Whether we’re talking about music, cars, or a city, a classic seems to be something that transcends time — that has a life of its own. It’s also something that influences future generations and becomes the roots of evolution.
Alto Reed knows classic rock. Not only did he play a role in its creation, he’s still playing music (along with Steve Dickinson and the rest of the Reed & Dickinson band) that’s dedicated to the Rock & Roll tradition — chock full of legendary sax solos, rockabilly guitar licks, driving beats and lyrics that speak to the True American Spirit.
Alto and Steve were kind enough to answer some questions about a trilogy of classics: the music they play, the cars they love and the city of Detroit. I hope you enjoy the interview as much as I did … -Eva Abreu
Here’s the Q&A Interview with Steve Dickinson and Alto Reed - Part 1
Q1. When I say “Detroit”, what comes to mind?
Steve Dickinson:
Detroit to me means Motown, working class people and especially the Rock & Roll I grew up listening to out of Detroit. I am a Canadian and would listen to CKLW non stop growing up.
Classic cars are another of my favourite things. Of course the Tbird has always stood out since American Graffiti for me. Also, the Mustang has been a huge part of the rock & roll culture and continues to be a very cool ride. Of course, we can’t forget the great rock & roll race in Hot Rod Lincoln when thinking rock & roll and cars. - Steve Dickinson
Alto Reed:
Eva, thank you for the opportunity to tell the world what comes to mind when I think “Detroit”.
When I think “Detroit”, I picture a city of hard workers….Midwest work ethics, a City where people get up early and go to bed early…….for 5 days a week……then comes the weekend and “Detroiters” come alive and love to be entertained and dance & sing.
Rock & Roll has a long legacy in Detroit and “Detroiters” have seen the best of the best over the years as Detroit was typically “The City” where, if you wanted to make it big, you had to make it big in Detroit, more commonly know as the “Motor City”. From Hendrix, The Who, Led Zepplin, The Stones and on and on…..Detroit was the “Graduation Ceremony”, the “Doctors Degree” & the “Ultimate Diploma” for so many Rock & Roll Bands for the past 55 Years.
Historically, “Detroiters” have also had the boasting rights to a long list of it’s own homegrown Rock & Roll Bands & Artists who all went on to become “Rock & Roll Stars”….”Huge”….”World Wide”……from Bill Haley & the Comets, Hank Ballard & the Midnighters, Del Shannon, Glenn Frey of the Eagles, Mitch Ryder, Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Kid Rock & especially a band near and dear to my heart….”Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band”.
Detroit is all about Energy, and, Henry Ford’s vision for building an automobile for the “Common Man” and one that most everyone could afford, Energized not only the City of Detroit, but the entire World as well. And, when the World came to the “Motor City”, it found a city alive with it’s own unique musical rhythms. And when the rhythms merged with Henry Ford’s 55′ Thunderbird & the Car Radio, there was no “Looking Back”. Rock & Roll and the automobile had became forever inseparable.
With all of the changes, challenges, hardships and triumphs that Detroit has faced over the past 90 Years, Henry Ford’s automobile company, has steadfastly led the way through it all. He was the first with a new assembly process that put thousands and thousands to work and he paved the way for other Genius and Independent Suppliers in the Automotive Industry who, in turn, hired thousands and thousands of workers.
His own personal genius, drive & hard work has survived intact and his Ford Motor Company is in fact the ONLY Detroit car company to survive without putting it’s hand out to the Government.
Recently, the World woke up one morning and discovered it had become irretrievably intertwined and dependent upon the “Health” of Detroit’s automobile industry and it’s impact on the Global Economy and realized…. “As Goes Detroit….So Goes The World”…….
I’m here to tell the story through my music…..”Rock & Roll”……..”BABY!!!”
Thank you Henry….. “Rock & Roll Never Forgets”……… -Alto Reed
We’ll continue to post additional segments of our interview series with Alto Reed, Reed & Dickinson Band and other great up and coming Detroit bands.
