
The Oscar Ford version also was issued on a Marimac cassette
of the complete recordings of Oscar Ford. It originally came out
on 78 as Columbia 15437-D b/w Married Life Blues.
I don't have any reference material with me here at work,
but it may have been Clayton McMichen and Riley Puckett
backing Ford on this cut.
regards,
kerry
--
Blec...@WolfeNet.com
"When you get above the clouds, you can do just as you choose."
- The Rector Trio, Asheville, NC 1930
Tom Patrick
version I heard was recorded by the Happiness Boys (Jones & Hare). It
probably referred only to the T-model, known in those days as a "Tin
Lizzie". The lyrics, as I recall them, could either describe a woman or a
car being dressed up!
Al Christians wrote:
> > Phillip Steen wrote in message <01be37e8$8a903700$d547aacc@psteen>...
> > >Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
>
Kerry Blech
>
> My old band, The Lost World String Band recorded a song entitled
> "The Race" on our "Ready To Wear" LP in the early 1980's. The song (sung
> by Stan Werbin) tells the story about a small-town race between a Model A and a Chevrolet. The race ends in a tie and everyone get's drunk on homemade liquor.
>
> Cool song, I played banjo-uke on it (even had a solo).
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> Aloha,
> Gerald Ross
Hi Gerald,
Happy New Year. That, too, was a song that Oscar Ford recorded,
Columbia 15634-D, "Race Between A Ford And Chevrolet." I know that
McMichen and Puckett were on that one, as their sound is distinctive,
and Oscar even mentions them in the lyrics. Who did Stan name
when you did it?
Bob Bovee and Gail Heil also do a nice version of this song. I think
it is on one of their recordings, as well.
Gerald Ross
> I know that
> McMichen and Puckett were on that one, as their sound is distinctive,
> and Oscar even mentions them in the lyrics. Who did Stan name
> when you did it?
Stan mentioned "Dave and Gerald". Probably the only time in history
that the word "Gerald" appears in a song.
Al Christians
>
> The song you recall was "Since Henry Made a Lady Out of Lizzie". The
> version I heard was recorded by the Happiness Boys (Jones & Hare). It
> probably referred only to the T-model, known in those days as a "Tin
> Lizzie". The lyrics, as I recall them, could either describe a woman or a
> car being dressed up!
>
Yes. Now that's it -- a happy lament of the 1927-28 transition from
Model T to Model A. Things like "Your new sister is the talk of the
town, You were a good wagon until you broke down," and "I know my new
car is a treasure, but what car made walking a pleasure?" Also
something about going to Woolworth's for parts.
BTW, getting back on topic, was Jones of Jones & Hare the same who
played with the Original Dixieland Jazz Band? That was an old-timey
band -- didn't they write the Florida Blues?
Al
Gail Gillespie
: Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
Yes, Fields Ward sang one with the chorus
"the darned old Ford kept chugging right ahead," called Zeke Perkins. I
guess the car in question could have been either an A or a T model since
he was born in the early 20s.
Carl Baron
>
> Phillip Steen wrote:
> >
> > Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
> words on the internet). I will post them later if some one else doesn't
> do it first. I haven't sung it in a while, so I'd rather not trust my
> memory right now.
I home now, so here it is.
Henry Ford's Model A
from Rick from Colorado (Droop Mtn, VA, 1973) who said he learned from a
recording by Tracy Schwarz (probably the New Lost City Ramblers
recording mentioned in my previous posting)
sung to "Casey Jones"; verse only; no chorus (except for the invented
one at the bottom)
All you folks, listen to what I say
Buy a new Ford that they call the Model A
Old John Henry sure knew his biz
When he said "I'm going to make a lady out of Liz."
Now a feller bought one just the other day
And went to try it out on the new highway
He got to sixty, well he lost his nerve.
He forgot to shut it off when he went around the curve.
Now he passed two Packards and a Cadillac, too
With his speed meter sittin' on seventy-two
Folks along the road, they could hear him shout
"The darn thing in second and I can't get her out."
Now if you want to get the girls, I tell you what to do
Buy a new Ford that's big enough for two
When you go for a ride, she'll greet you with a smile
And she'll want to stop and kiss every time you go a mile.
Now if you want to get to heaven, I'll give you all a tip
Buy an old Ford, it'll surely make the trip
But if your gonna go a touring, buy a Model A
It'll out run the Devil and you're sure to get away.
