Don’t you just love listening to those songs that evoke feelings and nostalgia from the good times you’ve had at the beach?
As I currently listen to The Beach Boys’ famous hit song “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”, I’m instantly taken back to the post-surf session drinks with my buddies, the road trips, the sun’s heat, the wind… Man, those were some good days!
Surf bands are part of our culture. Truth be told I think surfing overall wouldn’t be complete without those catchy tunes that sing about the endless summer days, beautiful girls, riding top-down, and chasing waves.
Throughout my career, I’ve had my fair share of listening to different surf bands — from the oldies but goodies to the modern surf anthems that grommets hum while they wait in the lineup. In this article, I’ll share the best surf bands you’ll love listening to if you’re a fan of this music genre.
Table of Contents
The History of Surf Music
Surf music, also known as surf rock or pop, is characterized by light tunes, electric guitar phrases, and drenched reverbs that mimic the sound of the ocean’s waves. It comes in two forms — the instrumental surf wherein you can hear the more distinguished sound of the electrical guitar, and the vocal surf wherein the the vocal harmonies are the main highlight.
This music genre originated in the coasts of Southern California regions like San Diego and Orange County. It reached its peak in the early ‘60s when the Californian surf band ‘The Beach Boys’ introduced their music to the surfing crowd. After that, other surf bands followed suit. This music trend later on developed different forms such as surf pop, surf punk, surf rock, and hot rod rock.
In 1964, however, the music careers of most bands in California ended when the British boy band ‘Beatles’ took over international charts. This event was also known as the ‘British Invasion’, or the nationwide spread of United Kingdom’s pop culture in the United States. Amongst all of the popular surf bands in the US during that period, only The Beach Boys were able to rival The Beatles in the US top charts.
Best Surf Bands of All Time
The Beach Boys may have paved the way for Californian surf music, but other successful surf bands have also created their mark in this genre.
The Ventures
If The Beach Boys is for vocals, then The Ventures is for surf instrumentals. Formed in Washington in 1958 by Don Wilson and Bob Bogle, this quartet popularized electric guitar and solo drum performances. Their breakthrough song “Walk, Don’t Run” inspired a lot of surfers to learn how to play the guitar in the ’60s; hence why they were also called ‘The Band that Launched a Thousand Bands’.
One of The Ventures famous songs, “Wipe Out”, is a classic record that perfectly showcases Max Weinberg and Mel Taylor’s jaw-dropping drum skills. Perhaps the best part about it was the transition between their parts that’s just equally flawless and captivating.
“Wipe Out” is a song that’s also featured in countless films and surf footage. In the midst of its popularity, this song was practically heard everywhere — in malls, high school pep rallies, and inside classrooms when the boys tried to beat its rhythm with their pens.
And since The Ventures’ timeless music doesn’t have a language barrier, their songs not only dominated the United States but also Japan. In 1965, five of their songs reached the Top 10 singles in Japan’s charts. They’ve also sold over 110 million albums worldwide.
This surf band may have underwent different phases throughout their career, but the fact remains that their music is one of the bests even until today. In 2008, they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, meanwhile, the “Walk, Don’t Run” track was granted the Grammy Hall of Fame award.
The Beach Boys
Did you know that before they become the most celebrated and influential surf band in the United States, The Beach Boys only started out as a garage band?
Formed in Hawthorne, California, The Beach Boys was characterized by their vocal harmonies combined with unconventional surf rock style. They’re also known to experiment with different music genres such as rock and roll, jazz, classic, and R&B.
A lot of people were able to relate to The Beach Boys’ music because they perfectly represented the surfing culture and lifestyle of Californians in the ’60s — the beaches, the trips, the freedom, and the young romance.
They began their successful career in 1963 when they topped the charts with their hit single titled, “Surfin’ U.S.A.”. Their success continued up until the British Invasion wherein they were known as The Beatles’ only rival as they dominated the international charts.
