They became a popular touring and recording act during the first half of the 1970s, getting around the country in a converted Greyhound bus. “As I lay my head upon his shoulder/George’s soul took to flight/I am heartbroken and weary/And I know your hearts break too,” Casanova wrote last weekend on her Facebook page.įormed in 1967, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen drew upon influences ranging from Western swing to jump blues. He was 77 and had been diagnosed with cancer several years ago. NEW YORK (AP) - George Frayne, who as leader of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen enjoyed a cult following in the 1970s with such party and concert favorites as “Hot Rod Lincoln” and “Smoke! Smoke! Smoke! (That Cigarette),” has died.įrayne died Sunday in Saratoga Springs, New York, according to his wife Sua Casanova, who did not immediately provide further details.
