9.27.2010

Undated: Surf rock

With its catchy, signature sound of jangling, reverb-heavy electric guitars, surf rock starts to take its place on radio stations and singles charts. Early surf rock songs were usually instrumentals.

There's no consensus on the very first surf rock song, but typically on the short list are Duane Eddy's "Movin' 'N' Groovin' " (1958), The Ventures' "Walk, Don't Run" (1960), Dick Dale's "Let's Go Trippin' " (1961) and The Belairs' "Mr. Moto" (1961).

The genre's first big hit was "Walk, Don't Run," which reached No. 2 on the Billboard charts for the week ending August 29, 1960 (sandwiched between Elvis Presley's "It's Now or Never" and Chubby Checker's "The Twist").

* Surf rock primer: @ and @
* Top 100 surf rock songs: @
* www.surfmusic.com: @
* surfguitar101.com: @
* Listen to "Walk, Don't Run": @
* More about "Walk, Don't Run": @ and @
* Listen to "Movin' 'N' Groovin' ": @
* Listen to "Let's Go Trippin' ": @
* Listen to "Mr. Moto": @


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