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in the fall of 1962, a band of teenagers got
together in a modest recording studio in
Cucamonga, California, to record a song
based on a dream their drummer had, “Surfer
Joe.” They pressed up 500 45 rpm copies
and sold them at school to raise money for
guitar amps.
 The B-side, “Wipe Out,”
was composed on the spot and recorded in
less than an hour. By August of 1963, “Wipe
Out” had become a million seller,
charting at #2 on Billboard. “Surfer Joe”
reached #62, and their later follow-up, “Point
Panic,” reached #49. They went on to
tour internationally and recorded numerous
singles and albums (most of which are still
available at Amazon and CDNow as well as
local retailers). In 1965 they had a #2 hit
in Japan called “Karen.” But by 1967,
music trends and other careers moved the
original band separate ways.
After a few reunion performances in the
70’s, they decided to perform regularly
after playing at Disneyland in 1981 (and
attracting 5000 people per show!). Later
that year they recorded a live album called
Surf Party! It is still available
today along with their 60’s recordings. They
appeared on a special episode of The New
Gidget Show, which featured them as the
theme of the show (about their imaginary new
hit, “Bred to Shred”). Later (in the
‘90s) they appeared on the Vicki Lawrence
Show. They have performed at such venues
as the LA’s Universal Amphitheater, Forum,
Greek Theater and Alladin Performing Arts
Theater. In 1990 Guitar World Magazine
voted “Wipe Out” one of the ten most
influential songs on rock guitarists in rock
history. The Book of Rock Record Lists
reports that “Wipe Out” is the No.1
surf hit (among both vocals and
instrumentals) of all time based on record
sales and chart positions.
In 1991 the Surfaris were inducted into the
Surf Music Walk of Fame at Euro
Disneyland (France) with six other groups.
On April 12th, 1996, they were
inducted into Hollywood’s RockWalk as
“legends of rock and roll.” That night, they
headlined at the House of Blues to a
sold-out audience. They now appear in the
Encyclopedia Britannica as “…the Surfaris
(whose “Wipe Out” featured the most
identifiable drum solo in rock history).”
They are also featured in the Encarta
Encyclopedia 2001 edition with a sound file
specimen of “Wipe Out” identified as
a prime example of California surf music of
the 60’s. In August of 2001 they were
featured in a front-page story of the Wall
Street Journal which exposed Morton Downey,
Jr., and others who have falsely claimed to
have been involved with the Surfaris in the
past.
“Wipe Out” has appeared in more
movies and TV commercials than probably any
other song in recent decades, such as it’s
appearance in the Robert DeNero movie “Meet
the Parents.” In recognition of the many
fans who have played Wipe Out on car
dashboards, school desks, and Pringle cans,
the Surfaris will sometimes invite members
of the audience to play the drum solo on
stage with the band!
Currently available recordings:
Wipe Out: the Best of the Surfaris (Varese
Sarabande VSD-5478) Vol. 1 of the Surfaris
anthology
Surfaris Stomp (Varese Sarabande VSD-5588)
Vol. 2 of the Surfaris anthology
Surf Party! (GNP Crescendo GNPD 2239) Live
reunion album from 1981
Surfers Rule/Gone With The Wave (Beat Goes
On Records BGOCD423)
The Surfaris:
Basic Tracks (Got It Productions
www.Gotitprod.com
) Released in ’04.
Guest appearances on various collections:
Surf Crazy (GNP Crescendo GNP 2245) features
the last (and almost lost) Surfaris surf
song Storm Surf
Wax, Board, & Woody (Varese Sarabande) title
cut features the Surfaris Wax, Board, &
Woody
The Warmth of the Sun (Varese Sarabande
Records)
25 All-Time Greatest Summer Songs (Varese
Sarabande Records)
Hot Rod: Big Boss Instrumentals (Capitol
Records) features the Surfaris instrumental
Burnin’ Rubberd, & Woody
View the following articles:
Jim Facey Article -
Wikipedia
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