We’re currently working on a series of interviews with Reed & Dickinson Band, stay tuned for Part 1 coming up…
Got a question for Alto Reed and Steve Dickinson of Reed & Dickinson? Post a comment below or email: car {at} rocknrollcars {dot} com
In the meantime, here’s another band with roots in MI, with a song voted “Legendary Michigan Song” in 2009, Some Kind of Wonderful, Grand Funk Railroad:
Taking requests, what’s your favorite Detroit / MI band or song? Comment below.
Do you know of a winter car show going on in your area? Leave a comment below or email: car {at} rocknrollcars {dot} com and we’ll post the event on our site.
“The 2010 Winter Rod and Speed Benefit Car Show is Saturday, January 23 at the Linn County Expo Center in Albany, Oregon. This family-oriented, carnival-like benefit vehicle show is for Cherokee Pizano.
Cherokee is a 14 year old girl from Salem, Oregon who has Osteo Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer. She is currently undergoing radiation treatments at Dornbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland. Cherokee and her mother are homeless.
The show could be the biggest in its three year history. The Winter Rod and Speed Show will feature the original cars from the movie American Graffiti, the $100,000 “Judge” GTO, the classic Veney’s Vega funny car, and the debut of the new Ashwell Racing Mustang funny car. In addition, there will muscle cars, street rods, custom trucks, motorcycles, drag boats, and classics.”
Thank you to the U.S., U.K., and Australia international AskMen.com websites for their mention of RocknRollCars and listing Rod Pitman’s stolen Austin Princess Limo as Number 3 on their “Top 10: Beatles’ Cars” List:
“A person of interest in the theft of my Beatles Car is thought to be living in the U.K. or in Australia. He helped run Paradise Valley Motors [they were better thieves then businessmen ... went bankrupt right after the car was stolen] in Phoenix, AZ 23 years ago. Anyone that might have any information on the vehicle or wants more info on the The Austin Princess can contact @rocknrollcars or @7thscreen on Twitter. There is justice in the world.”
The latest rumor is that the car is in the Pittsburgh Penn area in a rare car collection.
Pitman is also looking for an attorney with criminal and litigation experience, who would be willing to take the car on [at least initially] as a pro bono client. Contact Pitman directly via Twitter @7thscreen or email us: car@rocknrollcars.com if you can help, or if you think you have a lead in the case of the missing Beatles car.
Beatles Car:
We’re still continuing the search for Rod Pitman’s missing Beatles car which he believes may be in someone’s collection in The United States after it was stolen back in the 80’s. The details of the car are as follows: 1965 Austin Vanden Plas Princess Saloon, UK Registration Mark FGO 586C, Serial number VDM4 16087. There’s a reward if found, email: car at rocknrollcars.com or leave a comment below if you think you may have a lead.
Here’s a Beetles Car of another kind: 1968 VW Excellent Condition-SOLD
…and it’s yours for FREE, SOLD (no longer available) (if you become the first Lifetime Platinum sponsor of RocknRollCars.com for $7,500 (U.S. residents only).
In addition to becoming the new owner of this classic carSOLD, we’ll also do the following for you as our exclusive Lifetime Platinum sponsor:
Create and post a banner ad on our site as a permanent lifetime sponsor
Create a blog for you or your business (if you don’t already have one)
Write a monthly article about you (or your business) for 1 year
Create and post a monthly audio podcast about you for 1 year
Create a monthly video for you and upload to YouTube for 1 year
Provide 1 hour of business or social media consulting each month for 1 year
You’ll give your business an extra boost as a Lifetime Platinum sponsor; plus, you’ll turn heads as you drive this 68 VW around town; it’s in excellent condition, with 1 orginal California owner. It’s located in NJ now (since May 2009) and we want to get it to it’s new home (in your garage) before the winter sets in.
Send an email to: car at rocknrollcars.com if interested. The first Platinum sponsor gets the carSOLD and all the benefits above.
The former limousine used by the Beatles in the mid-1960’s, is now currently owned by Rod Pitman of Portland Oregon, who reports that it was stolen in 1983 in Arizona and has been missing since then. It may have sighted in 2007 at a local classic car show, near Pittsburgh, PA.
The details of the car are as follows: 1965 Austin Vanden Plas Princess Saloon, UK Registration Mark FGO 586C, Serial number VDM4 16087.