But success comes with a lot of costs — and The Beach Boys was a proof of that. Members of this surf band have gone through a lot before they made it to the top. The Beach Boys’ main composer, Brian Wilson, suffered from mental illness, Dennis died young because of drowning, and all the Wilson kids suffered abuse from their father throughout their childhood and professional career.
The Beach Boys’ history may have its highs and lows, but there’s no denying of the impact they’ve made in the surfing culture. They’ve sold over 100 million records worldwide. Thirty-six of their songs reached the Top 40 charts from when they started in the 1960s until 2010. They also have a total of 4 entries in the Top 100 charts — the most entries an American surf band has ever had.
Finally, Rolling Stone hailed The Beach Boys as ‘One of the Greatest Artists of all Time’, and they were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.
Dick Dale & His Del Tones
Before there were Jan and Dean and The Beach Boys, there’s Dick Dale & His Del Tones. This surf band is considered the first-ever surf band in the history, and it’s led by ‘King of Surf Guitar’ himself — Dick Dale.
Dale, whose real name is Richard Anthony Monsour, inspired a lot of musicians like Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, Brian May with his music and style. He popularized ‘wet’ guitar technique or the electric guitar sounds coming from amplifiers. He also pioneered in using the reverb effect; however, when he was performing in big crowds, his music’s volume was too low. So he worked with Leo Fender to develop a 100-watt amplifier that created heavy and thick sounds with louder volume range.
Dick founded the Del Tones surf band, who later on signed with Capitol Records in the year 1963. They recorded their very first surf instrumental titled “Let’s Go Trippin’” two months before The Beach Boys recorded “Surfin’ U.S.A.”.
Dick Dale & His Del Tones became so popular in Southern California’s Huntington Beach and Balboa that they decided not to take their music internationally. Later on, Dale released his first commercial album called ‘Surfer’s Choice’ that sold over 88,000 copies.
In 1965, Dale retired from music because of an illness but came back later on as a solo artist when his song ‘Misirlou’ was featured in Pulp Fiction. Upon his comeback, he was able to release four albums and even got to go on world tours. Dale’s had a very successful career, and one of his most notable achievements was when he was inducted into the Surfing Hall of Fame in San Diego, California.
Jan and Dean
If there’s another surf band that could contest the skills and talents of The Beach Boys, it could only be Jan and Dean.
This rock duo consisting of childhood friends William Jan Berry and Dean Ormsby Torrence started their career harmonizing in their locker room, along with James Brolin, who would turn out later on to be a famous actor.
The band Jack and Dean is one of this genre’s innovators as they’ve inspired the music of a lot of surf bands. While others claim that they’re a copy of The Beach Boys, the truth is they started the trend of vocal harmonies and songs about the surfing lifestyle way before The Beach Boys did.
All is good between the two bands, though. Brian Wilson (lead composer of The Beach Boys) co-wrote Jan and Dean’s hit song “Surf City” that landed their first record to the Hot 100 chart. On the other hand, Dean contributed as a vocal in The Beach Boys’ song entitled, “Barbara Ann”.
But unlike The Beach Boys, this surf band didn’t go on tours. During that time, Berry was studying to become a doctor; however, his career plan was put to a halt when he accidentally crashed his speeding car into a parked truck. Sadly, he suffered damage in the brain that left him physically disabled for years.
This unfortunate event happened two years after they released one of their famous records, the “Dead Man’s Curve”. Ironically, it’s a song about a place where car accidents frequently occur.
After years of therapy, Jan Berry was able to get back into the industry in 1973, wherein he did the opening acts for The Beach Boys’ tours. He also released a solo album titled “Second Wave”, in which he re-recorded some of Jan and Dean’s old songs.
Man or Astro-man?
