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Surfbeat
''Surfbeat'' was the first album recorded by the Los Angeles-based surf rock group The Challengers. They recorded the album in a 3½ hour session at the end of 1962. The album was released in early 1963 and became a huge hit, helping to propel the surf genre. It was sought by collectors for many years and gained great notoriety in the obscure surf market. In 1994, Sundazed records, a company with a lot of vintage surf at its disposal, released the album on CD with two bonus tracks. The tracks are all old numbers that serve as the foundation for surf rock. Songs by The Fireballs and Duane Eddy are on the album. The Beach Boys' debut ''Surfin' Safari'' and ''Surfer's Choice'', the debut from Dick Dale & His Del-Tones had been released just a few months before ''Surfbeat'' was recorded. Tracks from both are on this album. Two tracks on the album, "Vampire" and "Kami-Kaze" are actually recordings by The Bel-Airs, the band that the Challengers formed out of. The guitarists and ...
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The Challengers (band)
The Challengers were an instrumental surf music band started in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, in late 1962. They represented a growing love for surf music and helped make the genre popular. Their debut album, ''Surfbeat'', was the biggest-selling surf album of all time and helped bring surf music from California to the rest of the world. Overview The band was formed out of the pioneer surf band called The Bel-Airs. The Bel-Airs were still in high school at the time, but scored a hit with an instrumental song titled "Mr. Moto". Their potential was cited by many, but it was an argument about use of the then new Fender reverb unit that led to their breakup. The Bel-Airs were originally formed by two guitarists, Eddie Bertrand and Paul Johnson (guitarist), Paul Johnson, both 16 years old at the time they recorded "Mr. Moto". In early 1963, Eddie Bertrand heard Dick Dale using the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Fender reverb unit and wanted to start incorporating heav ...
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Lloyd Thaxton Goes Surfing With The Challengers
''Lloyd Thaxton Goes Surfing with The Challengers'' is the second album by the surf rock band The Challengers. This album was issued in 1963, at the peak of the "surf wave", in South California. This record was a "hard to find" LP, until the Sundazed Music Sundazed Music is an American independent record label founded and based in Coxsackie, New York. It was initially known as a '60s-centric surf, garage, and psych label. Over time with the additions of imprints such as Modern Harmonic, American ... cie (on the Yesterdazed Series) released it back, in 1994, with 2 previously unissued bonus tracks. Lloyd Thaxton was host-producer of ''The Lloyd Thaxton Show'', one of the highest rated musical shows in Hollywood. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, and brought up in Toledo, Ohio, Lloyd moved his family to Hollywood in 1957. The ''Lloyd Thaxton Show'' is a favorite not only for teenagers, but with their parents as well, because the show is more than a dance-party; it is filled with a ...
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Randy Nauert
Randy Nauert (pronounced "Nort"; January 1, 1945 – February 7, 2019) was an American surf music and culture entrepreneur. He started in the music business as a bass player who played with The Bel-Airs and took his experience to broader appeal with The Challengers who were in the forefront of the surf music explosion in Southern California. He also worked as a composer, arranger, music manager, producer and music publisher. He is well known as being one of the first pioneers of surf music. Overview Randy Nauert was a surf music pioneer. He enjoyed surfing and playing his bass guitar in bands during his school years. He taught Rick Griffin how to surf. In 1960, the first professional band he played in was named The Bel-Airs and in late 1962 he co-founded The Challengers. They produced a smash hit album titled “Surfbeat” released in January 1963. “Surfbeat” took the California Sound and surf music to new levels of acceptance. It remains the best selling surf album o ...
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Ramrod (Duane Eddy Song)
"Ramrod" is a song written by Al Casey and originally released as the A-side of a single released by the obscure Ford record label in Los Angeles in 1957, backed on its B-side by the Duke Ellington/Juan Tizol/Irving Mills song "Caravan". Al Casey actually plays lead guitar on both sides of this release, but the record was credited to "Duane Eddy and the Rock-A-Billies". The original recording of "Ramrod" was overdubbed on July 28, 1958 with Plas Johnson's saxophone and "rebel yells" were also added by the Sharps (later called The Rivingtons) for the song's second release on Jamie Records (Jamie 1109) in August 1958, now with the song "The Walker" on its B-side (written by Lee Hazlewood and Duane Eddy) and this release reached #17 on the R&B chart, #27 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and #7 in Canada in 1958. The song later also appeared on Duane Eddy's 1958 album, ''Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel''. "Ramrod" was recorded at Audio Recorders recording studio in Phoenix, Arizona, an ...
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Richard Delvy
Richard Delvy (April 20, 1942 – February 6, 2010) was an American music entrepreneur. He started in the music business as a drummer who played with The Bel-Airs and took his experience to broader appeal with The Challengers, who were in the forefront of the surf music explosion in southern California. He also worked as a composer, arranger, music manager, producer, and music publisher. He owned the rights to several iconic surf and rock songs including " Wipe Out", "Mr. Moto" (written by him with Paul Johnson), and "Chick-A-Boom (Don't Ya Jes' Love It)". He is well known as being one of the first pioneers of surf music. Overview Richard Delvy was a surf music pioneer. In 1960, the first band he played drums in was called The Bel-Airs, and in late 1962 he founded The Challengers. They produced a smash hit album titled ''Surfbeat'', released in January 1963. ''Surfbeat'' took the California Sound and surf music to new levels of acceptance and remains the best selling surf ...
