The Chantays, sometimes credited as Chantay's, is an American

surf music Surf music (or surf rock, surf pop, or surf guitar) is a genre of rock music associated with surf culture, particularly as found in Southern California. It was especially popular from 1958 to 1964 in two major forms. The first is instrumental s ...

band from

Orange County, California Orange County is located in the Los Angeles metropolitan area in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,186,989, making it the third-most-populous county in California, the sixth-most-populous in the United States, ...

, United States, known for the hit

instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to instr ...

" Pipeline" (1963). Their music combines

electronic keyboard An electronic keyboard, portable keyboard, or digital keyboard is an electronic musical instrument, an electronic derivative of keyboard instruments. Electronic keyboards include synthesizers, digital pianos, stage pianos, electronic organs ...

s and surf guitar, creating a unique ghostly sound.

History

The Chantays were formed in 1961 by five high-school friends. Bob Spickard, Brian Carman (co-writers of "Pipeline"), Bob Welch, Warren Waters and Rob Marshall were all students at Santa Ana High School in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

. In December 1962, the group recorded and released "Pipeline", which peaked at No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in May 1963. The track also peaked in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 1963 at No. 16. The Chantays recorded their first

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

in 1963, also titled ''Pipeline'', which included "Blunderbus" and "El Conquistador". Their follow-up album was ''Two Sides of the Chantays'' in 1964. The Chantays toured Japan and the United States, joining

the Righteous Brothers The Righteous Brothers are an American musical duo originally formed by Bill Medley and Bobby Hatfield but now comprising Medley and Bucky Heard. Medley formed the group with Hatfield in 1963. They had first performed together in 1962 in the Los ...

and

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

on a few occasions, and they were the only rock and roll band to perform on ''

The Lawrence Welk Show ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' is an American televised musical variety show hosted by big band leader Lawrence Welk. The series aired locally in Los Angeles for four years, from 1951 to 1955, then nationally for another 16 years on ABC from 1955 t ...

''. "Pipeline" (published as

sheet music Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed books or pamphlets in English, A ...

in 1962 by Downey Music Publishing) has become one of several surf rock hits. The tune has since been

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

Bruce Johnston Bruce Arthur Johnston (born Benjamin Baldwin; June 27, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who is a member of the Beach Boys. Johnston also collaborated on many records with Terry Melcher (his bandmate in ...

Welk WELK (94.7 FM) is a classic hits formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Elkins, West Virginia, serving North Central West Virginia. WELK is owned and operated by West Virginia Radio Corporation. References External links94.7 WELK Onli ...

(on the Dot album ''Scarlet O'Hara''),

Al Caiola Alexander Emil Caiola (September 7, 1920 – November 9, 2016) was an American guitarist, composer and arranger, who spanned a variety of music genres including jazz, country, rock, and pop. He recorded over fifty albums and worked with some of ...

(on the United Artists album ''Greasy Kid Stuff''),

the Ventures The Ventures are an American instrumental rock band formed in Tacoma, Washington, in 1958, by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle. The band, which was a quartet for most of its existence, helped to popularize the electric guitar across the world during the ...

, Takeshi Terauchi & Blue Jeans,

Agent Orange Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, one of the "tactical use" Rainbow Herbicides. It was used by the United States Armed Forces, U.S. military as part of its herbicidal warfare program, Operation Ranch Hand, during the Vietnam ...

Hank Marvin Hank Brian Marvin (born Brian Robson Rankin, 28 October 1941) is an English multi-instrumentalist, vocalist and songwriter. He is widely known as the lead guitarist for The Shadows, a group which primarily performed instrumentals and was the ba ...

, Lively Ones,

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

Dick Dale Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known ...

with the help of

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years ...

(Grammy Nominated), by the

thrash metal Thrash metal (or simply thrash) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by its overall aggression and often fast tempo.Kahn-Harris, Keith, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'', pp. 2–3, 9. Oxford: Berg, 2007, . ...

band

Anthrax Anthrax is an infection caused by the bacterium '' Bacillus anthracis''. It can occur in four forms: skin, lungs, intestinal, and injection. Symptom onset occurs between one day and more than two months after the infection is contracted. The s ...

