[78-L] Hank Penny

[Cary Ginell]

"Won't You Ride in My Little Red Wagon" was written by Rex Griffin, a fellow Alabaman who Hank Penny grew up with.
 
When he died from a sudden heart attack in 1992, Hank chose to be cremated. All of his friends were invited to his home in the Santa Rosa Valley in Ventura County (Calif.) for the great send-off. The Pennys had a very nice country estate with a large backyard. It was a celebration of his life, and all of his friends told stories about him, with the urn with Hank's ashes sitting right there in the room. After this ended, someone, I forget who, left with the urn. The person took the urn to the local airport and it was loaded aboard a bright red helicopter. The helicopter did a flyover over Hank's house and then proceeded to the Pacific Ocean where the ashes were deposited. The idea was that the helicopter was Hank's "little red wagon," taking him on his last ride. It was very moving and very positive without being overtly religious. It's still the only funeral I've been to where people left happier than when they arrived.
 
Cary Ginell
 
> Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:54:16 -0700
> From: danvanlandingham at yahoo.com
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Subject: Re: [78-L] trivia question and Cary question
> 
> About that song "Little Red Wagon".I grew up listening to my mother sing thata 
> song.I wonder if she had
> heard Hank Penny's recording but never knew who it was.She also used to sing the 
> song "The Man Do-
> n't Come(To Our House Anymore)".I found an OKeh recording of it from around 1940 
> and she said that was the recording she heard.I want to say it was by Frankie 
> Masters but that was another one of those
> records that disappeared when my sister in law sold 1100+ LPS plus a karge batch 
> of 78s for $100.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> ________________________________
> From: Cary Ginell <soundthink at live.com>
> To: 78-l at klickitat.78online.com
> Sent: Sun, October 10, 2010 6:10:33 PM
> Subject: Re: [78-L] trivia question and Cary question
> 
> 
> First, where did you read this comment? I must have asked Hank about this record 
> in one of our interviews but I can't recall whether he was proud of it or not. I 
> can tell you, however, that for all his clean-cut image, Hank did love a good 
> racy joke, and it doesn't surprise me in the least that he made this record 
> (which was also recorded by Tampa Red). Hank even told an off-color joke at my 
> wedding, but because it was good ol' lovable Hank, he got away with it. I can't 
> reveal the details of the joke; suffice it to say it had to do with garden 
> vegetables, specifically, tomatoes and cucumbers. Use your imagination.
> 
> Although he didn't sing "Poodle" at my wedding, he did do "Won't You Ride in My 
> Little Red Wagon."
> 
> Cary Ginell
> 
> 
> > 
> > One was a near mint copy of "Let Me Play With Your Poodle" by Hank Penny on
> > King 614.
> > 
> > Cary question--I've read where Mr. Penny asked that this be recalled because
> > he was embarrassed at it's release. Did you ever ask him about this and if
> > you did what did he say?
> > 
> > And the other was "Ida Red" by Chris Powell and His Five Blue Flames on Okeh
> > 6875.
> > 
> > Trivia question--the trumpet solo on "Ida Red" was from this performer's
> > first commercial recording session. Who was this trumpet player?
> > 
> > Only found four 78s that I wanted but I was really happy with the four.
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