Just like the history of surfing itself, surf music found its legs, became a major craze, and then all but disappeared for a long time before its re-emergence; now it exists as a genre in its own right, and is in a place where it’s not likely to be forgotten again so long as humanity survives.
There is a distinction often made between two early forms of surf music; the earliest surf music popularized by artists like The Ventures is sometimes categorized in music history as “instrumental rock and roll” because it links the early rock and roll of the 1950’s in the historical spectrum with the instrumental surf wave in the early 1960’s. The early stuff lacks some of the conventions that gave surf its flavor in the 60’s. However at the very least the Ventures played proto-surf – along with artists like Duane Eddy and Link Wray, they can be argued to have made music in a similar genre that contributed to surf as an influence. In other words, these artists began to form what is now known as surf music in the late 1950’s. Surf music fans and compilations tend to consider these early artists to be part of surf music.
Surf music “proper” began in Southern California, centered around Orange County in the early 1960’s, mixing together instrumental jazz standards from earlier decades with blues rock riffs, using more modern instrumentation than was typically offered by the music of the 1950’s. The reason Dick Dale is known as the “King of Surf Guitar” is because he took that trickle of early surf of the late 50’s and turned it into a wave, adding those previously-mentioned flavor conventions: the heavy use of reverb, fast alternate picking (especially on long slides), and tremolo dives. Other artists followed in this style, developing instrumental surf into a full-on genre of music.
Surf music leaked into the pop arena when artists like the Beach Boys and Jan & Dean, who were hugely successful bands in the 1960’s, added vocals to the mix and reached the top ten charts, but most surf bands chose not to incorporate vocals or to even sound like these groups, who were borrowing heavily from everyone else solely for the sake of commercial success. With the British Invasion arriving around the mid 60’s, the popularity of surf began to decline as the spectrum shifted toward more psychedelic music. Moving forward, surf music scratched out a meager form of survival in television and movie themes, and as an influencing style for artists in their own contemporary styles.
Enter Pulp Fiction. In 1994 this movie released in theaters with a multifarious soundtrack on which 5 of the 13 song tracks were surf music (here’s our Pulp Fiction Surf playlist on Spotify.) Two independent record labels came around in 1996 – Continental Records (now called Double Crown Records) in Bellingham, Washington; and Deep Eddy Records in Austin, Texas – to fill this new opening in the music world, joining Dionysus Records which had been around since 1983. Surf music experienced a miraculous resurrection, and new surf bands hit the scene. With the rise of the World Wide Web, independent surf music had a venue for discovery and was nurtured back to widespread popularity. Surf music is played by bands around the globe, most notably in the U.S. and Germany, but also in Iceland, Sweden, Holland, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Wales, and beyond. It can be obtained through one of the aforementioned record labels, as well as on Amazon and iTunes – essentially anywhere fine tunes are sold – and most commercially available artists can be heard on last.fm, Spotify, or Pandora.
Rob's Surf Report 
Me an Christian Love used to watch X Files! He has a place here in SB…:) He was more my friend Travis’s friend, than mine, but still. It was poppin’ in the Orville lounge…:)
looOOOOoove surf music. I was a surf chick forever back inna day…:) first sport I learned here in Cally, natch. (Gidget was a nickname…:)
A suitable nick for a surfer girl!
I would like to know how to find all the surf bands.I had the Lively Surf Drums”” The Moon Men” Dick Dale” and about eleven” Ventures” albums.Along with those there where many one time records that I don’t recall but hey all had their own sound. When I got married and had kids and a job.The records went to the thrift store. Found later that they where very obscure and worth a lot of money.Who Knew? I want them back. Did you know that when I purchased “Walk don’t run vol 2”
It was “Vic Danone’s greatest hits in side…ha!
http://www.doublecrownrecords.com
Double Crown records is a great place to find all kinds of surf music, including vintage styles. They also have subscriptions to The Continental magazine, which comes out 3 or 4 times a year with a sampler CD that has 15-20 tracks on it, and that alone is worth the cost. As far as older albums go, getting the original stuff is going to be a matter to take up with secondhand shops, resale stores, and possibly even antique stores, but I know Amazon sells rereleased CDs, as well as MP3s of remastered albums and collections of surf music. Cast your net and you will find it. Thanks for commenting, I hope you find lots of awesome surf music!
Long live surf music! As a long time lover of surf music it did make a small revival in the 80s before the Pulp Fiction craze. The SurfRaiders, Jon and the Nightriders first started in the 80s touring and releasing vinyl along with the UK band The Shadows, the Raybeats, Davie Allan and the Arrows really kicked off the second revival and I had their albums and the Ventures blaring from my car cassette stereo as I cruised around. Those bands along and the original 60s bands was all there was in the 80s if you could find em anywhere. But it truly exploded after Pulp Fiction and still goin strong but the SurfRaiders w/ Robert Dalley and company and John Blair aka Jon and the Nightriders started what I call the second wave which influenced the third wave surf revival in the 90s In the 90s I had an extensive collection of over 300 CDs but lost em due to theft so now I am rebuilding my collection again through amazon but amazon does not have alot of items so thank you for telling us about Crown Records. Going to check them out. I still have my Surf Raiders albums signed by Robert Dalley himself and Jon and the Nightriders Surfbeat 80 albums. Never lost those thanks to GOD. Long live surf and surf music….
Thanks for the insight, Randy! I didn’t know there was a second wave of popularity in the 80’s, and so it really helps when people like you chime in to help fill the gaps. Thanks for stopping by and reading too, I sure hope you can fill out your collection!
Love your stuff still surfing! Jim head (Del rays) Dana point
one of the best surf band’s in the world in the sixties was the Sydney Australia band The Atlantics who had a massive hit with “Bombora”. Check it out on You Tube. They reformed in the 2000’s and finally called it a day in 2013 after releasing more new albums. Check their web site theatlantics.com
Peter Buckley
The Atlantics are one of my favorite surf bands, and definitely deserve a mention. One of my favorites has always been War of the Worlds.
Jim Head and the Del rays were all over so cal’ opening for a lot of bands including beach boys Dick dale and many others!
So much surf, so little space to list them all; Jim Head and his Del Rays are definitely another fave!