Commander Cody Off To The Ozone-Live Music Is Better # 3
RIP George Frayne 19 Jul 1944-26 Sep 2021
Commander Cody and The Lost Planet Airmen. Rock and Roll, Cajun, Texas Swing, Country, all wrapped up in a fine tortilla of cosmic cowboy raucousness.
Simply, if you hung around with me in the 70’s, I would have driven you around the twist  with the steel guitar of Bobby  Black (who had replaced West Virginia Creeper) , the fiddle and sax of Andy Stein, the rockabilly heart of Billy C Farlow, the rhythm section of Lance and Buffalo Bruce, the lead guitar of one Bill Kirchen, John Tichy’s vocals and rhythm guitar and the almighty George Frayne AKA Commander Cody tinkling those ivories.
Seeing them support bands like the New Riders Of the Purple Sage at The Academy of Music or on their own from venues like My Father’s Place to Nassau Community College and around the NYC Metro area, there was never too much fun!
Or who recalls the August day in 1974 when they did a free daytime show in the Sheep Meadow in Central Park with 50,000 people? No clouds, a brilliant blue sky, and damn, it was hot. The Commander had obtained an Umbrella from a Hot Dog vendor and he settled in the shade having a ball and sucking back cold Heinekens in between his piano playing.
We certainly were jealous as we danced and melted in the sun. 3 weeks to the day Nixon had resigned, this day remains historic for the moment Nelson Rockefeller was made Vice President. Announced from the stage, this was met by boos from the sweaty throng.
The set list was classic CCLPA from Armadillo Stomp to Lost In The Ozone….and oh , boy we were.
In 2005, I had a little wedding party at The Rodeo bar in Manhattan where I had Bill Kirchen come and play many of those CCLPA tunes. That is another story, for another day.
The Commander has left the building and all those shows are simply hazy memories now. Some are recorded, many are not. The moment, the performance, the excellent mix of these long-haired crazies mixing their hippie like sensibilities to country music made it what it was.
Rock That Boogie, Commander!