Chorus [came to Carl Baron in a dream]
Henry Ford, chuggin' down the highway
Henry Ford in his Model A (or "tryin' to get away" or "in his
Chevrolet")
Henry Ford, chuggin' down the highway
He's going to make Heaven on Judgment Day. [cb - this last line is a
political statement]
Carl
Al Christians
>
> I am aware that the question was about A-model Ford songs, but some folks have
> commented about T-model songs, and here's another of those. We have an Edison
> cylindrical record player, and one of the records in our small collection is a
> Thomas Edison Blue Ambersol record by the title of "The Little Ford Rambled
> Right Along" by B. Murray. I personally don't know who B. Murray was, but the
> record is older than the A-model, so the song is about a T-model--but I wanted
> to put 2 cents in. Anyone ever heard of B. Murray?!
That's a great record.
"Billy Murray is one of the most successful of all American singers
of humorous songs, and probably entertains, through his Victor records,
a larger audience than any other singer who has ever lived. His Irish
songs, the rapid-fire type of comic song with no breathing places
(Billy never seems to take breath!); the topical song; popular
sentimental songs; dialect specialties -- no matter what the line of
work he undertakes it is sure to be cleverly done."
-- Victor Catalog, 1924
Murray has about 45 titles in this Victor catalog as a soloist, about
another 40 as singer in duets, most notably with Ada Jones, and about
thirty more as a member of the American Quartet. Among the titles were
memorable folk material like: "Are You From Dixie", "I'll See You in
C-U-B-A", "Can You Tame Wild Women", "Wait Till You Get Them Up in the
Air", "Stumbling", "Rainbow", "I Love Me", "Oh, How She Lied", "I've Got
My Captain Working for Me Now". During WWI, he recorded "Over There",
"K-K-K-Katy", and "My Dream of the Big Parade".
Al
Nancy Mamlin
Phillip Steen wrote in message <01be37e8$8a903700$d547aacc@psteen>...
Yeah, my husband does. The closest he could think of was:
The Race Between the Ford and the Chevrolet. Recorded by Oscar Ford and
Riley Puckett in the 1920s. Any further information, you can email Ron at
ro...@boone.net .
Glad to be of service.
Nancy Mamlin
******
Nancy Mamlin
"Whenever you got more than one person in a room together,
there's the potential for conflict." --Brian Yerman
******
Mamie3lou
Tony Russell
----------
In article <01be37e8$8a903700$d547aacc@psteen>, "Phillip Steen"
<pst...@enter.net> wrote:
>Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
An old-time singer from Georgia, Oscar Ford, had a curious obsession with
his namesake's most famous product and recorded such songs about it as
'Henry Ford's Model A' and 'Race Between A Ford And Chevrolet'. He mentions
Fords in other songs, too, but for balance also recorded a 'Riding In A
Chevrolet Six'. His complete recordings from 1929-30 are on Georgia
Songsters (Document DOCD-8024).
Tony Russell
tonyr...@bluetone.demon.co.uk
Tony Russell
>Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
Further to my reply of January 6 about old-time singer and Ford nut Oscar
Ford, there was also a pop song of the late '20s about Fords called 'Henry's
Made A Lady Out Of Lizzie'. From memory it includes the line 'I'm talking
about that new Ford car, and gee, it's sure a wow'. I assume it's about the
Model A, seen as an advance on the 'Tin Lizzie' (Model T). Anyway, it's an
amusing song. I have it by a quartet on an obscure English 78 (probably from
an obscure US master). The hit US version, I suspect, was the 1928 Victor
recording by The Happiness Boys (Billy Jones & Ernest Hare), a popular disc
and radio act of the time.
Lewis Benton
> Carl Baron wrote:
> >
> > >
> > > Anyone know of a song about Model A Fords?
> > words on the internet). I will post them later if some one else doesn't
> > do it first. I haven't sung it in a while, so I'd rather not trust my
> > memory right now.
> I home now, so here it is.
Old Bill Jones won the sweeps the other day
Like a dog gone fool he thru his money all away.
He went to town a sittin' on a board
And he came back home in a little old Ford.
Chorus:
Old Bill Jones, he bought himself an auto
Old Bill Jones, his whiskers they were red.
Old Bill Jones he lost the combination
But the little o;d Ford went a chugging right agead.
Now he took out his knife and he smiled so serene
He cut a hole in the tank and let out the gasoline.
Je cut all the wires and he cut off the top
But the little old Ford just would not stop.
This has two more verses and I can post them if you are interested. I just wanted to know if you or any of your friends recognize this arrangement.
Thanks- Lew Benton