The Belairs | |
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Origin | Los Angeles County, California, United States |
Genres | surf music |
Years active | 1961 (1986 reunion) | –1965
Labels | Arvee |
The Bel-Airs were an early and influential surf music band from South Bay, Los Angeles, active in the early 1960s. [1]
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". [2] 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 other music associations, he has been a member of the "Jim Fuller version" of the Surfaris since 1990. [3] Bertrand also continued in music, touring as Eddie and the Soundwaves, among other performance configurations. [4] Dodd has participated in various reunions and later recordings of the Standells. [5]
Eddie Bertrand died of cancer on October 27, 2012, at age 67. [6] [7]
Dick Dodd died of cancer on November 29, 2013, at age 68.
The Surfaris are an American surf music band formed in Glendora, California, in 1962. They are best known for two songs that hit the charts in the Los Angeles area, and nationally by May 1963: "Surfer Joe" and "Wipe Out", which were the A-side and B-side of the same 45 rpm single.
Surf music 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.
The Standells are an American garage rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in the 1960s, who have been referred to as a "punk band of the 1960s", and said to have inspired such groups as the Sex Pistols and Ramones. They recorded the 1966 hit "Dirty Water", written by their producer, Ed Cobb. "Dirty Water" is the anthem of several Boston sports teams and is played following every Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins home win.
"Dirty Water" is a song by the American rock band The Standells, written by their producer Ed Cobb. The song is a mock paean to the city of Boston, Massachusetts, and its then-famously polluted Boston Harbor and Charles River.
The Challengers were an instrumental surf music band started in 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.
Love is the debut album by the Los Angeles-based rock band Love; released in March 1966 by Elektra Records.
Living in Darkness is the debut studio album by American punk rock band Agent Orange, released in 1981 on Posh Boy Records. The album showcased the band's innovative mixture of punk, surf rock and skate punk, and was also listed in the "10 Best Skate Punk Records of All Time".
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.
Two Sides of the Moon is the only solo studio album by the English rock musician Keith Moon, drummer for the Who. It peaked at No. 155 on the Billboard 200. The album title was credited to Ringo Starr. Rather than using the album as a chance to showcase his drumming skill, Moon sang lead vocals on all tracks, and played drums only on three of the tracks, although he played percussion on "Don't Worry Baby". The album features contributions from Ringo Starr, Harry Nilsson, Joe Walsh of the Eagles, Jim Keltner, Bobby Keys, Klaus Voormann, John Sebastian, Flo & Eddie, Spencer Davis, Dick Dale, Suzi Quatro's sister Patti Quatro, Patti's bandmates from Fanny Jean Millington and Nickey Barclay, and future actor Miguel Ferrer.
Eddie & the Showmen were an American surf rock band of the 1960s. Formed in Southern California by Eddie Bertrand, formerly of The Bel-Airs, they released several singles on Liberty Records. Their highest-charting single in Los Angeles was "Mr. Rebel", which reached number four on the Wallichs Music City Hit List on February 10, 1964.
The Routers were an American instrumental group in the early 1960s.
Ronald Lee Wilson was an American musician and recording artist, best known as an original member and drummer of The Surfaris, an early surf music group of the 1960s. Wilson's energetic drum solo on "Wipe Out" made it one of the best-known instrumental songs of the period.
The Teenbeat Club was a nightclub in Paradise, Nevada, believed to be the first in the U.S. that catered exclusively to teenagers. Located at 4416 Paradise Road, it was opened in 1962 by Steve Miller and Keith Austin, both 19 at the time and Las Vegas High School graduates, where they had been members of the 1962 Las Vegas High School Broadcasting Club. The club's marquee was built by a Las Vegas neon sign maker, Bill Gulbranson. The Teenbeat Club ceased operation in 1968. The original building still stands, now as an adult topless cabaret.
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 cie released it back, in 1994, with 2 previously unissued bonus tracks.
Richard Delvy 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", and "Chick-A-Boom ". He is well known as being one of the first pioneers of surf music.
The (Original) Surfaris were a surf music band from California. They were active from the early to mid 1960s and had singles released on various labels which included Del-Fi, Northridge, and Reprise.
Joseph Richard Dodd Jr. was an American actor and musician who was a cast member of The Mickey Mouse Club starting in its first season, and later a member of several musical groups including The Standells. He was the lead singer on that band's 1966 Billboard hit, "Dirty Water", which includes the refrain "...Boston, you're my home".
The Insect Surfers are an American band formed in Washington, D.C., in 1979. The group bills itself "Planet Earth’s Longest-Running Modern Surf Band," and has been based out of Los Angeles, California since 1986. Inspired by the psychedelic surf sounds of the 1960s, their instrumental music is propelled by the energy of the punk movement that surrounded them at birth. Founder David Arnson has been the mainstay of the band's sound through numerous personnel changes over the decades. They are sometimes grouped into the category of "second wave" surf, the first wave being that of the 1960s originators, and the third wave being the scores of bands inspired by mid-1990s interest sparked by the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's movie Pulp Fiction. Insect Surfers have performed shows all over the US and Europe. Their music has appeared in videos and television shows, and along with a score of their own releases they have been featured on dozens of compilations. While only about a third of their music lacked vocals during their DC incarnations, after Arnson relocated to Los Angeles the band shifted focus to perform primarily instrumental tunes.
Randy Nauert 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.