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The Bel-Airs
The Bel-Airs were an early and influential surf music band from South Bay, Los Angeles, active in the early 1960s. They were best known for their 1961 hit "Mr. Moto", an instrumental surf tune that featured a flamenco-inspired intro and contained a melodic piano interlude. The song's theme was used in the solo for the song "Seed" by Sublime. Upon splitting up, guitarist Eddie Bertrand formed Eddie & the Showmen in 1964, while guitarist Paul Johnson later joined Cat Mother & the All Night Newsboys in 1970. Original Bel-Airs drummer Dick Dodd joined Bertrand in Eddie & the Showmen, and later joined the Standells, playing drums and singing lead on their major 1966 hit, " Dirty Water". Richard Delvy replaced Dick Dodd on drums, Randy Nauert replaced Steve Lotto on bass, and Art Fisher replaced Eddie Bertrand on guitar. Delvy, Fisher Nauert and Roberts went on to found the surf group The Challengers. Johnson has continued in music, both in recording and as a performer. Among oth ...
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Vault Records
Vault Records was a record label founded by Jack Lewerke and Ralph Kaffel in Los Angeles in 1963. Vault is known for contributing to the popularity of surf rock by releasing ''Surfbeat'', the debut album of the Challengers. ATCO Records distributed the label's recordings until 1965, when the task was taken over by Autumn Records, an independent label in San Francisco. After Autumn folded in 1966, Vault was given the catalogue. As surf rock lost popularity, Vault reissued some of its more obscure releases and signed psychedelic rock musicians. By 1969, Vault had released two nationally charting singles, and Lewerke sold the company to National Tape Distributors of Milwaukee. In 1971, he repurchased the master tapes and reissued material on JAS Records. Along with Ralph Kaffel and Jack Lewerke, Cliff Goldsmith was also a principal in the record company. History The Chambers Brothers recorded their composition " Call Me" which was written by Joe and Willie of the group. It was pro ...
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Surfin' Safari (song)
"Surfin' Safari" is a song by American rock band the Beach Boys, written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love. Released as a single with " 409" on June 4, 1962, it peaked at No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song also appeared on the 1962 album of the same name. Background The song was inspired by Chuck Berry's method of combining simple chord progressions with lyrical references to place names (for example, in " Back in the U.S.A." and " Sweet Little Sixteen"). "Surfin' Safari" includes several references to Southern California surfing locations ( Malibu, Rincon, the Channel Islands, Huntington, and Sunset Beach). The sites and surfing-related terms featured in the song were provided to Brian and Mike by surfer Jimmy Bowles, brother of Brian's then-new flame Judy Bowles, who he had met one afternoon while helping a buddy coach little league. Wilson referred to "Surfin' Safari" as "a silly song with a simple-but-cool C-F-G chord pattern that I came up with one day while ...
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Surf Rock
Surf music (also known as 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 surf, distinguished by reverb-heavy electric guitars played to evoke the sound of crashing waves, largely pioneered by Dick Dale and the Del-Tones. The second is vocal surf, which took elements of the original surf sound and added vocal harmonies, a movement led by the Beach Boys. Dick Dale developed the surf sound from instrumental rock, where he added Middle Eastern and Mexican influences, a spring reverb, and rapid alternate picking characteristics. His regional hit " Let's Go Trippin', in 1961, launched the surf music craze, inspiring many others to take up the approach. The genre reached national exposure when it was represented by vocal groups such as the Beach Boys and Jan and Dean. Dale was quoted on such groups: " ...
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1963 Debut Albums
Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove River, Sydney, Australia. * January 2 – Vietnam War – Battle of Ap Bac: The Viet Cong win their first major victory. * January 9 – A January 1963 lunar eclipse, total penumbral lunar eclipse is visible in the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia, and is the 56th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 114. Gamma has a value of −1.01282. It occurs on the night between Wednesday, January 9 and Thursday, January 10, 1963. * January 13 – 1963 Togolese coup d'état: A military coup in Togo results in the installation of coup leader Emmanuel Bodjollé as president. * January 17 – A last quarter moon occurs between the January 1963 lunar eclipse, penumbral lunar eclipse and the Solar eclipse of January 25, 1963, annular solar ...
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Al Casey (rock & Roll Guitarist)
Alvin Wayne Casey (October 26, 1936 – September 17, 2006) was an American guitarist. He was mainly known for his work as a session musician, but also released his own records and scored three ''Billboard'' Hot 100 hits in the United States. His contribution to the rockabilly genre has been recognized by the Rockabilly Hall of Fame. Early life Casey was born in Long Beach, California and moved to Phoenix, Arizona when he was two years old. His father played the guitar and tried to teach six-year-old Casey to play, but when he realized his son's fingers were too small, he gave him a ukulele instead. At the age of eight, Casey switched to the steel guitar and began taking formal music lessons. By the time he was 14, he was playing the steel guitar for various clubs in Phoenix, and in his later teens he performed five to six nights a week. When Casey was 20 he became serious about playing a traditional guitar. Career "The Fool" In his teens, Casey joined a local group, the ...
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