INTERVIEW: History 101 ~ 60’s Surfin Music (UK & US) with UK Journalist; 60's Music Historian: Surf, Beat, Pop

Pray For Surf Interview:

History 101 ~ 60’s Surfin Music (UK and US)

Phil Miglioratti Interviewed Dom Picksley

UK Journalist; 60's Music Historian: Surf, Beat, Pop

Gary Usher * Chuck Girard * Buddy Seat

Fantastic Baggies * Super Stocks * Hondells

PHIL>>> Dom, welcome to Pray For Surf. For our audience—mostly Beach Boys fans—who are you, and what’s the “lane” you’ve carved out as a writer and researcher?

DOM>>> Thanks Phil. I am primarily a sports journalist from the UK, working for a national press agency, whom I have worked for over 25 years. I can also lay claim to being one of the world’s leading bowls (the sport of lawn bowling) writers. Due to my vast interest and knowledge of 60s music, I have dipped my toes into the water of music writing, preferring to concentrate on some lesser-known UK bands of the 60s, getting their untold stories out there, bands with links to The Beach Boys or at least their music.

PHIL>>> You interviewed Chuck Girard focusing on his 60s career. What made you choose Chuck—and why that angle?

DOM>>> After getting into The Beach Boys while a teenager in the late 1980s, mesmerised initially by that California sound, especially their earlier material, I then became deeply interested and engrossed in the surf/hot rod scene of the early 60s and soon discovered Gary Usher. I used to order cassette tapes (remember them?) from a Beach Boys historian called Kingsley Abbott back in the day; bands like The Hondells, Ronny & The Daytonas, The Super Stocks, etc… 

The excitement of these cassettes arriving and then the joy of hearing all these surf/hot rod tunes blaring out from the speakers was something else. I soon began to realise that Chuck Girard’s (nasally) vocals dominated many of these songs and years later, after I dove deeper into the genre, I decided he would make for a great interview as he was such a leading light of those formative years. I wanted to know how he created all this music with Usher and their sidekicks as that period was what interested me most. And obviously time was pressing with many of the musicians from that period having already died, so I knew I needed to get hold of him before it was too late. And now, obviously, he’s sadly passed.

PHIL: When you began the interview, what did you assume you’d find… and what surprised you?

DOM>>> I had heard that Chuck had, as you would say, wiped his hands of that time in his life for many years, not wanting to really acknowledge he had been part of that scene (as he had moved into Christian music from the early 70s and beyond), only to relent later in life and open up about it again. So I wasn’t totally sure whether he would want to ‘reminisce’ and talk about that period in his life. 

And then there was the issue of expecting a man in his 70s, who had lived a full life, to remember things from nearly 60 years ago. The old grey matter obviously doesn’t work so well later in life, but not only did I find Chuck to be very open and frank about those early 60s days, he also had great recall and answered every question I posed for him. Some not in the greatest detail as he couldn’t remember everything he’d done, but he certainly wasn’t afraid or refused to provide some sort of answer. 

Sometimes we forget just how much these people have done in their lives and us fans with an encyclopedic knowledge of their work, who have carried out loads of research, often tend to know more than they can remember – it is fresh in our memory while we are asking them to recall moments from many, many years ago. But I was very pleased with how our interactions went.

{Note: See link below}

PHIL>>> Chuck’s story intersects with Gary Usher’s “world” of groups and studio projects. Most Beach Boys fans know the name, Gary Usher, but help us see the big picture of Gary's role and contributions to the surf/hot rod genre?

DOM>>> Gary was the most prolific protagonist of the surf/hot rod genre, recording, producing and writing literally hundreds of songs for various groups and studio projects; most, it has to be said, were studio groups, many containing the same band members/musicians – and songs, a few of which were under different titles – under a variety of names. 

Obviously he was involved in the Beach Boys’ early career, but following his involvement with them he proceeded to churn out a plethora of material and must have been one of the busiest men in the music industry in the early 60s. Beach Boys fans will probably be familiar with groups like The Hondells, The Super Stocks, but Gary’s projects also included The Competitors (who recorded a terrific cover version of No Go Showboat), The Quads, The Four Speeds (Dennis played drums on a few songs), The Road Runners, The Weird-Ohs, The Silly Surfers, The Revells (under that moniker he produced a whole album on slot car racing) and quite a few more, including The Surfaris, who he later produced. He also composed scores for several beach party movies, like Ski Party and Muscle Beach Party. 

He was like a machine churning out surf/hot rod music by the bucketload and it was incredible to see how one man could dominate a genre like he could. Most of the songs featuring Chuck on lead vocals were Gary projects and it is plain to see how he was trying to mimic the Beach Boys’ style, to great effect it has to be said. It’s a shame he was not rewarded with a few more hits, but much of his stuff was released on budget labels, while it could be argued many of his albums were just cashing in on the current fads of the time. But there were a few classics buried amongst the avalanche of material… Muscle Beach Party and Surf Route 101 both by The Super Stocks (which he sang lead on); My Buddy Seat (The Hondells), Competition Coupe (The Competitors) and Honda Bike (The Devons). Basically, Gary was god of surf/hot rod scene.