If I’m asked what’s the most underrated surf rock band in the world, I’d say it’s Man or Astro-man?, and I think a lot of people would agree with this statement. They’re not the most popular band out there, but if you search the words ‘Surf. Guitar. Mars. Album. Man’ on YouTube, I’m pretty sure Man or Astro-man? will be one of the top search recommendations.
Man or Astro-man’s music features the combination of what I like to call the garage surf rock mixed with space punk rock that’s mixed in with the’60’s sci-fi style vibe.
Formed in Alabama, this surf band is known to get their music’s influence from science fiction. They also make use of electronic devices such as the Apple printer and synthesizer to create their distinctive tunes and sounds. They started their group in the 1990s, but the peak of their career didn’t start until the 2000s came.
Rumor said that they got their band name and album title from the Japanese movie, ‘The Human Vapor’, in which the tagline used was “Is He… Human or Astro-man?” in this band’s case, however, the word ‘He’ was changed into ‘It’. This band’s members also have their own unique monikers —
Star Crunch as the lead guitarist whose right hand’s precision in machine gun strumming is parallel to none,
Bird Stuff for the drums,
Dr. Delecto and his Invisible Vaportron for the bass,
and Electric Monkey Wizard who also plays bass.
Man or Astro-man? is one of the bests when it comes to live performances. Visually stunning and captivating, this surf band takes their acts to a whole new level with their costumes, gadgets, and props like wires, computers, and of course… the tesla coils.
The Frights
Modern surf bands also create their mark by having their own take on the music styles that was popularized in the ‘60s. For instance, The Frights from California creates music that even Dick Dale himself can be proud of.
The Frights is a surf punk band that was founded by Mikey Carnevale, Richard Dotson, and Adam Lomnitzer. Initially, the band started as a small project to pass the time after they graduated from high school. So when they attended college shortly after they were formed, they went on an indefinite break.
In December 2012, however, they played what supposed to be their last show before they disband, when an audience asked them to sign with Postmark Records. This ultimately launched their career.
The Fright’s style and concept consist of making fun, catchy, and aggressive tunes that could classify as an in-between of classic punk and doo-wop. In 2020, however, they reinvented their music with their most recent album “Everything Seems Like Yesterday”.
From surf punk, they transitioned to indie-folk, which confused a lot of their fans (including me) because it seemed like they’re a whole new group with the new songs. Their signature style may be long gone, but at least I still have YouTube and Spotify to listen to their old records.
Conclusion
Songs from the best surf bands are like time machines that could take us back to the time and moments when we used to listen to them. They also have the ability to transport us to different timelines and make us feel as if we’re also living that period.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I had fun reminiscing about the memories that come with my favorite surf bands’ songs. If you want to discover the best surf music, you can also read this article here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who is the most famous surf band of all time?
Hailed by Rolling Stone as ‘One of the Greatest Artists of All Time’, there’s no doubt that the most influential and successful surf band in the United States is The Beach Boys. They were pioneers of vocal surf style music in which they combined their vocal harmonies to other music genres like jazz and rock and roll.
The Beach Boys started the trend of Californian surf music, and they’re also known as the only rival of The Beatles during the British Invasion.
Q: Who is the first-ever surf band in the world?
Dick Dale and His Del Tones is known as the first-ever surf band in the United States. They were already playing surf music long before The Beach Boys released their first song “Surfin’ U.S.A.” Dick Dale, also known as the ‘King of Surf Guitar’, popularized the use of heavy and thick reverb to create distinct tunes that surf bands still use until today.
G’day, my name is Rach Taylor and I’m the proud Founder of Surf Hungry. I am a former Australian Olympic athlete and Australian representative surf sports athlete. I’ve worked in the surf industry and lived at many of Australia’s best surf spots, sparking a life-long love of the ocean and a passion for surf sports which also rubbed off on my two young sons! I am also lucky to spend a lot of ocean-time in my favorite second home, Indonesia. In addition to SurfHungry I have founded several other websites in my areas of passion, namely coffee and rock climbing, and am also a regular rowing content contributor.