, Bad Manners and

Johnny Thunders John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played wit ...

. "Pipeline" has been used in many films,

television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising ...

s and commercials, and appears on numerous compilation albums. The Chantays have been honored for their contributions to music. Highlights include being honored on April 12, 1996, by Hollywood's Rock Walk, that was founded to honor individuals and bands that have made lasting and important contributions to music. "Pipeline" is listed as one of the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. Along with

Bill Medley William Thomas Medley (born September 19, 1940) is an American singer and songwriter, best known as one half of The Righteous Brothers. He is noted for his bass-baritone voice, exemplified in songs such as " You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'". M ...

of the Righteous Brothers and

Diane Keaton Diane Keaton (''née'' Hall, born January 5, 1946) is an American actress and director. She has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over six decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Glo ...

, the Chantays were honored by the City of Santa Ana, California, and Santa Ana High School when they named a street after them, Chantays Way. ''OC Weekly'' magazine also named the Chantays as one of the Best Orange County Bands. The Chantays are still playing. Original members Bob Spickard and Bob Welch are joined by longtime members Ricky Lewis and Brian Nussle. More recent albums include ''The Next Set'' (live recording) and ''Waiting for the Tide''. Some of the tracks are the new songs "Crystal T" and "Killer Dana", along with remakes of "Pipeline", "El Conquistador" and "Blunderbus". Brian Carman died at his home in Santa Ana, California, from complications of

Crohn's disease Crohn's disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that may affect any segment of the gastrointestinal tract. Symptoms often include abdominal pain, diarrhea (which may be bloody if inflammation is severe), fever, abdominal distension, ...

on March 1, 2015. He was 69. Another longtime member Gil Orr died on September 19, 2017. He was 79.

Members

*Bob Spickard — guitar: original member *Brian Carman (born Brian Craig Carman; August 10, 1945 – March 1, 2015) — guitar: original member *Bob Welch — drums: original member (not the Fleetwood Mac member). *Warren Waters — bass guitar: original member *Rob Marshall — piano: original member *Ricky Lewis — guitar: longtime member *Gil Orr (July 17, 1938 – September 19, 2017) — guitar/bass guitar: longtime member *Brian Nussle — bass guitar: longtime member

Discography

Albums

* ''Pipeline'' ( Downey DLP-1002, 1963; Dot DLP-3516/DLP-25516) * ''Two Sides of the Chantays'' (Dot DLP-3771/DLP-25771, 1964) * ''Next Set'' ive(Chantay Productions CPD-3164, 1994) * ''Waiting for the Tide'' (Vesper Alley/Roctopia VRA-80003, 1997)

Singles

* " Pipeline" / "Move It" (Downey 104, 1/63; Dot 16440) * "Monsoon" / "Scotch Highs" (Downey 108, 5/63; Dot 16492) * "Space Probe" / "Continental Missile" (Downey 116, 1963) * "It Never Works Out For Me" / "Maybe Baby" (XPANDED Sound 103, 1964) as 'Leaping Ferns' * "Only If You Care" / "Love Can Be Cruel" (Downey 120, 6/64) * "Beyond" / "I'll Be Back Someday" (Downey 126, 11/64) * " Three Coins in the Fountain" / "Greenz" (Downey 130, 1965) * "(I Won't Cry) So Be On Your Way" / "Fear of the Rain" (

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repe ...

0423, 11/65) as 'The Ill Winds' * "A Letter" / "I Idolize You" (Reprise 0492, 7/66) as 'The Ill Winds'

Live TV performances

* "Pipeline" (Lawrence Welk Show, May 18, 1963) * "Runaway" (Lawrence Welk Show, May 18, 1963)

Awards

* Hollywood's Rockwalk, inducted April 12, 1996

References

External links

www.thechantays.com
nbsp;— The Chantays official site
OC Weekly Magazine

nbsp;— history and booking
Bob Spikard Interview - NAMM Oral History Library (2016)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chantays, The Surf music groups Instrumental rock musical groups Rock music groups from California Dot Records artists Downey Records artists Musical groups from Orange County, California