PHIL>>> Let’s do a ‘what if.’  If Murray Wilson had been supportive of the Brian–Gary partnership what might have changed musically—more co-writes, different lyrical themes, different bands/projects? A different Beach Boys?

DOM>>> That’s an interesting question and I think initially there would have been a few more collaborations, still along the surf/hot rod lines, but then moving away from them like Brian did. But there are two questions that initial question sparks: 

1) Would Gary have been itching to produce and record his own material like he did with all his surf/hot rod output, and would he have moved away to concentrate on all that?  

2) Brian tended to move on from collaborator to collaborator during his career, so would the partnership have been short lived anyway given his preference to work with new people? I think it probably would have, while I’m sure Gary, bursting with ideas and creativity, would have moved away after not long. I don’t think there would have been a ‘different Beach Boys’, but certainly there could have been some fascinating material they would have released.

PHIL>>> Many people think surf music begins and ends with a handful of famous acts who had a Hot 100 single; Beach Boys, Bruce & Terry, Jan & Dean. From your research, who are we forgetting? Give us 3-5 names listeners should explore. 

DOM>>> 

*The Super Stocks: Gary Usher’s brainchild, one of his main projects, who released three albums – Thunder Road (all hot rod tunes), Surf Route 101 (a mixture of surf tunes and instrumentals and one of the coolest album covers ever) and School Is A Drag (more hot fare), all within six months of each in 1964. Some of Gary’s best material was captured on these albums, songs that featured both his and Chuck’s vocals, but mainly Chuck’s. If you were to encapsulate the whole surf/hot genre in one small package, then you’d not go too far wrong with selections from these three albums.

*The Centurions: One of many Californian bands knocking around in the early 60s, who were responsible for the magnificent Bullwinkle Pt.II, which featured on the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. A ‘bona fide’ surf group, who just recorded instrumentals and released Surfers’ Pajama Party in June 1963. Aside from their most well-known track, the menacingly brooding, foot-tapper Intoxica has to be part of any surf music fan’s collection.

*The Astronauts: A Colorado outfit who had a minor hit with Baja in 1963, while their excellent bandwagon jumping albums Surfin’ With The Astronauts and Competition Coupe are among the best of the early surf/hot rod era. A mixture of vocals and instrumentals, with standout tracks Little Ford Ragtop, Our Car Club (not the Beach Boys song), Competition Coupe and Kuk.

*The Fantastic Baggys: A short-lived studio surf music group created by the great PF Sloan and Steve Barri, before they went down the protest route, but one that produced a number of excellent tracks, the pinnacle of which was the stomping Anywhere The Girls Are. They released one totally self-penned album Tell ‘Em I’m Surfin’, which featured banging tunes like Surfin’ Craze, This Little Woody, Summer Means Fun and the title track. And no sooner had they released this long-player, they waved the beach goodbye.

*The Surfin’ Lungs: A modern band from the UK, who have been going since 1983 and have been heavily influenced by the surf/hot rod music of the 60s. More a surf-punk band, with smatterings of The Ramones and The Monkees, the Lungs have released nine studio albums, most of which are vocals, with the addition of a couple of surf instrumentals per track. Just the song titles alone conjure up the music inside, with tracks like The Beach Will Never Die, Bring On The Summer, Car Surfin’, Cathy’s Little Coupe, Summertime Radio, The Surf’s Up and I Wish That Woody Was Mine. A tenth album is in the making and a band aficionados should check out.

PHIL: Was the surf/hot rod sound received differently in the UK than in the US? What did UK listeners grab onto?

DOM>>> I think in the UK, the surf/hot rod sound, especially that produced by The Beach Boys had that mystical feel to it. It conjured up a feeling and imagery that was probably unattainable for most people in the UK. It brought colour and warmth to the drab and dreariness, and rain and cloud, of some of 1960s UK. The Who’s drummer Keith Moon was mesmerised by The Beach Boys – he idolised their perceived lifestyle, in the same way that thousands of others probably did but could only watch on from afar. They were cool, they surfed (most didn’t, but that was the notion), they had parties, they had fun on the beach, it felt like a million miles away from the humdrum life over here. But for a few minutes, fans could immerse themselves in the lifestyle, dreaming of strolling in the Californian sunshine, while listening to those exciting sounds from across the pond.

PHIL>>> You’ll hear claims that Beach Boys concerts in the UK rivaled Beatlemania. What’s your take—Myth? Exaggeration? True everywhere, or only certain cities/nights? And what sources do you trust most—press reports, eyewitnesses, photos, footage?”

DOM>>> Yes, I believe it did rival Beatlemania, as I have previously said, The Beach Boys had that aura no British band could conjure up for the ‘locals’. They were from another world and literally the fans went mad for them – press reports and footage show just how popular they were.

PHIL>>> You’ve done deep dives on groups most of us barely know. Let’s do quick “why it matters” snapshots.

PHIL>>> The Summer Set — who were they, and what should a Beach Boys fan listen for?

