The Hombres started life as the road band version of Ronny & the Daytonas of "G.T.O." fame; guitarist Gary McEwen, organist B. B. Cunningham (brother of Box Tops bassist Bill Cunningham), and bassist John Hunter had all attended Memphis High before they became the touring version of the Daytonas. They spent years playing under that name and... [+] Read More

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Throughout the '60s and , guitarist/songwriter Jerry Cole worked with some of the most prominent talents in rock'n'roll, including Them, the Beach Boys, the Byrds, and as a session man in Phil Spector's "Wrecking Crew." With his own group the Spacemen, Cole released four albums of space-age surf music in just over two years, beginning with... [+] Read More

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"The Stones, Animals and Yardbirds took the Chicago Blues and gave it an English interpretation. We've taken the English version of the Blues and re-added a Chicago touch." The Shadows of Knight's self-description was fairly accurate. Although this mid-'60s garage band from the Windy City did not match the excellence of either their British or... [+] Read More

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The Centurions would just be another face in the early-'60s surf music crowd if not for the 1994 film smash Pulp Fiction, which plucked the group's "Bullwinkle Part II" out of obscurity for the soundtrack. Formed in the Newport Beach area of Southern California in the late '50s, the group did some recordings for the Shepherd and Del-Fi label, of... [+] Read More

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In 1963, this teenage group from Santa Ana, CA, had one of the biggest and best instrumental surf hits, "Pipeline." Competent players who went heavy on the rumbling bass, ghostly reverb, and electric keyboards, they were very much a one-shot act; their repertoire was crowded with rock & roll covers and "Pipeline" sound-alikes, and none of their... [+] Read More

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Whatever interest this L.A. surf combo generates stems from the fact that future Moby Grape guitarist Peter Lewis was a member. Composed mostly of the sons of Hollywood actors (guitarist Bob Linkletter's dad, Art, being the most famous of these), they cut an extremely obscure LP and several singles for the tiny Garex label. Their cover-dominated... [+] Read More

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Strictly speaking, based on their raw talent, the Count Five wouldn't rate too much attention from music historians. The definitive one-hit wonders, they failed to make much of a lasting impression on the listening public or on music -- but just play that one hit, "Psychotic Reaction," even 40 years after the fact, and almost any audience will... [+] Read More

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One of the best of the many instrumental surf bands working the Southern Californian region in 1963, the Lively Ones' recordings were built around storming, reverb-drenched Fender guitars, embellished by occasional raunchy sax breaks. Originality was not the Lively Ones' forte; over a period of about 12 months, they ground out about five albums,... [+] Read More

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Contrary to popular belief, the Rip Chords were actually a real group, a duo featuring Ernie Bringas and Phil Stewart, overdubbed into a bigger group sound by producer Terry Melcher and his partner, Bruce Johnston. After two failed singles, Melcher and Johnston took over the lead singing reins (and most of the backups as well) and the "group"... [+] Read More

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The Standells made number 11 in 1966 with "Dirty Water," an archetypal garage rock hit with its Stonesish riff, lecherous vocal, and combination of raunchy guitar and organ. While they never again reached the Top Forty, they cut a number of strong, similar tunes in the 1966-67 era that have belated been recognized as '60s punk classics. "Garage... [+] Read More

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