Pitman, Executive Producer of Hempsters, recalls the first Beatles 45 record he owned was “When the Saints Go Marching In”. He’s been an avid Beatles fan ever since and wanted to purchase a piece of Beatles history when he bought the Princess Saloon more than two decades ago with plans to restore it.
If you think you might know the current whereabouts of this former Beatle’s-owned Austin Vanden Plas limo, email: car {at} rocknrollcars {dot} com. There’s a reward offered.
What’s your story? Do you have a rock n roll car story to share? Contact us to tell us your story.
Regards,
Eva Abreu, Editor
Follow us on Twitter: @RocknRollCars
A recent comment was posted on my Flickr page in response to the missing Beatles car photo, currently owned by Rod Pitman:
“Not really sure this paticular car was owned by the beatles the beatles tour limo had a registration number beginingn with BOY the same car was used on the set of their film Hard Days Night not sure where this particular car came from but Ian Coombes of the princess club might know more” –posted by Flickr user: Andy4475
Looking for more leads on this case. Rod Pitman (@7thscreen on Twitter) is using the art of transmedia storytelling to locate the car which he believes to still be in someone’s collection in The United States after it was stolen back in the 80’s. And there is a reward!
Contact us if you have any information that Rod can follow up with: email: car {at} rocknrollcars {dot} com
Here’s a photocopy of the original UK Registration Book, provided by Rod Pitman, Portland Oregon, including the signature of Brian Epstein, showing that the Beatles LTD, London, were the new owners of the car on Sept. 15, 1966:
~Eva Abreu, Editor, Follow us on Twitter: @RocknRollCars
No need leads in the case of the missing Beatles car, a black 1965 Austin Princess limo, currently owned by Rod Pitman of Portland, Oregon (UK Registration Mark FGO 586C,Serial# VDM4 16087). We need your help to be on the look out for this automobile; there’s a reward offered if the car is recovered.
There’s a long history to Pitman’s Beatles car, which we’ll go into more detail in future posts. In reviewing certified copies of original documentation provided by Pitman, the first owner of the Austin Princess limo was apparently a mortuary in the U.K. which purchased the new automobile in September of 1965. After a year, the car was then sold to the Beatles Ltd of London on September 15, 1966. Beatles manager Brian Epstein signed the original U.K. vehicle registration book on behalf of the Beatles for the purchase of the car (see Pitman’s documentation here).
If cars could talk, I wonder what back seat stories this one could tell, with it’s original owners being a mortuary and The Beatles?
Contact us via email at: car {at} rocknrollcars {dot} com if you think you might have a lead in this case. Pitman seems to think his former Beatles car is still within the United States, but we’ll open up the search to anywhere in the world.
If you have any information or sources of photos for this particular vehicle, especially from it’s early days in the U.K., we’d like to hear from you as well.
Thank you for your help.
Eva Abreu, Editor @RocknRollCars on Twitter
If you have your own rock n roll car story that you’d like to share, we’d love to hear about it.
We’re launching a global search for a car that was previously owned by the Beatles. Current owner Rod Pitman of Portland, Oregon last saw the vehicle over 23 years ago, when it disappeared in Arizona. He ran into one roadblock after another trying to track down and retrieve his car, then finally gave up his search. Until now.
We’re on a mission to try to help Rod relocate his car and bring it back. Can you help? His goal: To restore the Princess to it’s original condition as it was when the Beatles used it as their personal limousine in the mid-1960’s. He’s willing to offer a reward too. Contact us at: car {at} rocknrollcars {dot} com if you have any information, sightings or leads that may help solve this case.
Here are the details: 1965 Austin Vanden Plas Princess Saloon UK Registration Mark FGO 586C with a serial number of VDM4 16087. Rod Pitman, owner.
A possible lead in the case: the car may have been last seen at a classic car show on July 7, 2007 in New Castle, PA in front of Eat n Park (just outside of Pittsburgh). Here’s a screen shot and closeup taken from a video of the event:
Alto Reed knows classic rock. Not only did he play a role in its creation, he’s still playing music (along with Steve Dickinson and the rest of the Reed & Dickinson band) that’s dedicated to the Rock & Roll tradition — chock full of legendary sax solos, rockabilly guitar licks, driving beats and lyrics that speak to the True American Spirit.
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