DOM>>> They were a band that really were ‘wannabe Beach Boys’, but in fact were one of a number of jobbing groups, hawking their rudimentary music around the country while also jumping on the Germany gravy train, but not to the success of other groups. They are probably most known (if at all) for their excellent cover of Farmer’s Daughter (in 1966), while they also covered Let’s Go To San Francisco (with virtually a new group of members, Summer Set Mk.11). They covered numerous Beach Boys tracks and even released an album called Surfin’ 66 (live) under the moniker The Top Ten Allstars, which included their versions of I Get Around, Surfin’ USA, Little Honda, Do You Remember and Help Me Rhonda. They are a mere footnote in musical history but are of interest because of their Beach Boys links (the B-side of Farmer’s Daughter, What Are You Going To Do, was a nice harmony pop song). Fun fact: one of their members, Les Humphries (who was not remembered fondly by his former bandmates), went on to appear in the Eurovision Song Contest, where he represented Germany in 1976, with the Les Humphries Singers, where they sang Sing Sang Song (they finished 15th).

PHIL>>> The Surfin’ Lungs / Last Wave to Surfsville — what makes their story interesting or important?

DOM>>>The Surfin’ Lungs are from the UK and have been on the go for over 40 years, although most people will never have heard of them. They take surf music influences from The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean, sprinkle some punk and bubblegum pop extras over the top and, hey presto. A surf-punk-pop quartet who have sung about cars, girls, surfing and the American lifestyle for years and to great effect. Twangy guitars, thumping drums, funny lyrics and sunshine pop harmonies all weaved into glorious tapestries. Last Wave To Surfsville was their most recent album and follows their usual blueprint and there’s nothing better when the sun’s shining, to whack the Lungs on the car radio and blast out some great summer tunes.

PHIL>>> The Ways and Means — what’s the hook, and the best track to start with?

DOM>>>Much like The Summer Set, in that they are a relatively unknown British band, recorded very little, but who had Beach Boys links – they covered Little Deuce Coupe and The Little Old Lady From Pasadena (both with too much echo) in 1966. Breaking Up A Dream (b/w She) was probably their best song, a slice of pure mid-60s pop. They also had a similar sound to The Summer Set, with a hint of sunshine harmony pop creeping through.

PHIL: If a fan wants to research like you do, what are your top 3 starting places—archives, magazines, discographies, collector networks?

DOM>>>One of the best areas to start is 45cat.com. Virtually everything ever recorded is on this site – singles, albums and EPs. It’s a definite go-to website for any band information, no matter how obscure. It not only lists the group and their songs, but people can leave comments on there and you can discover some stunning facts and titbits when you weren’t expecting to.

I also just Google search names, the more unusual the better – try searching for a musician called, for example, John Smith, and see how difficult it is to track down the one you’re after. Most of the time you find nothing especially if the person/group is so obscure (try finding info on Rhubarb Rhubarb for instance), but when you find a chink of light, a door slightly ajar, it’s amazing how this can then open up various routes to what you are looking for.

{Note: “In the United Kingdom, ‘Rhubarb Rhubarb’ is or was common for a crowd of extras in acting to shout the word rhubarb repeatedly and out of step with each other, to cause the effect of general hubbub. A similar American expression is walla.”}

Old music magazines are a good source of info, ones like Record Collector, Mojo, Shindig, or some old bands may even have their own websites, like Katch-22 for example, even though they barely made a ripple in the 60s. Be patient, belligerent and don’t give up, you’ll eventually find something you’re looking for.

PHIL>>> One more thing you’d like Pray For Surf readers to know—about Chuck, Usher, or the surf/hot rod era that most people miss, or maybe your perspective on The Beach Boys.

DOM>>>Gary Usher was once lined up to produce The Surfin’ Lungs, in the 80s. Discussions took place, but sadly nothing ever materialised. And their track Quarter Mile Machine was based on songs by Gary; the ‘song he never wrote’.

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{A personal note from Dom}

    I absolutely enjoyed my interactions with Chuck and was appreciative of his time spent on my project. I'm glad I decided to do it before he passed away. I would love to turn the clock and talk to Gary Usher about those surf/hot rod days. I love all that – The Surfaris have been on my radar for a while and I'm conscious that Bob Berryhill is the last surviving member (although Pat Connolly could be out there somewhere).

    (This) may interest you, my deep dive into The Summer Set, who seemed to spend most of their time in Germany and recorded a handful of tunes, most notably Farmer's Daughter. It was never a hit (they never had any hits), but it is a stunning rendition of Brian's song. They also recorded an album of Beach Boys covers under the guise of The Top Ten Allstars (which I have a copy of somewhere), which may pique your interest. Here is the article, in two parts

1. The Strangebrew: the-summer-set-part-1/

2. The Strangebrew.: the-summer-set-part-2/

    Listened to your podcast about We Gotta A Groove. Terrific listen and fascinated to listen to some of that stuff. I remember seeing The Beach Boys Love You in a record shop in England years ago when I was at college and I bought it, intrigued by the album cover alone. And when 'God please let us go on this way...' blasted out of the speakers, it was something else! Very different from what I expected, but still great. And loved the sound of Roller Skatin' Child... Honkin, etc...

Cheers

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